Here is my situation right now. I am currently a Business Administration student with majors in both Finance and Management. I do have a strong interest into both of those fields. However, there is a part of me that is also really interested in becoming a construction manager. I’ve come to a point where making the decision is a tough one, and really I do not know which way to go. There are some uncertainties with both. Ultimately, I can see that the main deciding factor for me is job outlook and about which one has better potential, especially job outlook.
Often times I tend to think about wanting to go out onto the field and manage/oversee large civil projects being developed, which I think can be fascinating. Also I do tend to enjoy the outdoors. Because of this, I have considered switching majors to construction science, but I am a little bit uncertain about this.
What drives my uncertainty about construction science are two things:
1). I do not know about the job outlook for construction managers and how competitive it is to get into construction management. I’ve heard construction can be unstable, and that the field can fluctuate based on the economy. I definitely do prefer to have a stable job with a good salary.
2). I do not know how difficult it is to be self employed as a construction manager/contractor. I’ve heard that roughly half of construction managers are self employed, and I do not know if that is something that I want to deal with or not. So I could stand for some advice on that.
3). I am uncertain about what is required to even get into Construction Management. I’ve read that a degree in construction science/management is now important, but I’m concerned about whether they want people with “both” a degree plus “numerous” years of experience in construction or just the degree in construction with an internship or two. Basically, if I major in construction science/management, I would like to become a manager as soon as possible.
My main uncertainty for me with business is that many students do get degrees in business, though I’ve heard finance has less than management and accounting. Regardless, it seems to me that the field is competitive, and I wonder about how many job opportunities are out there for business students, especially Finance and Management majors.
At the same time, I really do like to work with numbers and have an interest in solving financial issues. I do like to work indoors too. I work in retail right now for my part-time job and I do not have any problems with it. I also thrive on the idea of working with planning/strategy skills. I do envision about wanting to go into and turn around companies that do struggle into a success, basically like an adviser.
So basically, I appreciate the sense of accomplishment that can be quickly realized when seeing a project or an idea grow into a success, as I really do like to use strategy and planning skills to earn positive results. So, regardless of the fields, I do have an interest in wanting to do something with finance, management, or management consulting.
My question is, which field should I major in? Which one has better opportunity? I am still leaning on Finance and Management, but would like to hear opinions.