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

Q: Construction Manager vs. General Contractor

A construction manager is a general contractor with an expanded set of responsibilities and a different financial incentive structure, while a general contractor is a person in charge of the day-to-day onsite operation of a construction project.

Q: General Contractor vs. Construction Manager

A general contractor is a person in charge of the day-to-day onsite operation of a construction project, while a construction manager is a general contractor with an expanded set of responsibilities and a different financial incentive structure.

Q: How hard is it to become a general contractor?

It is pretty hard to become a general contractor. You must go through training, gain experience, and pass a state exam. While the requirements vary from state to state, almost all states require some degree of training and the passing of an exam.

Q: How to become a general contractor with no experience

You become a general contractor with no experience by obtaining a general contractor license. Most states have general contractor license requirements, although many states don't require a license for smaller jobs. Check with your local licensing board or office for requirements and the licensing process.

Q: What are the pros and cons of being an independent contractor?

The pros and cons of being an independent contractor are the freedom to choose jobs, networking opportunities, and below-average job security. Here are the top pros and cons of being an independent contractor:

What is a general contractor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Neil Opfer

A general contractor is responsible for overseeing work at a construction site. They communicate with clients and coordinate subcontractors, taking care of various segments of the work. They consult with designers, provide an estimate for the budget, and carry out the plan.

General contractors are responsible for the outcome of a building project, sometimes participating in the actual manual labor as well, while other times they manage several construction crews at different sites. They manage everything from schedules to work permits and equipment.

Becoming a general contractor is less about textbook knowledge than hands-on experience in the construction business. Reading blueprints, drawing up estimates, keeping track of things, and communicating with clients and workers is most of the job. More often than not, general contractors start out as skilled builders and pick up the rest along the way.

What general advice would you give to a general contractor?

Neil Opfer

Assoc. Professor - UNLV Civil & Environmental Engineering & Construction Department, Website

Remember that in a CM Program you have spent 4 years of your life (or more) studying books and learning the "theory of construction." But this is the start of your education and not the end. The best quote here (not from me) is "Success is a journey, not a destination." Sadly I have classmates that I graduated with years ago who, once they graduated, never cracked a book. Also remember that construction in many respects is an incredibly-varied field and you will, perhaps if working for a GC or a CM firm, never know as much as that electrician or plumber knows about their craft or that trade contractor knows about their specialty. But insofar as possible you need to learn and absorb as much as possible about these other areas. Otherwise you'll lead a life of ignorance and designers and contractors will, sadly, take advantage of your ignorance. When I was in college (1974), my Dorm President told me, "Everyone is ignorant about something but the stupid person works at being ignorant." Don't work at being ignorant. Also, respect everyone on the job from laborer, carpenter, on up because you can learn something from everyone along the way in your career. You, remember, are lucky in that as a college grad you're in the 37% or so of the U.S. population with a college degree but CM is a STEM field because of the math, physics, and construction-science coursework you take. Only 18% of the U.S. population have STEM degrees so you're in even a more select field with your technical education. But those on the construction site who did not have an opportunity to go to college may resent you or they've had bad experiences with college grads who "lorded over them" the fact that they were a college grad and the craft personnel on the job were not. Advice to a new college graduate in CM would be to remember (not original with me but a great axiom) that (1) you are hired for your technical skills, (2) promoted for your leadership/managerial skills, and (3) fired for your lack of people skills. Do a good job at whatever you do and look for opportunities to improve processes when possible. Realize that as a new grad you'll often get the jobs that more senior people don't want. Also, realize that your job is partly "paying your dues" to get the chance at more interesting jobs in the future. Learn to network with others in your firm and those at other firms including being involved in professional associations and civic/charitable work. Ensure that your supervisors know the extras (prof associations, civic work) you are doing outside of work. Finally the old adage of a "sound mind in a sound body" means to continually improve yourself on both a mental and a physical basis.

ScoreGeneral ContractorUS Average

Salary

5.2

Avg. Salary $66,602

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.8

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.56%

Asian 2.81%

Black or African American 3.64%

Hispanic or Latino 17.05%

Unknown 4.43%

White 71.53%

Gender

female 9.37%

male 90.63%

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

7.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a general contractor

Explore general contractor education requirements

Most common general contractor degrees

Bachelor's

44.9 %

High School Diploma

20.8 %

Associate

20.0 %

Start to develop specific general contractor skills

Skills	Percentages
Plumbing	17.49%
Safety Regulations	12.35%
Contract Negotiations	11.13%
Drywall Installation	6.79%
Construction Projects	4.36%

Complete relevant general contractor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 2-4 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New general 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 general contractor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real general contractor resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed general contractor usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed general contractor in most of states. 20 states require general 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 general contractor duties and responsibilities

Manage the repair/replacement of mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and structural of primarily historical residences.
Manage third party contractors including safety oversight, environmental design specification compliance, and similar construction specifications and requirements.
Perform electrical, mechanical (HVAC), plumbing, framing, roofing and finishing construction for residential and commercial buildings.
Remodel restaurants, which include painting, dry wall, tiling, plumbing, electrical and laying carpet.

Prepare your general contractor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your general 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 general 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 general contractor resume templates

Build a professional general 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 general contractor resume.