u/sira_the_engineer

Asking for opinions on work culture from general CM staff, those specifically within structures, MEP, and etc. Regional mention and project variety would be great as well.

Hello! My name is Sira and I’m 24 and currently am planning a small trip to Washington DC mostly for some tourism and networking but wouldn’t mind going on some side quests.

Preferably between the ages of 24 and 28

Thank you!

I’m a born New Yorker and have used the MTA for most of my life. Today, for the first time in a few months, I took the subway home from work instead of driving or taking Metro-North. It was also my first time using the new OMNY card, it feels like we could have just kept the metro card ngl.

I was waiting for the 6 train with my work bag. I know this line well because I’ve been riding it for decades.
For context, I’ve never been a confrontational person. Even though I work as an onsite construction manager, I’m naturally soft-spoken and generally try to be kind to everyone.

There was a homeless man sitting on a bench smoking something with a very strong odor. I was minding my own business when he asked me for the time. I told him, but instead of ending the interaction, he stood up, maintained eye contact, and started walking toward me. I thought maybe he hadn’t heard me, so I repeated the time, but he kept coming. When the train arrived, I got on, assuming he would stay on the platform. Instead, he boarded at the last second.

He pointed at my large Stanley cup and made a drinking motion with his hand. I assumed he was thirsty, so I reached into my lunch bag and gave him an unopened bottle of water that I had packed earlier that day.
He looked at me like I had offended him, but he took the bottle and drank from it.

I thought that would be the end of it.
Instead, he threw the half-empty bottle onto a seat while staring at me. Then he picked it up, threw it onto the floor, picked it up again, walked over to me, told me, “Come here,” physically blocked me from moving, and put the bottle back into my bag. He said something I couldn’t understand and just stood there looking at me.

I was terrified. I completely froze. I didn’t know what to do.
Then another passenger, a woman who was shorter than me, stood up immediately. She took the bottle out of my bag and threw it back at him. She told him to get off the train. He looked at her like she was the one acting strangely, but he got off at the next stop.

The train was completely silent afterward.

She looked at me and said, “Don’t let people play with you that way.”

I thanked her and got off at my stop.

God bless that woman. Looking back on it a few hours later, I realize I was in complete shock. My mind wasn’t thinking about defending myself or fighting back. I genuinely thought he might hurt me. It was one of the most unsettling experiences I’ve ever had on the subway.

I’ll be sticking to my usual commute by car or Metro-North for a while.

Had a sequence of interview rounds with big firms for positions within the 6 figure range recently. I’ve had success networking out of my masters program and approaching closeout on my first solo project.

The firms are heavy hitters within my region and industry and these positions were all APM+ and well worth the tedious process.

I ended up not getting a single one but getting well wishes from each of them and one even commenting that they think we’ll definitely cross paths again soon.

Am I bombing them or was the masters program a big turnoff? I’ve gotten more hits after taking it off my resume and I’m wondering employers just don’t want to take on people with multiple commitments.

Experience: 2 years CM (have closed 1 major project under a PM) , and 2 separate internships with government authorities , and 7yr Private RE Development supplemental experience (Owners Rep/Finance capacity)

Hey there!

Lately life has felt a little too predictable, so I’m looking to meet new people and see where things go. I’m 24, based in the NY/NJ area, working in construction/project management, and balancing a busy career with graduate school. I love traveling, exploring new places, trying new restaurants, and setting ambitious goals for myself.

Whether it’s a weekend trip or an international adventure, I’m always looking forward to my next destination.
I’m generally most interested in men between 25–28, but I’m open to connecting with someone up to 32 if we click. I’m drawn to people who are ambitious, curious, emotionally intelligent, and able to hold a real conversation. A sense of humor and genuine interest in the world around you definitely don’t hurt.

If you message me, tell me your career, three items on your bucket list, and what you’re passionate about. I’m happy to exchange pictures once we’ve introduced ourselves and established a bit of a connection.

Looking forward to hearing from you and seeing where a conversation might lead.

Hot take, but in my experience within government and corporate environments in the US, my favorite and most impactful colleagues in my career have been my Nigerian coworkers.

I honestly think of all things, we support each other well in professional spaces and make sure we are well positioned and respected. If we could apply that energy in everything we do I think we could see some real improvements.

In my first job with a small company, and one thing I've noticed is that the office politics go too far and the turnover is kind of insane.

One coworker I've worked with has a general disregard for professional boundaries. He started being very inappropriate when I began working with them, and eventually triangulated himself into becoming my supervisor. He lied to my former supervisor about my performance, and when he realized I had heard everything through the wall, he tried to physically intimidate me before announcing he'd be leaving for the day.

I've kept my distance from him ever since. I constantly have to reinforce professional boundaries. He gets verbally aggressive and I’ve moved to written communication with him because I don’t have time for his mess.

A couple months ago, during one of his visits to my project site, I wasn't sitting in the same office with him because of my past experiences with him. He stood in the hallway for several minutes in silence, just watching me work, before I left the area.

He's made it a pattern to follow me around and act inappropriately when we're isolated. He tries to look at my phone screen even though I have a privacy screen.

I know upper management would not take my side in this situation. They'd push me out if I reported this. I'm honestly at my wits' end.

What do I do?

Hi! I’m 24, based in the NY/NJ area, and hoping to meet someone genuine for a meaningful connection.

