Key Takeaways from My Classes (Semester 2 of B.S. in Construction Management)

With my second semester officially behind me, I can confidently say this one felt a little more real than the first.

The adjustment period of being back in school had mostly worn off, and now it was more about maintaining momentum—balancing coursework, running a business, and everything else life throws in the mix. Some classes felt natural. Others had their moments. And a few situations reminded me that going back to school as an adult comes with its own unique challenges.

Here’s a breakdown of how the semester went and what I took away from it.

Business Calculus (Full Spring Semester)

This class started off pretty comfortably.

Early in the semester, a lot of the material carried over from College Algebra, so it felt like a continuation rather than something completely new. That gave me a bit of confidence going in. But as the semester progressed, the difficulty definitely increased.

The concepts became more involved, and it required a little more effort to fully understand what was going on—not just how to solve the problems, but why the solutions worked the way they did.

Math has always been one of my stronger subjects, so I wasn’t overwhelmed, but I could tell this was a step up from previous classes. It required more focus, more time, and a bit more patience.

That said, I still enjoyed it.

There’s something satisfying about working through a problem and getting to the correct answer. And even though not every concept directly ties into what I do day-to-day, the problem-solving aspect of it is still valuable.

It also served as a good reminder that not every class is going to come as naturally as others—and that’s part of the process.

Project Management & Practice (Spring I)

This class felt very familiar to me—and I think a lot of that comes from my past experience in management and running my own business.

The concepts themselves were straightforward:

• Planning

• Organization

• Execution

• Communication

These are things I’ve already been applying in real-world situations, so connecting the dots academically came pretty easily.

What stood out most about this class was the structure. Instead of a final exam, we had a Course Project along with two peer reviews. The project focused on applying project management principles to real life or work scenarios, so I naturally chose to write about how I implement them in my own business.

The paper requirement was 4–8 pages, with optional references and exhibits/tables (or at least that’s how I interpreted it at the time). Since I was writing from personal experience, I didn’t include outside references or additional visuals.

That decision cost me a few points—but the bigger issue came after submission.

My paper was flagged by the school’s AI detection system as being 73% AI-generated, with a requirement of under 20%.

The problem? I wrote every word of it myself.

After looking into it, I realized why it was flagged:

• Proper grammar

• Structured writing

• More formal/academic language

In other words… exactly how you’re supposed to write an academic paper.

I reached out to the instructor, but there wasn’t much they could do. The only option was to revise and resubmit.

So I did something I never thought I’d have to do—I intentionally simplified my writing, toned down the structure, and made it feel less polished just to pass the AI check. And ironically, that came back to hurt me.

During peer reviews, I received feedback like:

• “The writing wasn’t very strong”

• “The structure felt off”

• “It didn’t seem like the author fully understood the topic”

Which is frustrating, because those were direct results of me dumbing down the quality of my writing.

Thankfully, the professor graded the assignment separately and gave me a much higher score than the peer reviews did. My final grade landed in the high B range, which I’m grateful for—but the whole situation was definitely a learning experience.

Not just academically, but in how modern systems can sometimes work against the very standards they’re meant to uphold.

Construction Physics (Spring I)

This class ended up being more enjoyable than I expected.

A lot of the material felt like a refresher—concepts I had been exposed to at some point in the past but hadn’t actively used in years. Once I got back into it, things started to click again pretty quickly. It wasn’t necessarily easy, but it was familiar enough that I didn’t feel like I was starting from scratch.

What I appreciated most about this class was how practical it felt. Understanding the why behind how structures behave—forces, loads, and general physics principles—adds another layer to how I look at drawings and construction as a whole. It’s one thing to draft something that works on paper, but it’s another to understand how it performs in the real world.

Like my Project Management class, this course also included a Course Project paper. It followed a similar format in terms of length and structure, which helped since I already knew what to expect going in. The difference here, though, was the experience itself.

I had no issues with submission. No flags. No AI detection problems. No need to go back and rewrite anything.

I approached it the same way—clear writing, proper grammar, and structured thoughts—and everything went through exactly as it should have. That alone made the experience feel much smoother and, honestly, a bit more validating after what happened in my other class.

Overall, this was one of those classes that quietly adds value. It may not have been the most difficult, but it reinforced foundational knowledge that directly applies to the industry I’m already in.

Introduction to Philosophy (Spring II)

This class had a bit of a reputation going in—most of my classmates seemed to dread it. For me, though, it turned out to be one of the more manageable courses this semester.

The challenge wasn’t so much understanding the material, but remembering the details. Philosophy involves a lot of:

• Different viewpoints

• Specific arguments

• Objections to those arguments

• And, most importantly, who said what

Keeping track of all the names and matching them to the correct ideas was probably the hardest part for me.

But when it came to the actual concepts—the core beliefs and theories behind each topic—I didn’t struggle much. Once I understood the reasoning behind an argument, it was easier to connect everything else.

In a way, the class felt less like memorization and more like learning how to think from different perspectives. Even though it’s not directly tied to construction or drafting, there’s still value in that. It forces you to slow down, analyze ideas, and look at things from angles you might not normally consider.

Looking Ahead to Summer 2026

After some thought, I’ve decided to take summer classes to accelerate my progress and finish my degree sooner. So this summer, I’ll be taking:

• Statistics

• Principles of Macroeconomics 

• Principles of Microeconomics 

The goal is to push forward and finish my B.S. in Construction Management about a year earlier than planned.

It’ll be a heavier workload, especially while continuing to run the business—but at this point, I’m used to the balancing act. Plus I know if I didn't, I'll be doing course work that last year thinking to myself, "I could've already been done with all of this." And that is the core reason I decided to accelerate my degree plan.

Final Thoughts

This semester reinforced something I’ve been learning since going back to school: Not everything you face is just about the material.

Sometimes it’s about adapting to systems. Sometimes it’s about managing expectations. And sometimes it’s about standing behind your work—even when it gets questioned.

Overall, I’m continuing to build momentum—not just academically, but professionally as well. Each class, each challenge, each late night—it’s all part of a bigger picture.

Don’t just draw. Create—your path, your resilience, and a future you’re actively working toward.