Breaking Ground to Career Advancement

Since graduating from high school in the spring of 1998 in Mexico, Juan Resendes has built—brick by brick—his career in construction. Juan started an apprenticeship, followed by work as a framer and earning trade-related certifications along the way. This ultimately led to a clear indication that Juan is dedicated to the craft and the trade.

In fact, it is this commitment to the field that saw Juan elevating his position to project manager at a now-closed shop and carrying this role to an emerging framing subcontractor. It’s not just Juan’s know-how, but the satisfaction of a home well-built that drives him forward.

“I get a plot of land and when I am done, I have keys in front of some very happy homeowners who are going to be living in their new home for years to come,” Juan enthuses. “I find this very rewarding. I also enjoy having worked in other fields like commercial, multi-family and remodels.”

For 20 years, Juan took every new job, new opportunity, new project to expand, enhance and employ his growing tool kit. But he was looking to fill one area: formal training in project management, specifically for the construction field.

“The Certificate Program in Construction Management and Leadership from UC Berkeley Extension offered the best value,” Juan ethuses. “An old friend of mine, whom I had met at work back in 2014, had become a member of the Advisory Board and introduced me to the certificate. The goal has been to become the best manager that I can be in this journey we call life.”

My current job position was a promotion and was made possible in part by applying lessons learned from the certificate.

We’re excited that we can be your academic partner in your journey! What was your experience taking the classes, especially with so much work experience under your belt?

It was an amazing experience, and I forged lifelong memories. The instructors were all experts in the fields that they were teaching, but they also had personal experience. The students came from all walks of life and even from different parts of the world, making the interactions a rich experience.

You started the program at the onset of COVID. What was your experience like taking classes online?

Although at times challenging, the classes were always interactive. The planning that had gone into their structure and delivery made it possible to collaborate with fellow students. My instructors were always reachable. All of my classes and interactions were online.

You were working full time while taking classes, correct?

Yes, at the time I was a project manager at an emerging framing subcontractor. My duties comprised taking the plans after the contract had been signed, producing a materials list, purchasing said materials and creating a logistics plan for delivery.

Any discrepancies with the contract documents required documentation and written solutions with any associated costs. We used Request for Information/Interpretations (RFIs) and change-orders at this stage; consequently, I was in charge of logging and tracking all of the change orders through the completion of the project. That was my then-current position.

Lessons learned from my classes definitely provided guidance for all the challenges we see across the industry.

And since completing the certificate, you’ve been working at Meritage Homes, first as a construction manager.

Yes, I’m working at one of the five largest single-family homebuilders in the nation.

I started as an assistant construction manager at this company, and being able to lead folks whom I had never met nor worked with before had its challenges. But lessons learned from my classes definitely provided guidance for all the challenges we see across the industry in addition to those from the COVID-19 outbreak.

Some of the job duties include starting homes from the foundation stage all the way to securing a Certificate of Occupancy and scheduling all of the trades involved, while paying close attention to long lead items, minimizing extra costs, and delivering the homes within timelines and at a high-quality standard.

Another duty is ensuring that all of the workers practice and meet safety standards in the industry. One great duty is delivering the homes to the homeowners via an orientation, following up with any troubleshooting operations that might be needed and eventually passing each of the homes to our Warranty department where our counterparts take over for the duration of the warranty process.

You’ve moved into a more leadership position since completing the certificate. What does this investment in your education mean to you personally and professionally?

It has opened up a larger pool of possibilities, both from a professional and personal point of view. My current job position was a promotion and was made possible in part by applying lessons learned from the certificate—and it comes with a better compensation package!

To invest in ourselves—even at an advanced age and regardless of what that might be for each of us individually—is highly rewarding and one of the best investments we all can do.

What advice would you give to a student who is starting the certificate?

Creating a Gantt chart helped me tremendously to visualize the timeline of the courses that I need to take to complete the certificate and to make decisions about the classes I wanted to take.

It will take hard work and dedication, as with everything else in life that is valuable.

To invest in ourselves—even at an advanced age and regardless of what that might be for each of us individually—is highly rewarding and one of the best investments we all can do.