r/financialindependence • u/fidgit86 • 9d ago

What do you do that you earn six figures?

It seems like a lot of people make a lot of money and it seems like I’m missing out on something. So those of you that do, whats your occupation that pays so well?

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u/Lifting_Rizzo 9d ago

Estimator for Construction.

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u/boy-antduck 9d ago

This is a highly in demand field. There are at least 5 construction firms in my area that cannot find ppl to replace the retirees.

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u/Lifting_Rizzo 9d ago

Agreed. I never thought I would be in construction or end up staying as long as I have. The $$$ was hard to resist!

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u/Zealousideal-Club290 9d ago

What kind of construction? I estimate with a commercial glazing contractor and am close to 6 figures but not quite there. Do you have bonuses / incentives / commission ? I am thinking about lobbying my company to implement something along these lines as we don't have anything like that except 401k match and I feel like it would be a big motivating factor for all the estimators and PMs

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u/Wonderingexplorer69 9d ago

I’m a construction estimator as well. 2+ years experience. Over 6 figures. I get recruiters calling me a couple of times every week. Easiest way to get into the industry is to have a construction related degree.

I don’t have one. Easiest way is to get involved IMO is with a smaller level general contractor or trade. Be willing to take entry level pay to be taught. Gain a year or so experience and then either work your way up, or start job hopping to larger firms.

Now - for anyone who reads this. Please understand that estimating is one of the most thankless jobs in construction. You’re doing a good job if you stay at a 25% win mark (depending upon the type of bid) and you can never really be perfect so there is always going to be a mistake. Worst of all you can do everything 100% right, but someone else could make a mistake and you either lose the job, or end up with exposure.

More importantly - it’s incredibly stressful. Our precon team averages about 10-15hrs more a week per person than our operations teams. The deadlines are rough, the workload high, and you are 100% reliant on the market and your companies reputation to be successful (extremely important). Add in the fact that our job is to read through every detail on 300+ drawing sets and 2000+ page spec books to ensure everything is captured correctly for a bid. You do end up getting to be a professional color-er with OST.

All that said, I love it, but I’m already starting to lose my hair. I usually have 1-2 projects or budget updates due a week. I’d you don’t have a solid grasp of industry as a whole, the learning curve is incredibly steep. I’d almost recommend stepping into a field support job (PE) for a year or two, then request shifting to the office/estimator. Good luck!

TLDR: estimator is not as great as it appears to be. You have to be extremely detail oriented and willing to deal with high stress, work load, and long hours, and constant losing - unless your firm negotiates all work upfront.

Source : Commercial construction estimator for a $500M/YR GC. Touch every market segment except for heavy civil.

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u/Zealousideal-Club290 9d ago

I work for a sub and we have a pretty laid back low stress environment. Sometimes I wish it was different and there was more pressure and incentives in place to reward hard work, but for the most part I appreciate the laid back aspect and that's why I've stayed with the same company for several years

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u/InsideCompetition547 9d ago

I’m in a similar role, just for a comp for myself can I ask what you are making?

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u/Zealousideal-Club290 9d ago

80K in the midwest. Hoping for a significant salary bump soon though.

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u/InsideCompetition547 9d ago

Very helpful to know. Thank you. I’m at 60k, also in the Midwest and have been with the company for 5 years, however I came with very minimal experience. I’m hoping to get up to 70/75 soon. Seems pretty comparable, but I don’t know how much education or experience you came to the table with. I work for a stone and tile GC with approx 40 employees.

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u/Zealousideal-Club290 9d ago

I started at 60k 6 years ago with 3 previous years of experience in construction industry and engineering degree so those definitely helped me get in at a relatively high salary initially with my current company. But I think once you have experience the degree or previous experience become less important and you should be valued based on your current amount of experience and skills. I definitely think there's something to be said for sometimes having to jump to a different company to get market value for your skills as raises tend to be minimal and stagnate. But for me the $$ isn't necessarily my biggest consideration so I'm sticking it out for the time being.

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u/Lifting_Rizzo 9d ago

I work for a subcontractor, but you are sooooo spot on with what the job can entail. It is definitely not for everyone. I can only imagine the stress on the GC side of things since you have to grab numbers from multiple subs and scope them all out. I’ve been in the business almost 6 years now and that learning curve is no joke. I feel like I’m always still learning something new. I like to tell people I color electronically for a living.

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u/muffinman4456 9d ago

Do you earn commission? My husband was recently working as an estimator but only made 46k.