I’d describe myself as caring, ambitious, a little sarcastic, and the type of person who loves both deep conversations and laughing until my stomach hurts. I enjoy trying new restaurants, exploring the city, traveling when I can, binge-watching a good series, and spending time with people who make life feel lighter.

I’m looking for a dude who is between 25 and 28 ,kind, emotionally mature, communicative, and knows how to put effort into getting to know someone. I value consistency, honesty, and someone who can be both my peace and my partner in crime. Physical attraction matters, but character matters more.

A little about me: I’m a hijabi (recent), 5’6”, 170 lbs, the eldest sister on my end and generally the friend people come to when they need advice or someone to listen. I can be shy at first, but once I’m comfortable, I’m pretty open and playful.

If you’re interested, send more than just “hey.” Tell me about yourself, what you’re looking for, and something you’re excited about these days. Also drop ur location and a fun fact that you enjoy.

Maybe we’re both looking for the same new chapter.

Hiya there,

I’m a twenty four year old woman who’s a bit of a nerd and enjoys using Reddit. I’ve used this sub a couple times in the past, met some real interesting people on here who have definitely impacted my life and honestly love the vibes.

I’d definitely say I’m nerdy, shopaholic/travel girl and I love decorating and organizing. I’m not really super religious but was raised as a Muslim and wear my hijab. Lowkey a bit shy sometimes, but definitely can speak up.

Looking for casual chats, maybe more (targeting 25~28 age range of guys), if you are under 24, I’m not really interested in chatting ngl.

Thank u ☺️

Ttyl xoxo

This is my own personal opinion, had a CM mentor who made me learn more about CM and got me an internship and has advised me along my path.

One thing he told me was that where you start matters more than where you want to end up. At the time, I thought he meant like work life balance and etc and didn’t take it to heart.

But looking at things now, and learning about work dynamics I wholeheartedly think about my early career and how I should have just done everything he said.

So yeah, if your mentor is like 60+ , he’s not just a boomer he knows exactly what he’s talking about.

I’m about to start an MRED program and just wanted some ideas from more seasoned industry professionals who already have it, what do you use it for and was the experience good for you?

What’s your take on the position? Do you enjoy being an owners rep or is the stress not worth the pay?

Hi , there’s a lot of history behind this but this colleague was made my supervisor after a weird sequence of events, which is no problem. I don’t think they were looking to retain me anyways, and I got into my dream grad program so my options have been a lot more flexible anyways.

This colleague in the past has called that same supervisor I used to have and speak poorly about me and when he found out I could hear him talking instead of to just mind his own, he came up to me like he wanted to hit me before declaring he’d be leaving for the day. I recorded that instance due to already having a meeting slightly before that time and having it on. I cried so hard that day, that morning upper management denied me overtime even though I came in very early to cover for someone. Never talked with upper management about any of it due to it being obvious this was just how they all obviously wanted to treat me.

Now my newly acquired supervisor has made it a point to not respect my boundaries and try to make me run errands, which I’ve had just gone around to upper management and had them get the items for me the way other people get them.

The most recent development of this was him having his eyes on a part of my body for a little too long during a meeting and then after when I didn’t go sit in the office section with him to come out of the office section and stand and watch me in silence for a while before I just left entirely.

In general I went through a lot of hazing when I started and they just treated me poorly, but now I feel it’s overextended into something I’m entirely uncomfortable with this colleague is older than my father. I know I should be looking for new opportunities, and I am gearing up for grad school and etc.

Honestly, I think I’ll just stay with facilities whenever he’s onsite just to keep reasonable distance before I make my next career move.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but the number of people at work who try to play strategist; setting up little scenarios, then getting upset when others aren’t as communicative or social honestly throws me off.

Sometimes in corporate environments, people go beyond normal expectations and start creating situations that feel unreasonable or even demeaning like assigning excessive, repetitive tasks (hundreds of calls, busywork, etc.) that don’t align with someone’s actual role.

In some cases, it can feel like certain meetings or “team events” are less about work and more about putting someone in an uncomfortable or undermining position, rather than supporting them or the team’s goals.

It makes me wonder what’s really driving that behavior.

Had a pretty funny sequence of events play out at work.

There’s someone on this project who’s spent a lot of time trying to “check” me on technical specs, while also attempting to treat me like an errand runner, asking me to make unnecessary trips, handle random tasks, and generally turning the job into more of a performance than actual project execution. Meanwhile, getting the work done has always felt secondary to him.

The ironic part is that every time it comes down to actual technical specifications, he’s been wrong and noticeably bothered when the EOR addresses me directly instead.

Recently, we got a technical memo from the PE calling for replacement of certain items in a change order. Knowing my newly appointed supervisor doesn’t fully grasp electrical specs or codes , I asked a simple question about material backup, fully aware of what the memo said.

Knowing his ego I know he likes talking to the contractor PM and acting overly knowledgeable about electrical work in general, who also really relies on his boss who is a PE and doesn’t know shit often either.

Predictably, he misread the situation and pushed for the exact items that were supposed to be replaced. At first, the PE told the contractor they weren’t needed. But when he doubled down again, the PE got frustrated and reiterated multiple times, very clearly, that those items were to be replaced directly to him.

Watching that unfold was… not surprising.

Maybe a little evil on my part for letting it play out, but after dealing with the constant nitpicking, mixed signals, and unnecessary power plays, it felt like a moment of things correcting themselves. The funny thing is that they are the same discipline.

It feels good watching egos shatter.