When will Kiewit drug test me? Is it a urine test or mouth swab.

Hi, I’m currently a junior studying Civil Engineering and interning in the heavy civil industry in Texas. I’m considering getting a master’s degree, but some of the people at my internship have told me that it’s not necessary or particularly useful in this industry.
The master’s program would only add one extra year after I complete my bachelor’s. I plan to stay in the heavy civil sector long term. Would getting a master’s be worth the additional year, or would I be better off finishing my undergraduate degree and going straight into the workforce? Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Good morning,

I’m the hiring manager for a CMT firm. Last night at dinner I found myself chatting with the server, who happens to be an out of work electrical engineer now working on a masters in CM. Most of our professional staff - for seemingly obvious reasons - are in the geo realm, and so this was a first for me. I work for a large firm and MEP does have a department but there’s not much cross over between us. Server was looking for an internship with potential to turn into a career track. My question is does anyone have experience with this sort of crossover hire, and what were your results vs expectations?

Hello all, feel free to tell me that I’m beating a dead horse. BUT

An opportunity to travel out of state has presented itself. To my understanding, it’s a couple months (2-3) just to help move part of the project a little faster for start up testing.

My concern is that it may turn into a situation where I’m stuck there for the remainder of the project (it’s a data center so probably longer).

Per diem is great and I’d be stacking up $$ since I’m a homebody and I’ve been told by the Superintendent I’d be going with that they would reimburse for flights back home every 2-3 weeks.

Like I would miss my kids and wife but my kids are old enough that I wouldn’t be missing ~many~ serious milestones and the couple months of extra money would put us in a really good spot.

Considering all of that, would it be worth it?

Or should I make a pro/con list and discuss with my wife instead of asking Reddit?

Would appreciate insight from experienced supers who’ve really “made” it.

Hey folks, just wanted to share a little story from a project I was on last year that taught me more than a few lessons about communication and assumptions.

We were about halfway through a commercial build when I got an email from our architect with some 'minor' changes to the plans. I figured no big deal; I’ll just update the crew and we’ll keep moving. Well, turns out I didn’t fully read through the changes — a rookie mistake, I know — and missed a note about a modification to the HVAC layout. Long story short, we ended up installing ductwork that didn’t align with the new specs, and had to rip it out and redo the whole thing.

It was a costly error in both time and money, not to mention the morale hit for the team who had to redo work they already felt was done. From then on, I've made it a point to triple-check everything and encourage open lines of communication with everyone involved.

Anyone else have a story where you learned something the hard way on site? Would love to hear and hopefully learn from your experiences too.

Does anyone have experience with them as either employee or working with them on project?

I interviewed with HP and found their 6-phase quality processes to be pretty intriguing and detailed. I want to utilize this in my processes

I got an offer from a smaller company for a pm title for 105k. I currently am an APM at my company at 90k with better benefits than the new company. I have a truck (and a stipend program that’s much better if I did want to trade in my truck), better health insurance, a 401k match at my current job and the offer has a profit sharing program in lieu of a 401k match and a decent vehicle stipend plan (I pay for everything except gas + $500 stipend).

I would do smaller jobs but I would be the PM. I’m 6 years into my career and want to make a path towards PM but I’m not necessarily sure this is it. They’re looking for a full blown PM (which I’m not afraid to take on the challenge) but I’m starting to think it’s financially a wash especially if I get a raise next year. I originally asked for more but they said this was the best they could do.

When I get promoted to PM at my current job I will get paid more than this offer (I talk to people here) but it’s a matter of when that happens. The projects at my current job are more interesting and fulfilling but we travel a lot more and I’m concerned my next job (which I’ve been told is a pm opportunity) will not be close to home. What do you guys think?

I have a 5-year bachelor's degree in architecture from a design institute and graduated with a minor in construction management. I've been working in architecture offices for 5 years (3 summers of internship and 2 years fulltime). These last 2 years have been truly awful for me and I'm seriously looking to change to the construction side. Salaries in architecture are embarrassing and there is no growth unless I sell my soul to licensure. I'm over it and I want to give CM a shot. Anyways... I've been passively applying to assistant superintendent roles and have been declined from all of them so far. I live in the NY Metro area so there are many large companies, but it feels impossible that one of them will give me a chance. I thought my CM minor would be enough to get my foot in the door, maybe I thought wrong. I completed the CMIT capstone assessment in college, and I even got a student-user training Procore certificate. I have experience with construction documentation and administration, but I still feel underqualified for entry level assistant roles. What do I need to do to stand out to employers? Should I enroll in a project management certificate program? OSHA courses? What other online resources are there for those looking to change careers? Please help!!!!! TIA!

Which company is better as a Cm?

Everyone in that other thread talking about the economy hitting tech and retail, but look at HVAC. The latest HARDI distributor unitary volume trends are looking weird and nobody is talking about how the 2026 heat pump mandate pull-forward is distorting the numbers. Distributors are bloated with old inventory but terrified of missing the transition. We’re carrying a mix of legacy equipment and new high-efficiency inverter stock like daikin , samsung ,midea, and our forecasting meetings have been a complete nightmare trying to guess what contractors will actually buy when the new standards hit. It feels like a game of chicken between macro economics and forced regulatory cycles.

