BIM Management - My Journey 

It sounds like you're doing a great job! I'm glad the channel has helped guide some of your hard work. I hope the business goes well! It's a challenge but very rewarding when it pays off.

You're welcome! I like to come back to this video from time to time to remind myself of where my roots were, keeps me humble. I'm glad it helped your own perspectives and I wish you best of luck in the new role.

Glad it was useful!

Great to hear I've been of help during your career, and I wish you the best with your career moves!

You're welcome Petros, and it sure was!

Glad to have helped!

You're welcome Rajesh, and thanks for the kind words.

Thanks for the kind words, glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you! You too!

Still trying to find workflow videos which suit the channel and the industry currently for Grasshopper, but I'll keep an eye out for any which seem suitable.

You're most welcome!

Thanks Ravi! Much more to come :)

You're welcome, and best of luck!

Glad to hear Omar! Keep up the learning journey 😀

Glad to hear this has helped you in your journey!

Glad it inspired, and hope it helps!

Usually a bim coordinator works below bim manager(s) with a project focused role. Often they may be called a model manager also. BIM managers are typically more involved in company standards and management vs project work.

@@AussieBIMGuru I really appreciate you. Regards

Thanks Anwar! I'd suggest watching the 'careers' section of my webinar for AEC graduates I did a few weeks ago - I go a bit more in depth on my roles at each level.

@@AussieBIMGuru Brillinat - will watch Webinar: Preparing yourself for BIM in AEC👍

If you find you still want to know more detail let me know though, probably a good future video topic in either case!

You're welcome!

You're most welcome, and thanks for following :)

Sounds like you're working hard towards the dream and that's great! Make sure to focus on soft as well as technical skills in your learning journey such as delegation, communication and forming business cases/ROI reports. Do your best to remain confident despite language barriers, I could understand you in your videos well so your english is better than you think probably :)

You're welcome, and indeed it is!

@@AussieBIMGuru the sad thing in our BIM industry is they take those certified people without experience above those that do not have but knows how to implement BIM in actual projects.

@@PracticalBIM yeah BIM certifications are a bit of a sham in most cases. I think having degrees in AEC is important, but not in BIM as much.

@@AussieBIMGuru i absolutely agree

You're welcome!

Working on a video on that topic currently - to be honest the channel has been a huge part of how I find clients, no cold calling involved so I'm very lucky. There are indeed many challenges and opportunities for the industry and ourselves to improve, humility opens a lot of doors and opportunities in my experience. Thanks for the kind words!

Thanks for the kind words Iveios! It's been a tough journey, but the reward has always made it worth it. Times are very tough right now, but we'll get through it. The roles are essentially stepping stones on a bigger journey I think. I'd check out my video on BIM Salaries as I cover it in more detail here, but in essence; Technicians deliver projects. A majority of their time is creating, editing or fixing BIM model or documentation elements. Coordinators middle manage projects and middle workings of their company. They have a close interaction with BIM Manager(s) to maintain company standards, and usually get more involved in project coordination (e.g. clash detection). Managers are typically making broader decisions and managing the company from a BIM perspective. This could be such aspects as software maintenance, RnD, scripting, templating, training and other similar aspects. Personally, visual programming helps me save a lot of time in what I do, however some companies don't always take proper advantage of it (e.g. only 1 or 2 people use it). This has usually been my experience but some companies have had great success when it comes to using Dynamo and plugins to save time and increase effiency/quality.

@@AussieBIMGuru such a detaailed response - thank you so much! :) I am looking foreward to learning more on the subject from your videos Best regards!

@@Ivelios2 you're welcome!

Glad they are helping people abroad!

You are welcome!

Yeah this was one of the best choices i made in my career, I was young and needed more experience. Hard at the time, but it paid off later.

Thanks Immi! Look forward to hearing your story :)

Thanks!

