Career industry focus change - suggestions

[Gary Waldron]

Hello BP,

I have seriously been contemplating on making a career change in my life - one that is more geared towards my life goals related to REI. Currently I am a parking operations manager and I manage several parking facilities in the downtown Tacoma area. This job has given me lots of professional experience and growth in the property management field, however it is not giving me the experience I feel will take me to my goals for REI.

With this realization in mind I feel the next best step is to get into construction. If I gain experience in the construction industry it will give me a wealth of experience and knowledge that I will lean on to reach my REI goals. One of my biggest REI goals is to learn how to build a house from the ground up. One of the tough things about trying to make this change is how do I get my foot in the door?

I have been looking for jobs in project management as I feel with that type of job I will be exposed to all aspects of what it takes to build a home. The biggest hurdle I have seen is that all postings for positions such as this requires past experience and in some cases schooling. With my recent observations during my job search I have changed my strategy and started looking for Assistant Project Management positions. This would be a step back for me in my professional career, however this may be my best chance to get my foot in the door. 

I wanted to reach out to the BP community to ask for advice and find out if I am missing something in my research in getting into the construction industry. Are there other alternatives to Assistant project management that will help get me to my goals by gaining experience and knowledge? Any advice from the community will be helpful.