How To Become A Construction Contractor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a construction contractor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average construction contractor salary is $67,630. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes more than 10 years of experience to become a construction contractor. Construction contractors with a OSHA Safety Certificate certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 69,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreConstruction ContractorUS Average

Salary

5.3

Avg. Salary $67,630

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.14%

Asian 1.48%

Black or African American 6.29%

Hispanic or Latino 19.83%

Unknown 3.94%

White 67.32%

Gender

female 9.76%

male 90.24%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.1

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a construction contractor

Explore construction contractor education requirements

Most common construction contractor degrees

Bachelor's

41.2 %

Associate

22.0 %

High School Diploma

21.9 %

Start to develop specific construction contractor skills

Skills	Percentages
Plumbing	16.41%
Safety Regulations	13.33%
General Contractors	10.60%
Drywall Installation	8.35%
Construction Projects	5.10%

Complete relevant construction contractor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New construction contractors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a construction contractor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real construction contractor resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed construction contractor usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed construction contractor in most of states. 20 states require construction contractors to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	-	State exam required	Licensed General Contractor
Georgia	Specific course required	State exam required	General Contractor Individual
Alaska	-	State exam required	Contractor, Construction
California	-	State exam required	General Building Contractor
Connecticut	-	State exam required	Major Contractor

Research construction contractor duties and responsibilities

Manage and decide all remodel activities.
Write, submit & maintain RFI's.
Perform diagnostics, repairs and replacement of HVAC systems.
Resolve customer complaints regarding HVAC relate issues customer service.

Prepare your construction contractor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your construction contractor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a construction contractor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable construction contractor resume templates

Build a professional construction contractor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your construction contractor resume.