Construction/Estimating

Hi everyone,

I would be glad to hear from people who have done a career change in their 30's or beyond.

Basically I have a HR Degree with 8 years HR experience. I work for a large construction company and have developed an interest in the cost estimating role (quantity surveying) - but have no experience in this field.

Of course I would need to get appropriate education before changing my job and as far as I know, these are my options:

- Diploma or Degree: full time only so this means 2 to 4 years without income. Unfortunately not an option for me.
- College Certificate: continuing learning, evening classes so I can study and have an income in the same time.

Several colleges in the Toronto area propose construction management degrees as well as cost estimating certificates.

My main concern is: what are the chances someone gets a job when changing his/her career and showing only a college certificate as education?
I am not from Canada so not very familiar with the education system yet. While I understand a certificate prepares you for a new job, I am concerned it might not be high enough.

I would welcome anyone who could share their thoughts or experience.

 

thanks in advance for any help

 

The issue when working for a "large" company they may want/need you to aquire a certificate of some sort. Smaller companies usually train in house (ours for example, 35 employees). No one on our staff has a degree/certificate in estimating or managing and we do quite well. I do about 30% of the estimating along with job management, scheduling, HR and actual field work. It's very rewarding and keeps me on my toes. We have a junior college about an hour south of us that has a great construction program and I know a handful of people that have certificates from there and all have very good jobs ranging from running a county building department, estimator for a heavy highway firm, estimator for a site contractor and superintendent for a general. Does your company offer in house training ? Just a thought.

 

I am a project estimator for a mid-size construction company that has over 500 employees. I actually have no formal education in this field. Prior to my current position, I did field work for the same company, then cross-trained. I guess the point of my post is that you don't necessarily need formal training, depending on the circumstances at hand. Experience with CAD and Excel are going to be important in most construction estimating jobs. Those are also two things you can likely teach yourself with enough time and effort. Having fundamental knowledge of the construction processes you will be dealing with is also important. Hope this helps a little.

 

I work for a large scale av integrator and our estimators by and far have more field experience than college experience. I got my degree in construction management but my lack of experience in the field meant I spent 10 years in the field learning it before I ever got into the office position (currently a PM manager managing a team of 20). The PM’s I manage by and far have experience over degrees. Any industry certifications we pay for them to get.

Long winded way of saying experience will do you better than a degree. I’d see if you can shadow someone for a while and gain some experience with it. Even if it’s off hours. Take some old projects and see if you can match what the estimators came up with. Talk the estimating manager and ask them what you can do.

 

If you end up not going the construction route, i'd suggest getting into HRIS software company (payroll/onboarding/benefits software). The wifey has a HR degree and masters and a bunh of certifications (not that it really matters), she made the switch to a software company after about 5-7 years of just the same repetition over and over (she did compensation).
Was an amazing career move for her. She quickly moved up the ranks and has gone throug a few different companies and make BANK!

I think her experience with implimenting software during her time working HR really made her stand out.

 

Skip school/certifications and get in the field. Coming from a guy that has a bachelors in construction science. Waste of time and money in my opinion.

 

The paper on the wall gets you in the door, but the experience you bring or can gather quickly keeps you in the house

 

If your company has a in-house repair yard, request to go there. Buddy up with the superintendent and ask to estimate the small repair jobs. You get your experience with learning the trade, fine details and possibly get picked up by the estimating / Project Management department

 

Another vote for skipping formal education and jumping straight in, if possible. I work at a 500-person (field+office) construction company and when we bring on new estimators we are looking for people with experience in the actual work, not schooling. You need to find a way to get involved with the work you want to be doing, if you have zero experience. The nuts & bolts of the work can be learned quickly if one is halfway decent with computers. It's the deeper knowledge of the field that is harder to come by.

I would quickly hire someone internal that has knowledge of the way the company operates and a willingness to learn, but no formal education.

I would be hesitant to hire someone with a degree but not a lick of experience in the type of work we do.