Neighbor's kid is going to be an Aggie next year and plans on majoring in Construction Science. He asked me about it and I told him I'll talk to a couple friends who majored in it.

Anything you guys know that's worth mentioning? How's the job market for someone who graduates, industrial vs. residential, etc.

not quite smart enough to be an engineer iirc

hoosier-daddy said:

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not quite smart enough to be an engineer iirc

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Maybe not science smart, but usually money smart compared to engineers and architects.

Nah not really co sci don't make much. They're like the minor leaguers of engineering. There's a lot of them and some are great but they aren't cut for the big leagues

My older brother was a construction science major. He made/has more money than anyone I know. I know engineers that don't make squat.

It is the person that does or does not succeed, not their diploma.

Burdizzo said:

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hoosier-daddy said:

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not quite smart enough to be an engineer iirc

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Maybe not science smart, but usually money smart compared to engineers and architects.

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Construction people being money smart? What?

There was a lively thread a while back where some jackwagon claimed his son had multiple $200k+ offers, was getting paid thousands to test concrete, etc.

Consensus as I recall from the reality-based community was that COSC majors could make $60-65 coming out, that may be a bit higher now given the job market.

I'd be surprised if they're even making that much.

Building Construction grad here (old school COSC). It's hard work. I laugh when I hear the 'engineering' comments. I make great money and have something to show for my time on Earth. That's something you can't do in other majors. My travels have taken me all over the great state of Texas, the southwest and northeast United States, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Korea and Japan. I'd do it all over again.

Hardest working man in trolling texags.

COSC has little to nothing to do with actual engineering nor should it not really sure why that is a comp. It's basically a degree to go be a general contractor. Huge Aggie network of large and small scale builders to nationwide construction companies to intern and work for when your graduate.

Jack Cheese said:

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There was a lively thread a while back where some jackwagon claimed his son had multiple $200k+ offers, was getting paid thousands to test concrete, etc.

Consensus as I recall from the reality-based community was that COSC majors could make $60-65 coming out, that may be a bit higher now given the job market.

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I remember this one. That was a good thread

I recruit them great program. Make sure he has a personality and don't get brained washed that only jobs are general contractors. Specialty are the ones who build and pay probably better.

Great program with a bunch of great folks. Mostly prepares you for a career as a project manager or superintendent for a general contractor. I knew people that went into all aspects of construction (subcontractors, product sales, etc).

Just like anything else, it's what you make of it. Average starting salary was $60k ish a few years ago, wouldn't be surprised if it's close to $65-70k now. Everyone I knew graduated with multiple job offers.

I didn't stay in construction for ever, but I would do it again in a heart beat and recommend it to anyone with interest.

Look op the money to be made is in finance. At the end of the day the buck stops with us, we control the ebb and flow of the world through numbers. I'm sure CoSci will give you a cushy life of suburbia, but if you want to go to the big leagues and live larger than life. FINANCE is the way to go

Stfu hedge

Thrax said:

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Nah not really co sci don't make much. They're like the minor leaguers of engineering. There's a lot of them and some are great but they aren't cut for the big leagues

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I have seen more than my share of engineers get owned by contractors, and I say that as a PE. As a PE with 30 years of experience I have no problem asking for contractor input during design. I can put all sorts of line on a piece of paper, but if a contractor can't figure it and build they don't mean spit.

Bonus points if said engineer makes an ass of themselves while being put in their place by the lowly contractor.

Hoss how's your kid doing

A&M does a survey at every graduation to see if a graduate has a job they've accepted, and if so, how much they'll be making. I'm pretty sure the results are on the hire Aggies website. If not there, then they're somewhere else current students can access. Not certain who all can look at that.

CoSci is on average one of the two highest paying non-engineering degrees immediately after graduation per these surveys (other one is Finance). It's also considerably easier than basically every engineering degree so it's a great payoff. A lot of jobs out there too, would be easy to find one before graduating, as well as internships/co-ops.

Biggest downside is how many hours most guys in construction work, and typically without being paid for overtime.

