Construction Curiosities #110
How can you Career Pivot to Contech? | Remodelers are the Best Teachers
Hey! Happy Saturday! Matt here.
Welcome to the Construction Curiosities newsletter!
It’s been a minute…. Did you miss me?
Anyways, Happy Belated Halloween!
This weekly Newsletter explores the Curiosities of the Construction Industry. It's meant to help Drag the Construction Industry into the 21st Century by making you think, smile, and become motivated to drive innovation in your realm of the industry.
The Newsletter will focus on 4 primary areas of Innovation:
Technology & Tools
Growth Marketing
Upskilling/ Mentorship
Being People First in all of the Above
We won’t hit on each of these topics every week but that’s what is in rotation!
Summary
This week we will look at:
One Guest Article: Career Pivot to ConTech?
One Marketing Tip: SearchGPT Optimization
One Social Post: Remodelers are the Best Teachers
One Meme: Substantial Completion Getting Robbed
Do You Have What It Takes to Thrive in Tech?
Written by Stefanie Reichman, PE
Three years ago, as a Civil Engineer, my answer would have been a resounding “Absolutely not.”
I questioned myself:
What could I, with my engineering background, possibly offer a tech company?
Why wouldn’t I just stay on the path that everyone else in engineering seems to take?
But here’s the thing:
Tech companies are starving for industry insight.
The coding? Easy to teach.
The sales training? Simple.
The real gold? That’s you—the person who’s been in the trenches and can say, “I’ve done this before. Here’s how you can do it better.”
That insight is priceless.
So, how do you bridge the gap from AEC to tech?
I’ve got a process for you (and I know how much we construction folks love a process). It’s a 2-part transition:
Part 1: The Technical Part
First, identify the areas of your current role that you actually enjoy. Once you know that, finding a tech role that aligns becomes much easier.
For example:
If you lead training sessions or onboarding new hires—roles like Software Trainer could be a great fit.
Are you active in networking and developing relationships for your firm? Maybe a Sales Engineer or Business Development role is worth exploring.
You’ll be surprised by how transferable your skills are. Tech needs your expertise—it's just about finding the right fit.
Part 2: The Emotional Part
Now, before you roll your eyes at this—hear me out.
As construction professionals, we’re really tough on ourselves.
I’ve had moments where I thought, “Really? I have a Master’s in Civil Engineering, I’m a PE, and this is my job now?”
We often struggle to let go of what’s familiar. The shift from a traditional construction role to tech feels like a major pivot. It is! And it’s okay to feel uncertain.
You may grieve parts of the career you thought you’d have, like I did. I still wonder sometimes about the Project Manager dream I chased for years.
But when you find a role that aligns with your values, that “career ladder” starts to matter a lot less.
I’ve had so many people slide into my DMs with the same question:
“Will I regret making this shift?”
My answer?
You can always go back to traditional AEC roles if you want. With the current labor shortages, trust me—they’ll welcome you back.
Will you regret not trying? You spend too much of your life at work to stay stuck in a job you don’t enjoy.
So, if you're reading this and thinking, Okay, but how do I even start this process? I’ve got exciting news!
I’ve teamed up with Bhragan Paramanantham (Last Week in ConTech) and Allister Lewis (ADDD) to launch AEC Tech Jobs—a job board tailored for AEC professionals looking to pivot into tech. Check it Out Here!
As part of the launch - I’m hosting a Career Clarity Workshop to help YOU Discover Your Ideal Pivot! Spots are limited- grab a spot today! (Use code YETI10 for an exclusive discount!)
It’s been a pleasure being in your inbox! Don’t be a stranger- drop me a DM and say hi! 🙂
One Marketing Tip
What does ChatGPT’s SearchGPT know about your Company?
ChatGPT just launched SearchGPT and immediately everyone should start worrying about Optimizing their websites for AI search (if you weren’t already).
Matt Chiera gave this tip this week as a first top tip.
I checked what it pulls for AltCMO…. pretty good so far. But even we have a bit of work to do.
With SEO (and now AI Optimization!) the job is never done!
Pretty cool stuff.
Maybe this will make ChatGPT the Google Killer that they’ve been saying it would be?
One Social Post
They should also be the biggest teachers/ advocates for proper Maintenance as they see how years of Deferred Maintenance will wreck a facility.
Cheers to @risingerbuild for the post and @thegloriamarie (from GloJoy.co) for the share.
One Meme
Taking Sports memes and applying them to Construction is my favorite pastime.
⚡ Construction Yeti is powered by Alt.CMO: Building Momentum for your brand.
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Shoot me a message to learn more: matt@altcmo.net
See y’all next week! ✌
