Matthew Visconti
“When people meet me they think I’m young and inexperienced. When I hand them my business card with GSC on it, it acts like reassurance that I know what I’m talking about.”
Matthew Visconti, GSC, Project Manager, Black & McDonald
Matthew is currently employed as a Project Manager for Black &McDonald. To earn his Gold Seal Certification, Matthew began by attended George Brown College. A college that proudly supports the Gold Seal Certification program. He successfully completed a 4-year program, the first of it’s kind at the time, called the Construction Management Science Program. The program itself works hand in hand with the Local Construction Association, and a lot of the courses he took were Gold Seal accredited.
Matthew earned his Gold Seal Certification in January 2015. His company is an avid supporter of professional development and designations. Black & McDonald also has an internal training program called “a talent development program”. According to Matthew, the program allows employees to work on achieving their Gold Seal Certification, as well as other professional designations. Matthew feels fortunate to work for a company that pushes their employees towards earning their Gold Seal Certification.
Much of what motivated Matthew to want to persevere was more than his education and his employers, but he also feels that his Gold Seal Certification has benefited him personally. He mentions it is an excellent addition to his resume. “It’s great to have it written on my resume, and it’s a great addition to my signature. It displays to others that I’m a certified manager recognized by the Canadian Construction Association.” He continues with details on how his Gold Seal Certification has aided him with certain challenges he’s encountered in the field. “When I began, my job title was Project Coordinator but I was completing Project Management duties. I was being questioned quite frequently due to my title, and people would often request that I show written proof that my responsibilities were indeed managerial. Thanks to Gold Seal Certification, I obtained a title change, but it’s also improved my credibility.”
“Get it! Some people will take this advice, and others won’t. But I recommend it. You don’t want to hire someone who doesn’t have a license to do their job, why would you hire a Project Manager that isn’t acknowledged by a professional designation?”