Development --> Construction
I have read a number of posts on this forum pertaining to people looking to make the jump from a construction/project management role into development, but has anyone ever heard of someone working for a developer and then transitioning into some sort of corporate role with a large GC (Skanska, Turner, AECOM, etc.)? While I realize that CRE and construction are in many ways entirely different industries, I've always thought it would be interesting to work for a company that built large scale projects across a wide range of property types as well as infrastructure.
Not my field of expertise, but I'd think it would be a lot harder if you started in development than the other way around. Construction PMs are engineers, so even if you have an engineering background you'd likely have to start out from the bottom if you were able to make the switch.
So, I know many people in development (including at my current firm) that came from construction, that is pretty common everywhere I think.
As I think about your question, I actually know someone very well who I think did what you imply, but I think their route was Construction --> Development --> Construction --> Development. But they were very senior at that second run in construction (probably a run for like 20 years before taking a senior role back in development). I'm pretty sure this person has an engineering degree/background at the start. I'll add this person was at a construction firm of the exact nature/size of the ones you list as examples.
The more I think about it, I actually this is not as uncommon as it sounds. I can recall a handful of people who left development back after 08/09 (not by their choice lol) and landed in construction roles, some have returned but not all. I don't want to say they all became CEO's of firms like Turner, but some are clearly in senior/legit roles.
Final point, many construction firms now have development arms (including two of the three you list above), so I would think dual-crossing along those lines is more feasible. Still, going from development to mega GC senior role can't be the easiest jump ever, but I can't think it is impossible by any stretch. Roles like "business development" (fancy means of saying sales) are probably the easiest path if you are not qualified to be a true project manager (but many from development probably are).
The only people I know who went Dev > Const were people who were doing serious CM work in their development role (and had a construction background to begin with). The shift from managing a GC as a developer to managing a team under you at a GC isn't terribly difficult, especially if you're not coming in as a PM. The guys I know who did it moved to a senior PM/MD role which is far less hands-on with the schedule, bidding out subs, managing RFIs, etc.
It's super easy at lower levels, harder at higher levels. The real question is why would you want to. Construction generally pays slightly lower and has significantly worse hours than development. It's got a super low barrier of entry with decent financial prospects overall, however the lifestyle is really rough. Someone with a psych degree from north south central state can get an entry level job at a GC with half a brain and understanding of the industry.
1st year PEs are making 60-80k with 100-150k all-in at 3-5 years of experience. Turnover is crazy high and the lifestyle is atrocious. It's not a bad gig in the grand scheme of things, but it's a question of why you would want to.
Probably the reason you haven't heard of that is because most of the posters on here are smart enough not to make such a move! I am only kidding of course. Joking aside, I will try to answer your question as someone who has gone from the GC side (working for one of the companies you listed) to the Dev side.
I would say that in my experience, you bring in far more value with the skillset you learn from construction moving into development than you would bring moving into construction from development. I work with a fairly large team of development mangers at a mid sized national developer (around 50 employees) and I can say with a high degree of confidence that the Development Managers who have construction experience (which is actually most of them at our shop) are head and shoulders more skilled and valuable to the company than the ones who somehow got straight into development (whether through the finance/analyst side or whatever). Of course, there is a lot more that goes into development than just construction, but those things are far easier to learn and take far less time than it does to have a really good grasp of how buildings go together, and that is your main responsibility as a Development Manager (to understand the risks of any given planned development and to make sure you are managing those risks appropriately; which you just cant do if you dont understand how to build).
I cannot imagine having even great Development experience but no construction experience, and expect to jump into any kind of lead role at a GC firm. If you are on a project that is complicated by any measure (and the companies you list work on the most complex building projects there are, such as hospitals, life science buildings, higher ed, airports, etc.) you are not going to jump into a team of 20 full time on site guys and know how to manage any of the trades. What does a Development Manger know about cooling towers and chillers and cryogen vents and lead lined walls, etc? Not a damn thing unless he's already been on the GC side dealing with it before.
C-Suite positions at construction companies are overwhelmingly filled by guys (and gals) who have spent their whole career in construction. It is just an industry where experience building things matters far more than education or anything else. It is a very practical, hands-on kind of work and frankly coming in from the dev side (though it is similar in some regards and can offer a fresh perspective in certain situations) brings in less value than someone with real building experience.
But the real question should be 'why on earth would you want to go from development to construction?'. You can make OK money on the GC side, but you aren't going to come close to what you can make on the private development side (if you find the right shop).
Sapiente quod dolorem officiis qui quod sed voluptatem. Ipsam perferendis voluptatum qui. Sed qui tenetur dolorem repellendus aspernatur sit. Iusto perspiciatis maxime reprehenderit sunt consequatur modi esse voluptates. Veritatis et eum occaecati minima dolorem cupiditate.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...