If you consider yourself a natural leader with outstanding problem-solving abilities, persistence, and the ability to effectively plan and prepare for situations and/or events, then a career as a facilities manager may be the perfect fit for you.
A facilities manager is responsible for the maintenance and optimizing of facilities that house employees, streamlining processes, managing projects, and supporting people, as well as integrating technology into the facility to optimize its functionality and make sure that it is serving its purpose.
1. Building Inspector
Why Become a Building Inspector?
A building inspector will inspect the structural integrity of a residential, commercial, or industrial building.
So, essentially, you should have an interest in the structure and design of buildings.
This career field requires candidates to interpret construction drawings as well as have superior knowledge of building codes as the buildings must meet building code requirements.
These professionals often work on a wide range of projects, which means that the individual should be skilled at project management, planning, organizing, delegating, and supervising.
A building instructor may do on-site inspections to ensure that progress on new projects and renovations are on track and comply with all requirements.
Building inspectors may either inspect plans, which means that most of the day is spent in an office, or do on-site inspections, in which case, most of their day is spent on a construction site.
This can be a challenging yet fulfilling job.
In addition, the pay is very good in this growing industry.
| Building Inspector Key Stats | |
|---|---|
| Avg. Salary / year | $68,480 |
| Avg. Pay / hour | $32.93 |
| Education | 4+ Years |
| Outlook | 7% |
Read the full career guide: How to Become a Building Inspector
2. Fire Inspector
Why Become a Fire Inspector?
As a fire inspector, your first and primary concern is the health and safety of people in residential and commercial buildings.
This is a challenging job that can affect a lot of lives.
The career of a fire inspector starts with a job as a firefighter.
Additional education and on-the-job training will advance you to the position of a fire inspector.
Certain states require additional licensing.
Fire inspectors interpret and apply specific guidelines during the inspection of buildings to ensure that the building complies with the fire code.
In addition, it is the job of the fire inspector to make sure that the fire protection systems are functioning effectively without faults.
Any unsafe conditions are documented in a report that highlights which inspections took place and what recommendations were offered to remedy the unsafe conditions.
Therefore, report writing skills are crucial in this career.
It can be both challenging and stressful but extremely rewarding.
| Fire Inspector Key Stats | |
|---|---|
| Avg. Salary / year | $69,680 |
| Avg. Pay / hour | $33.50 |
| Education | 3-4 Years |
| Outlook | 24% |
Read the full career guide: How to Become a Fire Inspector
3. Operations Manager
Why Become an Operations Manager?
All businesses have a core function.
Some companies focus only on their core function and outsource all other functions, while other companies incorporate other functions into the day-to-day operations of the business.
The core function of a business is also known as the operations of a business.
Therefore, an operations manager is concerned with the main operations of a business.
The operations of a business will depend on the type of business.
An alcohol manufacturing facility, for example, will mainly focus on the production of alcohol through distillation and the packaging of the final product.
A pharmaceutical company is primarily concerned with the production of pharmaceuticals etc.
An operations manager wears many hats, is exceptionally good at multi-tasking, leading, and organizing, as well as an outstanding team player.
Operations managers must be able to interpret, analyze, and make recommendations based on data, which is a crucial skill in this field.
Being an operations manager requires a mix of hard and soft skills, including taking initiative, people skills, presentation skills, etc.
Education, training, skills, and experience play a vital role in determining the salary, but overall this job pays rather well.
| Operations Manager Key Stats | |
|---|---|
| Avg. Salary / year | $115,250 |
| Avg. Pay / hour | $55.41 |
| Education | 3-4 Years |
| Outlook | 9.1% |
Read the full career guide: How to Become an Operations Manager
4. Civil Engineer
Why Become a Civil Engineer?
Civil engineers will spend some of their time in an office while the rest of their time will be spent on site.
These professionals are responsible for building a community’s infrastructure.
Your job as the civil engineer will entail developing real estate while also maintaining residential, commercial, and industrial buildings.
Civil engineers are responsible for the planning and execution of the construction of water supply and sewage plants, airports, bridges, roads, and mass transit systems.
In order to be good in this career field, the candidate must have a passion for planning, especially in terms of the construction of buildings, roads, infrastructure, etc.
Applied mathematics forms an integral part of this career.
Therefore, it is crucial that you understand and know how to apply mathematics in order to solve problems that may occur during the construction of infrastructure.
The salary in this position is exceptionally good with a lot of room for growth.
Those outstanding problem-solving abilities will flourish in this career.
| Civil Engineer Key Stats | |
|---|---|
| Avg. Salary / year | $95,490 |
| Avg. Pay / hour | $45.91 |
| Education | 4+ Years |
| Outlook | 6% |
Read the full career guide: How to Become a Civil Engineer
5. Electrical Engineer
Why Become an Electrical Engineer?
A career in engineering will appeal to those that have a passion for science and maths.
A significant benefit to a career as an electrical engineer is the salary.
This is one of the highest-paying jobs in this field.
In addition, the skills acquired in this field can be applied to most everyday situations.
These professionals are responsible for the design, testing, and supervision of the manufacturing of electrical goods.
For example, radar and navigation systems, power generation equipment, electric motor vehicles, robots, cell phones, computers, etc.
In addition, an electrical engineer will design the electrical components of traditional gas-powered vehicles and air crafts.
This career is exceptionally rewarding, both personally and financially.
| Electrical Engineer Key Stats | |
|---|---|
| Avg. Salary / year | $107,890 |
| Avg. Pay / hour | $51.87 |
| Education | 4+ Years |
| Outlook | 5% |
Read the full career guide: How to Become an Electrical Engineer
