Finding a BIM job

BIM Jobs

Sorry guys I don’t have a job for you. I do know for a fact that BIM is in demand. I get calls from old construction management friends a lot after they’ve been laid off and they’re looking for help. I always ask, “Do you know BIM”? The answer is always “no”, and will always be “no” at least for the next 10 years. Why you ask?

Supply and Demand

The simple fact is: there is more of a demand for BIM guys/gals than there is a supply.

Its true, I get calls at least once a month from old colleagues, head hunters, and companies I never heard of asking if I’d be interested in a BIM Position. I am always cordial and flattered by all these offers, it really is humbling, but I am happy where I am, so I usually say sorry I am not interested. Seriously, I’ve even been courted by two of ENR’s Top 100 CM firms, for positions that were to high for a simple cold call!

Without fail, the second thing they ask me after I’ve shattered their hope of finding someone that is even half qualified is if I know anyone with qualifications for the position. Of course, my answer is no. I know a lot of BIM people, but I really don’t know any unemployed BIM people.

I know a lot of people in Construction Management that could learn Revit and Navis and Synchro if they wanted to, but “don’t have the time” or “don’t have a powerful enough PC”. It really is pathetic how people stop learning after they start working. I just bought a book on HTML5, PHP, and MySQL, has nothing to do with BIM…yet, but point is I’m adjusting with the times and trying to get ahead of the curve.

Levels of BIMmers

Some companies think all BIMmers are created equal, unfortunately that is not the case. If you want someone who is very qualified, you have to pay top dollar. Don’t call someone and try to entice them to leave their company with only a 15% raise, no one is going to leave their company, their home, move their family, for 15%!

Software:

Not only do you have different programs (i.e. Revit, Navisworks, Synchro, CAD), but you have different skill levels of that software.

CM Experience:

Ok you know the software, but do you the business? Do you really know how contracts work, and the different types of contracts? Were you a cost or change order engineer at all? MEP Experience. CAN YOU READ DRAWINGS? (I know some BIMmers that are great with BIM software, but really don’t know how to read construction drawings). Lets get one thing straight, reading construction drawings is absolutely essential to being a valuable BIM Person.

Workflows and Processes

OK, you know the software, you’ve got at least a year of CM experience. Now, apply what you know about CM to BIM. There’s more than one way to skin a cat, there's more than one way to draw a wall or a Rain Water Leader in REVIT. What are the best practices?

My first MEP Coordination project took almost 3 months to coordinate and there was only $12MM of MEP. Now I look back and realize I could’ve finished it in 3 weeks.

Understanding the workflows and processes to use the software as efficiently is possible is key to success.

Tips for Companies

1. 5 years of experience or less – Be skeptical of anyone that says they have more than 5 years of experience in BIM. Real BIM (Navis & Revit) has only been around for about 5 years (neither were Autodesk products until 2008). Before that was AutoCAD 3D, that is not BIM, that is AutoCAD 3D. Anyone that was a drafter for an MEP company has used AutoCAD 3D.
2. For Synchro, 2 yrs of experience or less. Synchro has been around since 2008 (maybe 2007) but really was not very usable for large projects until early 2010.
3. Ask potential hires to provide a dwf(x) or NWD of a previous project, ask exactly what was their responsibility in the project.
4. If they’re unemployed and just learned BIM during their new found free time, these are the people you need to hire, they have demonstrated action without instruction.
5. If they’re unemployed, but claim to have ample BIM experience, see Supply & Demand above, and ask yourself, why is this person unemployed?
6. If you want a corporate/division/regional BIM Manager, you absolutely must poach from your competitors less you promote from within. This goes with most management positions, but I want to make a point that recent grads are probably not ready for the management position, not because they can’t manage people, but because they need actual job experience.
7. Don’t let age determine anything, unless they’re fresh out of college, the guy with 1 year of experience can be just as qualified as the guy with 4 years.

 

Tips for BIMmers

 

1. Learn Revit
   1. Practice, Practice, Practice – Take a set of drawings for your construction project, create a complete Revit model (just architectural and structural)
   2. Recreate all the dimensions and annotations
   3. Recreate the sheets within Revit
   4. if you have a university email address go to students.autodesk.com to download your free student edition of Revit 2011 (or 12 when it comes out), you can use this software legally if you are just using it to learn. License lasts for 3 years!
   5. Get a copy of Revit Arch: No Experience Required, I like it better than Mastering RAC. I read both books, and NER is just easier to read, reference, and it will walk you though building a project from scratch.
2. Learn Navisworks
   1. Download the Student Version from students.autodesk.com, just like above, again you’ll need an email that ends in .edu
   2. Experience: Unfortunately, there is no way to really learn Navisworks, it something that must be picked up by experience.
   3. If you know someone that is a BIM MEP Coordinator ask if you can sit in on their Coordination Meetings, most now are done via WebEx or GoToMeeting®. Attend as many meetings as you can for one project.
   4. Learn a good Document Collaboration Site. (i.e. Buzzsaw, SharePoint) <—This will make or break a project.
   5. Learn the best practices for steps 2 & 3.
3. Learn Synchro
   1. Unfortunately there is no free student version, for this one, you’ll have to get your professor or dean from your college to contact Synchro, they’ll be more than happy to provide the school with unlimited licenses for their computer lab, or students, or both.
   2. Practice – after you do your sample Revit Project above, get a schedule from the scheduler, offer to do pro bono 4D work, and put that sucker in 4D!

 

BIM Pay Scale

You may be asking yourself, “How much do BIM guys get paid?” or what is an average or typical salary for a BIM Engineer? I looked on Salary.com, and the information is not there. If I were to guess, I’d say a decent BIM/VDC Engineer should be getting between $65-90k. Regional Managers $80-120k, and Corporate Directors $100-160k.