CM graduate- Field Engineer or Estimator?

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My concern is that as a project engineer I will learn more under a PM but may be on my way to travelling and working 50+ hour weeks all my life.

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You won't be in your entry level position your whole career.

Take the job where you can learn the most and make the most money while you are young. Enjoy that money and paid travel. Find a new job when you decide to settle down.

I graduate this semester.

From what I gathered when I talked to a couple of professors and industry people, starting in the field usually can result in a faster career progression. There are much fewer degrees people willing to work out in the field.

Of course this is also an extremely company specific question. Some companies require you to begin in the field. Also, if you work for a company that only does a vast majority of work in one area/city then even if you are in the field you won't technically be "traveling".

You should definitely ask more questions of the companies you interview with.

Fwiw I'm starting in the field. However, I have a couple years previous field experience. I enjoy being out on site every day (for now). I'm not a fan of the idea of being in an office.

Also fwiw, you should probably rethink your idea of working 40hrs a week in an office as your end goal. There aren't a whole lot of people in CM that go to the office at 8 and just roll out when the clock hits 5. It's the nature of the industry.

You're not going to learn how to build anything in the office estimating. You are in the wrong business if you are looking for 40 hr/wk job.

Take the field position. It will probably be harder in the beginning with more travel, but you'll learn more and move up faster. If you start in the office, you'll probably be stuck in the office.

I graduated in CM as well from LSU, live in Dallas now, and work for one of the big GCs here in Dallas as a Sr. PE. I would highly recommend working in the field first as you truly get a feel for what drives the project and how problems get solved, and more importantly, how to prevent problems from happening. Makes a huge difference once you transition into the office. I would only go into estimating if you intend to stay in estimating. Estimating is like a quick-sand trap. The longer you stay, the harder it is to get out of it. Those are the guys that work the longest hours.

That depends, are you a people person and can you demand respect and take control of a bunch of roughnecks? You can't be timid in the field. Don't sweat it if you can't, it's not for everyone, and take the project management track. A superintendent has to wear a lot of different hats, but first and foremost, you've got to be very confident and assertive.

The most important thing is taking the track you know best fits your personality. If you don't, you'll cut yourself short on how quickly you can climb the ladder.

What kind of life do you want? And what are the salary differences? 10k difference from 40-50? Or 70-80?

Those positions lead to totally different lifestyles. And depends on what you want from a career.

Also, if you're working 50plus hours as a field engineer, you won't be salary (probably). 50 plus as an estimator is salary.

Field experience >>> estimating experience.

It is easier for someone to take-off a project if they know what they are looking at, IE having seen it in the field. Guys we hire straight out of college and put in estimating pick things up slower then those who worked in the field.

anyone who can add and subtract can estimate
its not rocket surgery

there is not a single person who works for me including myself who calls themself an "estimator". get out in the field and learn how things get built