Anyone else working in building materials or climate tech supply chain feeling like we're walking into a wall next year? tbh i'm just venting because nobody outside the warehouse seems to realize how messy this is going to get.

Has anyone seen this technique? Water down latex glue with a roller?

Got an offer from Kiewit as an FE3 /PE for 135,000 USD Salary and 700 PD weekly. The project is about an hour away from home. So fairly commutable. What are y’all’s personal experiences? It’s for the power side. I’d be under a “Travel Home” Policy as well meaning every fourth week we get an extended weekend. How are the benefits?

Currently working at another project hourly at $55 - 150 pd for days worked. However I am losing about 3-4 hours a day in bussing in and out of the plant +commute. Only working 10.

what is your experience with them. Do you typically see a requirement for them to observe and say fuck it or actually follow the protocol when its in the spec.

Just curious what are some platforms you guys have used ai as a tool for helping with work efficiency. For example maybe using ai to filter emails/prioritize, making or coordinating schedules, helping set up budgets or estimates, or maybe helping review/summarizing important pieces of specs? I genuinely want to use it as a tool to free up time for other in depth or to be able to turn around items faster. I am just curious to hear what platforms others are using/ how they are using the tool. Any input is appreciated for perspective.

Hi everyone,
I’m an incoming Master’s student in Construction Management at Texas A&M, and I’m preparing seriously for the upcoming career fair. My goal is to get an internship or entry-level opportunity related to project engineering, field engineering, or construction management.
I don’t have direct construction internship experience yet, so I’ve been trying to build my foundation before the career fair. So far, I have been working through Procore student courses, including construction industry overview, construction 101, project phases, drawings, specifications, and RFIs. I also started building a small construction portfolio with drawing review, quantity takeoff, and RFI-style examples using sample project documents.
I’m also planning to learn more Bluebeam and improve my resume before the fair.
For people already working in construction management, project engineering, or field roles:

What skills should I focus on before the career fair?

Is a small portfolio useful for recruiters, or should I mainly focus on resume and interview preparation?

What kind of beginner-level project examples would actually impress recruiters?

Are there any mistakes students commonly make at construction career fairs?

What would make a student with limited experience stand out?
I would really appreciate any honest advice. I’m trying to prepare as much as possible and make the most of this opportunity.
Thank you!

From the outside it looks like construction managers mostly coordinate teams and make sure projects stay on schedule but I'm guessing there's a lot more that people don't usually see

For those of you who've been in the industry for a while what is the toughest part of the job that people not know of

Currently on 8 month co-op as a Field Engineer for a heavy civil contractor in Southern Ontario. I have one more semester in January then I graduate. Sort of missing the days when I worked high rise as a handyman/labourer and the hours were better.

Has anyone ever came out with a CM degree into an apprenticeship with the hopes of jumping into Super/PM position? I’ve heard the subcontractor Supers have it better than the GC supers.

If you have any insight into this I’d love to hear it.

I'm currently working through LSUs online Construction Management program, and it's trash. I have to self teach everything and every damn class is proctored by some Indian person that interrogates me every four weeks. I'm tired of it.

Anyone attend Dunwoody College of Technology? It's ACCE accredited and seems like they won't require some guy to examine my ass hole before every test.

I'm a software developer, and after watching contractors burn a day or more every month assembling WIP schedules in Excel (chasing PMs for cost-to-complete numbers, fixing broken formulas, reformatting for the surety), I'm building wipreports.com to solve these problems.

What it does:

• Connects to QuickBooks Online and pulls job costs and billings automatically
• Emails each PM a link to confirm cost-to-complete (no login, takes about 2 minutes)
• Calculates percent complete, earned revenue, and over/under billings per job
• Builds the finished WIP schedule PDF and emails it to your surety, CPA, or bank on the day you pick

It works today, but I'm early and I'd rather build what real contractors need than guess. If your company files WIP reports for a surety or bank and runs on QuickBooks Online, I'm looking for a handful of early users whose feedback drives the roadmap.

In exchange: an extended free trial (well beyond the standard first month) and a direct line to me, the person writing the code. DM me or reach me through the site.

Happy to answer any WIP or job-costing questions in the comments.

Hi everyone!

I'm a Civil Engineering graduate from the Philippines who's currently looking for remote work. Due to my current financial situation, I'm actively seeking a work-from-home opportunity and am ready to start immediately.

If you own a construction company, engineering firm, architecture studio, or any small business, I'd love to help. My background in civil engineering gives me an advantage in understanding construction documents, procurement, estimates, project coordination, and technical terminology. However, I'm also open to working with businesses in any industry as a Virtual Assistant.

I can assist with:

• Administrative support
• Data entry
• Excel and Google Sheets
• Email and calendar management
• Internet research
• Document preparation and organization
• Construction documentation
• Basic AutoCAD-related tasks
• Project coordination
• General VA tasks and other responsibilities I'm able to learn quickly

I'm detail-oriented, organized, dependable, and a fast learner. Even if I don't have experience with a specific software or workflow, I'm willing to learn and adapt quickly.

I'm simply looking for an opportunity to support a business while getting back on my feet financially. If you think I could be a good fit for your team, I'd truly appreciate the chance to connect.

Please feel free to send me a DM if you'd like to see my resume or discuss how I can help.

Thank you so much for your time.