General Contractor Salary

The field of civil engineering has always been a source of various career opportunities. Since construction and infrastructure form the backbone of growth and development of a nation, success of projects is extremely important for firms to scale new heights and contribute to the economy of a nation. General contracting is a good career choice for people who have worked in the field of construction engineering or who wish to work on projects and challenging tasks. The career development path in this field is bright and it offers various opportunities for decent salary. The numerous job profiles and certification programs for general contracting are required for vice president of operations and also for project engineers. In general, this field has a lot of potential for you to make decent money. Nonetheless, hard work and dedication are vital if you wish to succeed in it.

Average Annual Income of General Contractors
Since general contractors certificates are essential for various job profiles, the salary varies for every job profile.

Based on Job Profile
Project engineers who have general contractor certificates earn near about US $60,000 approximately per year. Since vice presidents are at the highest level in the projects, those vice presidents having general contractor certificates are paid quite decently with their salaries as high as US $110,000 p.a. The middle level of mangers and workers, those like construction foreman and construction superintendent earn US $54,000 p.a. and US $70,000 p.a. respectively.

Based on Work Experience
Like in every field work experience governs the salary and earning potential of the workers, in this field also, the general contractors salary is decided by the number of years a general contractor has worked in this field. Licensed general contractors who have worked for less than a year can earn an annual salary of US $50,000. Those who have worked for about 5 to 9 years can earn a salary about US $65,000. Once the contractor has established himself in this field, the earning potential increases and after some 20 years of work experience a general contractor can earn up to US $90,000.

Based on Working City
Like various salary ranges for jobs depend on the work location, the profession of general contractors is dependent on the job location. Since the general contractors work for construction industries, the value of property and land in specific areas varies significantly and so can the general contractor salaries. How much do general contractors charge in specific locations? In New York, for instance, the average contractor salary is about US $90,000. Ideally, higher the living cost of a city, higher must be the salary so that workers can maintain a standard lifestyle and are comfortable living in that city.

Becoming a General Contractor
Good education and some years of work experience are necessary elements for becoming a general contractor. Students interested to enter the field of civil engineering can consider general contracting as a lucrative option for moving ahead in this field. One must complete bachelor's or master's degree in construction science, construction management and civil engineering. Graduates of these programs who have studied for four years start working as assistants to cost estimators and construction managers. Aspirants who have postgraduate degrees and various certificates and diplomas preferred for general contractor positions.

As we can see, salaries varies due to many factors and fluctuate for every state and job profile. A career in general contractor field is definitely rewarding in terms of pay packages and aspirants interested in this field must pursue it diligently.