This article is useful for two types of people:

1. Those looking to change jobs, who can write basic code and are familiar with construction and blueprints.
2. Those studying at a construction faculty and contemplating their career path.

BIM Managers can earn 100,000 ₽. This is nearly four times the salary of a typical Russian, which averages 23,500 ₽.

I am Andrey Mekhontsev. Together with my team at Altec Systems, I help construction companies implement BIM. Previously, I worked as a BIM Manager for four years in one company. Now, I will share my story as an example:

1. What BIM Managers are paid for
2. Why BIM Managers are in demand
3. How to become a BIM Manager
4. How to get a job

Warning
Below, I describe solely my experience and do not claim to have the definitive truth. Your experience may differ, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Consider yourself warned.

This article is suitable only for those who understand the basics of building design. If you don’t, the article may frustrate you. If you want to understand the basics of design, let me know in the comments. You've been warned.

What BIM Managers are paid for

I worked as a BIM Manager in a design company. There, I ensured that the BIM project was completed without errors and on time.

I automated routine processes to bring the design speed to the level it was with AutoCAD. I helped identify and fix errors in the project to prevent the client from penalizing the company. I wrote work standards so each employee knew what, when, and why to model.

• Once, we began a project involving engineering networks in BIM. The engineers faced a problem: Revit couldn't generate a nine-point grid. This is because the program is American, while the standards are ours. I opened Dynamo and started creating a plugin to enable Revit to generate the nine-point grid.
• For the entire following week, I attempted to write the plugin. However, at work, I was constantly bombarded with minor tasks that ideally should have been handled by the BIM Coordinator and BIM Author. As a result, writing the plugin stretched on for almost a month.

Often, a BIM Manager handles everything on this list.

We made sketches about how minor tasks prolong long-term ones. Open the video and skip to 01:46.

If that’s not possible, here’s a brief summary.

— Andrey, I don't see my partitions on the floor plan for some reason?
— Wait, I’m finishing up, I’ll show you.

— Andrey, are you close to finishing the object library?
— This week.

— Andrey!
— What?
— Do you want coffee?
— No, don’t distract me.

— Andrey, the boss is writing in the chat, says our regular client wants you to implement BIM all the way through.
— Got it, I'm just cloning myself.

— Andrey, the boss asked to connect the printer.
— Why me?
— I don’t know, he said you’re the IT specialist.

— Andrey, I got a call from the client, he said that on the construction site the pipes aren't fitting into the holes. Get in touch and show him that they are building according to the wrong drawings, the project is fine.

— Andrey, we have sabotage again: Nikolai Semyonovich started working in AutoCAD again.
— Again? Fine, I’ll talk to him now.

Why BIM Managers are in demand

I’ve highlighted four reasons:

• Worldwide usage of BIM has started.
• In Russia, most are working without BIM at all.
• Soon everyone in Russia will want BIM.
• There are few BIM managers.

Worldwide usage of BIM has started.

In 2011, only 10% of companies in the UK used BIM. In 2019, that number grew to 70%. It says so in the «UK National BIM Report». The same trend is occurring globally.

BIM helps save money and time. This is why most companies in the UK, USA, and Singapore use it.

Design, construction, and operational companies use BIM. Here’s how:

The growth of the global BIM market creates a demand for BIM managers. As more companies start using it, they will need more employees to handle it.

In Russia, most are working without BIM at all.

Many Russian companies still do not see the value of BIM. That’s why they refuse to work with it for now. They usually cite the following reasons:

People are fickle. Someone in management might come across this article, understand the prospects, allocate funds, and post job openings. And since most in Russia are working without BIM, there could be dozens or even hundreds of such fickle managers.

Soon everyone in Russia will want BIM.

After 2021, the state will only accept projects in BIM. Take a look at the map below. The transition to BIM technologies has been underway for six years now.

No construction company wants to lose such a significant client. Russian companies will likely do everything to transition to BIM. Therefore, in the coming years, they will be looking for and hiring BIM managers. But there is a problem.

There are few BIM managers.

No university trains BIM managers. Those who currently work in this field learned everything on their own. They obtained construction education, worked with drawings and on construction sites, and mastered Revit, Dynamo, and NavisWorks.

I logged onto hh.ru and found out that there are only 8-11 candidates for a BIM manager position in Russia.

In comparison, there are 300-400 applicants for a copywriter position in a somewhat large company. The difference is enormous.

This means that getting into BIM management is easy — the competition is low.

How to become a BIM Manager

Based on my experience, to become a BIM manager, you need four things:

• The ability and passion for programming
• To know Revit inside and out
• The ability to explain complex concepts in the simplest terms
• Experience working on construction sites and with drawings

I started programming back in school. In the 7th grade, I began creating websites in HTML and made server multiplayer games on my computer. I wanted to figure out something complex and unclear by myself. It was interesting to look for answers to questions on how to do everything, without relying on YouTube.

I began mastering Revit in college.

When I was assigned to hand-draw my coursework, I learned AutoCAD and created my project in it. I was too lazy to do it by hand. However, my skills were not appreciated: I received a poor grade and learned what it means to be a conservative.

When my classmates started ordering coursework, I stopped working in AutoCAD. Manually calculating specifications was unbearable. I learned Revit and started doing everything there.

I learned to explain complex concepts in simple terms when I sold coursework to students. They didn’t understand what I had done for them in Revit. I had to spend hours explaining how to open a drawing in AutoCAD and how to defend it in front of the teachers.

I gained the right work experience this way.

I first went to work at a construction site in monolithic works. There, I coordinated workers' activities, submitted work to clients, and accepted concrete deliveries at night.

Then I worked as a construction supervisor. There, I created execution documentation. I was too lazy to count bricks manually. So, I used Revit.

After that, I tried to work as a design engineer. I created drawings of structural elements. Once, I tried to convince management to start using BIM. They thought I was crazy, saying we didn’t need it.

How to get a job

I posted my resume on hh. I mentioned that I worked at certain places, did specific tasks there, attached my works, and added that I was willing to work for food if I could work with BIM specialists.

A day later, I was invited for an interview. I arrived at the office. There, I spoke with the designers: they asked me to show my works and inquired about my work experience. The conversation was straightforward. Then there was a test: they asked me about my works, how I created families, the logic behind their construction, and if I knew how to work in Dynamo.

Things didn't go as smoothly as I hoped. When I was asked to demonstrate the room numbering works, the program threw an error. I fixed it right away. This surprised my interviewer, and I was immediately hired as a BIM manager. They offered me a salary of 30,000 ₽ and a spot in the office.

I enjoyed the job, but I was solving tasks slowly. Therefore, I started studying additional material in the evenings and on weekends. Probably that's why I worked as a BIM manager for quite a while. After a couple of years, I could aspire to something like this:

Instead of conclusions

This is my first time here, and I'm not sure if there are people from my industry. If you are here, please let me know in the comments. Let's get to know each other and chat.

Source: habr.com