Hey Eli! I'm not overly familiar with engineer/Norweigan career markets but will do my best to gauge/give tips on your situation. Not being taught BIM/software at university is unfortunately still quite common, most of what I learnt came from research on and off the job - much of it self taught by practicing with the software itself. You can usually procure software access via trial for 30 days at least these days, just need to make new emails when they run out if it's for trial/education. I wouldn't bother studying the same degree a second time, unless you're completely sure it is what is holding you back. I'd be surprised if that is the key to opening more doors, or if it is just the language barrier. It sounds like you probably missed out on researching opportunities before making the decision and finding out the hard way that it was tougher than maybe appeared at first. There are plenty of resources via LinkedIn learning that teach fundamentals well, but not many advanced courses and none I can recommend beyond my channel these days. Remember BIM is both about software but also how to apply it. Courses might teach you about programs but rarely how to apply them. 8 years is a long time to go without securing work so that may be providing difficulty when pursuing roles. Focus on securing a role, even if entry level to build up experience on a profile, it is necessary in a competitive job market. It sounds like you may be building yourself a lot of barriers mentally to justify why this has happened, try to face it with a positive attitude where possible as this also opens up oppportunities in my experience. Don't just follow what your friends do, carve your own journey through life. Some universities offer BIM related courses, but I'm unsure it would be valuable until you work for a while as there would be no context. Begin with LinkedIn learning and keep applying for entry level roles in the meantime I'd say.

@@AussieBIMGuru Thank you for taking the time to answering me! I try to do that, I apply for any role and job every single day. I have support from job specialists but not even them know what ealse to do. That's why I thought of expanding knowledge. I agree with you, it's been a long time since I finished the degree and trying to get experience but I never found a company not asking for 10 years of experience minimum as a requirement. So the time went by. And that makes it even more difficult. I really appreciate your time and advices, I'll follow them. Thank you!

Thanks Mohamad, I hope you find ways to channel the inspiration in your daily work!

David that's amazing! Best of luck in your new venture - you should be very proud. Always happy to organize skype chats outside my work hours, maybe send me an email and we'll see what we can do?

@@AussieBIMGuru Thanks Gavin, it's going to get really busy but I'm ready for the challenge. That's great, I will send you an email. I'm sure you can provide me with some really interesting insights.

@@davidmoneda for sure. Risk always leads to reward!

hey, so you already did some course or learn the BIM before applying or studying your MSc in BIM as you mentioned about working as BIM cordinator...... or you along with the MSc in BIM management you go the job as the BIM Cordinator, .... I'm so confused rigt now about my career, so pls reach out to me and were are you doing your Msc from.. University...?

You're welcome! Good idea, I'll add it to my list of future topics.

@@AussieBIMGuru Awesoome! :)

Thanks! Yes I plan to make a followup for sure about 2020-2022 around the end of this year, a few moving pieces in life to get in place and then another chapter begins so would be fitting.

Thanks for the kind words! It's a great question, whilst most technicians focus on BIM modelling and documentation, they usually need to be skilled at design also so that they understand what they model. Most BIM managers have the ability to design, but tend not to draw on these skills as often. Instead, we design more from an aspect of design strategy and software/workflow based design.

@@AussieBIMGuru Damn that's a fast reply, thanks for that! Do you plan on doing a video covering rebar or post-tensioning in Revit? I have palyed around with rebar options in Revit, but maybe there are some great option that can be dome using Dynamo. Have you ever done anything with post-tensioning in Revit and how can that be achieved?

@@aps1s probably not anytime soon - I haven't used rebar much and it isn't my specialty. There's some good videos on autodesk university I'd say.

You're welcome!

Hi Quinton. First of all well done on securing a job in the current market! I actually move interstate next week from Sydney, otherwise would have offered to grab lunch and discuss in more detail, bummer... Anyway, I usually recommend sticking out your first role for 2-3 years and try to soak up as much architectural knowledge as you can and don't focus just on the tech skills. Aim to get involved with project coordination eventually as this is a good pathway into a BIM coordinator type role. Generally around years 3-5 is where BIM pathways become more viable due to an increased level of understanding in architectural project delivery and design requirements. In the background, try to learn about the potential of platforms like Rhino/Grasshopper/Dynamo and over time their place will become apparent in the broader picture as well. Keep an eye on platforms like Twinmotion/Unreal as they will change architecture significantly in future I think.

