You need to be able to make distinctions between these various materials and methods in order to make a good decision about value. You have to be able to get along with people but also know when to be firm. A good contractor has to be a builder, a marraige counselor, an arbitrator, an aggressive general and a patient confessor. You ve got to know when to push and when to reason, when to cajole and when to wait. You manage a large group of human beings, each with different interests, each with a variety of opinions about how and when a project should be done and all financially invested in the project.
Tempers can run high if problems occur.
Make sure you can stay cool, be fair and manage these kinds of issues objectively. Make sure you have the ability to visualize the finished space. Not everyone can do this. What I have learned is that, just like any other set of skills, architectural design requires both talent and training. It is a merging of art and technology.