Thrax said:

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Hoss how's your kid doing

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I don't have any kids

Great degree and great field to be in right now (at least in TX). Most kids coming out of school make $50-65k depending on the size of company and any internship experience.

It's also full of good, hardworking kids. Lots of farm boys, blue collar background families, etc. Not too many cake eaters.

hoosier-daddy said:

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not quite smart enough to be an engineer iirc

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If you want to watch a design engineer squirm, tell him you'll build the project precisely to the plans, no questions asked.

I'm an engineer and know many COSC majors. As a group, they're the happiest Aggie grads I know. Most of them make great money. The downside, as some have noted here, is that they work insane hours. Easily 60 hrs a week including Sat/Sun. The site supers have the worst hours. And when the project is done, they're expected to go where the work is. But that can provide some cool experiences. If I had to do it over again, COSC would be at the top of my list.

I could've sworn you were buying a stuffed Fox for your kid on a post awhile back

Hard to graduate with that degree because every project is always "two weeks" away from completion..

I received my COSC degree about 20 years ago. Maybe it's changed since then, but at that time the classes were basically 1/3 architecture, 1/3 business (law, accounting, etc), 1/3 engineering (basics). It was a great program and everyone I knew had at least 5 job offers before graduating.

I will say, however, that most of my construction knowledge was gained after graduating. Having the degree opened many doors that may not have been otherwise opened due to the Aggie network in the construction industry.

Current new grads at my company can expect to start around $60k - $65k depending on internship experience(s). Work hours vary by position, but any jobsite based roles can expect to work 50+ hours per week.

I know a custom builder who *cough* switched *cough* from ENG to COSC. Not being smart enough for engineering might be the best thing that ever happened to him.

Burdizzo said:

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Thrax said:

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Nah not really co sci don't make much. They're like the minor leaguers of engineering. There's a lot of them and some are great but they aren't cut for the big leagues

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I have seen more than my share of engineers get owned by contractors, and I say that as a PE. As a PE with 30 years of experience I have no problem asking for contractor input during design. I can put all sorts of line on a piece of paper, but if a contractor can't figure it and build they don't mean spit.

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smart. most engineers have no idea on how things are actually built. Use your contractors and they will help you and help you cut cost which makes the owner happy.

Also, change your specs up as most mfg listed are already bought out or out of business.

RAB87 said:

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I'm an engineer and know many COSC majors. As a group, they're the happiest Aggie grads I know. Most of them make great money. The downside, as some have noted here, is that they work insane hours. Easily 60 hrs a week including Sat/Sun. The site supers have the worst hours. And when the project is done, they're expected to go where the work is. But that can provide some cool experiences. If I had to do it over again, COSC would be at the top of my list.

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Subs don't. Just saying

Having worked multi-family, commercial, and mid-stream O&G construction, I'd not recommend it. Long hours that don't ease up when you climb the ladder. Stress increases as you progress to PM type roles. Jobs are heavily dependent on swings in the market.

You can make good money once established, but its a meat-grinder.

I did a brief stint in the field and made a **** ton of money compared to what I normally make, but I would never want to make that a life long career. Not worth the money for me.

So do you have a kid or not ?

Knaack said:

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Neighbor's kid is going to be an Aggie next year and plans on majoring in Construction Science. He asked me about it and I told him I'll talk to a couple friends who majored in it.

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Has he considered actually visiting with people, professors, etc in the department?

TexAg2001 said:

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I received my COSC degree about 20 years ago. Maybe it's changed since then, but at that time the classes were basically 1/3 architecture, 1/3 business (law, accounting, etc), 1/3 engineering (basics). It was a great program and everyone I knew had at least 5 job offers before graduating.

I will say, however, that most of my construction knowledge was gained after graduating. Having the degree opened many doors that may not have been otherwise opened due to the Aggie network in the construction industry.

Current new grads at my company can expect to start around $60k - $65k depending on internship experience(s). Work hours vary by position, but any jobsite based roles can expect to work 50+ hours per week.

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Ditto this.