You're welcome, I hope the motivation serves you well :)

@@AussieBIMGuru Also I also looking forward to learn more from you Gavin...! Especially MEP Family Creation...:-)

@@aungkyawthu4417 I'm still learning MEP too, but I'll share some content once I'm more familiar with it!

@@AussieBIMGuru Thanks!

It depends on your ambition and dedication to what you are truly passionate about - success follows those who are passionate about what they do in my experience. I made plenty of money in the last 2 years as a consultant, much more than most architects I know. Having said that I know plenty that didn't - it depends on how well set up you are to run a recognizable and approachable business as well as attract and close out projects well with clients. I doubt I would have done as well without my channel marketing my abilities.

Thanks! Glad I made some level of impact in my time there.

@@AussieBIMGuru you definitely did, your genuine openness and great friendly personality added to the reasons most people spoke to you, unlike most bim managers even managers don't like being asked questions or even talking to people lol

You're welcome Mauricio!

I think the right approach is to pick and commit to a career path and let your software choices respond to that and the market demands. Bridges and marine would probably be keen to see Civil3d, 12D and Tekla if doing steel fab primarily. Dynamo is in civil3d so is worthwhile, but do look into sofistik/grasshopper for rhino if doing less conventional approaches.

Thank you!

Most people I know that go into data science from AEC do so because they wish to develop applications and tap into fields like AI/ML. The connections here aren't always direct, but I'd suggest reaching out to the team over at DiRoots for some guidance as they're very much hiring people like this and have a good grasp on how they go together. As well as this go check out 'The BIM Coordinator's channel, Dalton is very much into data science and AEC and would definitely reply back to you on his content or via LinkedIn if you're keen to learn more.

@@AussieBIMGuru Thank you so much for your reply and your advice! I will definetely follow it. Again, thank you also for everything you have taught us.

@@AussieBIMGuru helpful

It comes down to the person, but for me it was just more interesting and challenging.

Thanks Abdul! Most people I know studied their respective engineering trade at university (I don't know of one that covers them all).

Generally I'd focus on working your way up the roles instead of studying too hard in a management role - experience is the most important part to being a BIM Manager. Focus on tech/coordinator level roles first. Wishing you luck in your job searching!

Wow what a journey, thanks for sharing! Its important that if you aim to BIM manage, you focus on developing your coordination and management skills - typically technical skills help, but are not really 'the core' of what makes a BIM manager. Try some programs outside the Autodesk suite also like Rhino in order to learn more about interoperability as this is a big part of BIM management. Finally, make sure you learn about Dynamo, Grasshopper and Rhino Inside as these are becoming essential skills for efficient BIM managers these days too!

​ Aussie BIM Guru I appreciate your comment. It shows why you are a successful person in this field... I just wanna know about the references that I can read for improving my knowledge about BIM (Technician, Coordinator, and Manager) Because I have to find a job in Europe after my Master's course here (2 years until graduation)... So I wanna know about what major company asks for a CV from someone who didn't have any professional career in Europe. Sorry if I ask my question in a complex way.

@@alirezaraoufhassanzadeh2401 the best reference will be experience and time. Focus on finding companies that feature BIM as one of their specialties and target an entry level BIM technician/coordinator type role. BIM Coordinators and Managers operate in a 'high trust' zone of companies, so you will always need to establish this over the course of a year or so at least before you're likely given access to these types of roles. Time as a BIM technician live on projects also builds your awareness for the issues your technicians will face once you are promoted, so this time is invaluable to build your empathetic side.

I have quite a lot of beginner videos on the channel which might help to begin with such as these: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Sj1VVflYHs0.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Tl87tw6srDc.html I'd suggest finding room for it in your daily workflows and the interest typically springs from there. Tutorials can be helpful, but they don't always give the context people need to understand the value of Dynamo to them specifically. I also have some articles and podcasts about coding/Dynamo here which may be of interest: www.bimguru.com.au/articles Hoping to release a subscription based dynamo course before the end of this year at courses.bimguru.education.

​@@AussieBIMGuru Thank you very much , I definitely check all the videos and articles. Hope I could manage to work on it on daliy basis. I hope you release dynamo courses , it would be amazing certainly looking forward to it . I really like your channel and the the way you teach . Thank you for all of your time and effort you putting in this channel .

My Dynamo course is now available :) courses.bimguru.education/courses/course-dynamo-4revit

Whilst I agree with that quote, much of my audience are not beginners so I need to vary my content to engage all skill levels. I am currently developing a paid course for beginners, but have some older resources on RU-vid. My learning series: ru-vid.com/group/PLBKwx9iS-Luk38UWL7gU9LCP_gojOu1qi Beginner topics: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Sj1VVflYHs0.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Tl87tw6srDc.html Article i wrote: www.bimguru.com.au/post/dynamo-mistakes-to-avoid I tend not to focus on beginner topics beyond these as the dynamo primer and many other videos out there are available. Trust that these will help somewhat though.

It would be a very similar career pathway, just with experience gained as an engineer instead of an architect. Focus on interdisiplinary coordination as this is crucial for MEP BIM management.

@@AussieBIMGuru Oh wow, thank you for the response! I have watched your other video about knowing your market worth, to which I assume salary would also be within similar range?

@@AussieBIMGuru By the way "Take the risk or Lose the chance" is really motivating to hear, I honestly think I am taking a shot in the dark at this whole BIM field. I got some plan to work overseas, singapore probably, with much uncertainty if it's worth it or not, chances of being hired, and lot whole other issues. So i just want to say i really appreciate your channel man. Thank you.

@@altamont_2439 i find on average engineers make slightly more than architects after the 3-5 year mark. Before then usually slightly less as they begin in a 'drafting pen' typically. It will vary from country to country though. My market is Australian based so its specific to that.

@@altamont_2439 glad the channel has given ideas and motivations! Doubt and hesitation are perfectly natural to feel, especially given the industry has extra uncertainty from covid. I would say just always aim high and make sure you are developing towards your long term goals wherever possible.

These days I would say yes, as you need to be in a firm with your base discipline generally (architecture, engineering etc.). If you can land the base role, then from there you can pursue this pathway - so if you find a way into that then not necessarily.

Hi Dusan, thanks for taking the time to share your journey! It's great to hear you've always been trying to keep your knowledge moving and learning new platforms; I know what you mean - development can hold back the reality in practice sometimes. It sounds like you've become a bit of a 'mr fix-it' - doing everything and anything to keep the company BIM infrastructure moving (but never having enough time to improve it outside the context of projects). You sound like you have the skills to be a strong BIM Manager, try to inspire middle-managers like BIM coordinators around you where you see them taking on such a role. No man is an army! If it gets bad, notify your reporting managers and develop a more controlled strategy for the long term BIM vision of your company - they just might need it! Hope this advice helps, and keep up the great work I'm sure you're doing.

@@AussieBIMGuru Thanks a lot, i appreciate your quick reply.

@@dusanodalovic3905 you're welcome!

Thanks for sharing your story! Very interesting and I'm glad to have been able to help you. If you find yourself in Australia let me know and I can see if we're able to meet. Yes currently I am using pyRevit more than Dynamo as it lets you build more user friendly tools and has a lot of great features built into it. From Revit 2023 and onwards you will need to install the 'IronPython' custom package to support old packages that did not use CPython3 (for example, my custom package 'Crumple' does not use CPython3 and probably never will). I use both Grasshopper and Dynamo depending on the project requirements and scale. Dynamo is well suited to simple Revit geometry and complex data management in Revit, whilst Grasshopper is well suited to complex geometry and algorithmic design. It sounds like you are a well accomplished designer and professional and have reached a strong position in your career, despite not necessarily having the same opportunities and backgrounds as others in a similar position. Congratulations!

It will definitely come down to the firm but also depends on how far you want to get in the industry. There is a LOT of software and standards to learn and it can be difficult to do much of it on the job. I spent upwards of 10-20 hours per week putting in self training time outside the office for years, especially the formative ones. I'd say the balance isn't great sometimes, but it's much better than that for archirects/engineers as you wont get stuck in projects as often.

I tried solidworks at university but haven't encountered any dassault programs since then - they don't have a big presence in australia. It seems inventor/fusion is more widely used, maybe check out 'TFI's channel where he focuses on these types of programs more.

One answer to both queries; money and short sightedness. Noting that when I was at University and BIM wasn't taught it was 2012, 8 years have passed and some universities are now making efforts to teach BIM at an entry level. I find University becomes a bit of a playground for academics who find the reality of the industry quite boring, they would often rather play with futurist or abstract concepts. As a result this bias imparts onto graduates' experience in many cases; so the reality of the industry can be quite jarring or off-putting to them. Often they would rather generate unrealistic forms to a project's needs than learn why we cannot always achieve a zany concept; we need to ground our concept in reality, then push the limits from here as an 'overlay' to the functional and briefed requirements. I believe 'drafters' are an outdated concept, BIM has shown us that we need to know more than how to document; BIM modelling demands a deep understanding of construction, data rich environments and parametric design. A better strategy I think would have been to upskill willing drafters, and let those not interested move on to less progressive companies. It's a shame they took such a heavy handed approach - sounds very reactive.

As an arch tech 4th year student from Ireland we started learning Revit in year 2 and learning the bim process where we had to comply with bs 1192 ect

@@brendanryan6244 it's always refreshing to hear that Universities are catching up on the industry standards. UK/Ireland are way ahead the pack in their education syllabus from what I've seen.

Aussie BIM Guru I thought it was the right move however agree that upskilling drafters to maintain your standards during transition would have been a better approach. Most companies in MEP are still only interested in the 2D end game of a project and are now starting to realise ,even though the industry has been heading that way for years know, that you need to understand that you not only need the 3D aspect, you needed to have dedicated time to the 3D aspect. Companies expect the BIM to be correct to get data from models and not just nice 2D plans. Unfortunately MEP is geared towards fast turn around and minimum construction involvement.

@@tonyhoward6085 very true. I expect the pack leaders will raise pressure on the lagging firms as client expectations raise. Do your best in the meantime!

Ultimately it depends on the company culture! I work from home but as a consultant so more like a BIM specialist. If you are early on your career focus on people to people interaction rather than software which is usually more remote.

Whilst there are courses out there, as I state a few times here experience is the best teacher (and clothes don't make the man). Nothing will take you further than getting more involved in project coordination, reading about BIM standards such as iso19650 and developing your skills in programs like Dynamo and Navisworks. Over time, sharpen soft skills like leadership, communication and public speaking - these are critical to getting higher roles. It takes time, but it will give you far more than any course ever would.

@@AussieBIMGuru thank you

Huge difference. BIM managers often wont do much drafting or modelling, they manage company strategy and high level workflows instead. I do no drafting anymore in BIM management myself

Yes it is possible with the right firms. For example I consult for remote clients for nearly all my work.

It sure did ;)

Glad to hear!

Haha for sure

And what is x-force?

Great question! I learnt a lot about how to be more objective and inquisitive, and got a base exposure to CAD and the history of architecture, so I'm glad I went to Uni, but wish it wasn't 5 years +. Times have changed a bit since 2012 when i graduated, Uni's expose grads a bit more to Revit and Rhino now, but they still come out pretty fresh and disillusioned when they realise most projects are boxes with facades on them! 100% agree, time is the best teacher.

The main issue I am finding is that graduates expect to be associates and or directors in companies in 5 years and that dedicating time to BIM is seen as a lesser career path for a graduate engineer. How to change that perception is my biggest hurdle with the grads that come through our company. When you show them what is possible if they only use the software correctly they change their tune but still expect someone else to be the “BIM Guru”.

@@tonyhoward6085 yes it's a very real issue - I'm glad you recognise it, all too often ignored. I hope in future BIM and digital avenues will hold more company value weight and prevent the 'retreat to the high table' from digital roles. Loyalty is a 2 way street!

Not that I am aware of. I'd ask around on LinkedIn, I see people post about them there sometimes. Whatsapp isn't used widely for career purposes in the west so I don't use it personally for BIM.

Smokin' the competition!