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u/Wonderingexplorer69 9d ago

I do not. I get bonuses at year end but that’s not factored into my salary base. But I also work for a larger GC. I have a friend that works for a different much smaller GC in town, and he is around your husbands salary. From what I have seen, estimator salaries vary. Size of the GC is typically a good indicator of potential salary (smaller GCs won’t care about preconstruction as much or the projects won’t be as complex). I’m compensated more than some other estimators within our company, but I’m also given more work and need minimal oversight. I have found that if you can prove to be a high producer in the role, then you hold all of the cards when it comes to salary negotiation.

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u/muffinman4456 9d ago

This was a relatively new department, so I guess it was smaller. How much money do you bid/month?

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u/Wonderingexplorer69 9d ago

It varies on the month, but usually we are at/above $80M + per month. But our average project size is $25M+. Last month I was over $100M, but only handled 2 projects. This week I’ve pushed out 4 projects, but only $60M. Next week, I’ll be over $100M with a single project.

He’s in a great spot to learn and cut his teeth if it’s a new department. Can really establish and implement a successful precon program. Biggest thing is company/operations buy in. Everyone has to recognize and support the precon team for it to be successful.

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u/muffinman4456 9d ago

Oh yeah he is small potatoes compared to that. Only 1-2 mil a month at the moment.

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u/bargebuggler 9d ago

Heavy civil is an entirely different animal with huge risk with underground unknowns. GC here, you’re spot on that estimating and precon is highly undervalued but also the life blood of the company. I started there, and moved into a management role shortly thereafter. Hard finding someone who is meticulous but also have a grasp of sequencing and big picture stuff.

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u/Wonderingexplorer69 9d ago

Yep! It’s the nuts and bolts of construction. A well set up job will be successful 9/10 where a poorly set up one will be a fight from the start.

Agree with your point. It’s immensely challenging because you have to wear so many hats and put so much into consideration. The drawings very seldom reflect the full story and/or how it gets completed on-site. Part of me believes that’s why I enjoy it as much as I do.

Good luck to y’all this year! Hopefully the market gets somewhat back to normal from a materials standpoint soon.

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u/bargebuggler 9d ago

Lumber is back to 2018 pricing again, and hopefully steel gets to that point soon too. That makes my life easier when deciding on how to address construction sequencing and keeping clients happy with the budget. Good luck to you as well, we’re in the Rockies so unfortunately there won’t be an opportunity to work together.

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u/BigAl7390 9d ago

Id actually agree with the stress part. Im a project manager in commercial construction and it has its stressful parts. Estimating was definitely worse. More late nights, deadlines, stress, and hands cramping up from doing onscreen takeoff all day LOL

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u/Wonderingexplorer69 9d ago

Yep! I spent a small amount of time on Ops and quickly got out of there. Mad respect to the entire project teams. Y’all deal with your own bullshit and it isn’t easy. Hope y’all have a great year!

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u/BigAl7390 3d ago

Same to you! Best of luck chasing down jobs

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u/RomaniRye 9d ago

My background is industrial design, lighting and exhibit design, and management. How would you recommend I go about breaking into the field?

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u/Wonderingexplorer69 9d ago

I’d honestly see what relationships you currently have that you may be able to leverage. If you have any close relationships with architects, trades, etc.

If not - I’d do a search for all of the general contractors in town and begin to do your due Diligence on their company and their job openings. I can’t stress that enough.

As an estimator, you are reliant upon your companies reputation. If your operations team sucks, then you won’t get negotiated work or repeat clients and you will basically be hard bidding every project. If your company doesn’t pay trades on time, they are going to raise their price to you, thus making it hard to be competitive.

The role is in high demand and you have a solid general background so you should be able to get your foot in the door.

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u/Accomplished-Bad3380 9d ago

What area are you in, making 6 figures with 2 years experience and no degree? Must be a HCOL area?

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u/Wonderingexplorer69 9d ago

I have a business degree and was studying for law school when I decided to make the jump into construction instead of taking on school loans.

I’m in a low cost of living area. Southern US. My first raise came unexpectedly within 2 months of being at my job. I’m more of a workaholic at heart and take immense pride in anything that has my name on it. This is my experience only, but estimating is one of the roles that your compensation reflects your work ethic and performance.

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u/Lifting_Rizzo 9d ago

I couldn't agree more on your last sentence!

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u/Empirical_Spirit 9d ago

Help me estimate a single family home! About to have architectural plans and start setting up a budget and need guidance. Any advice besides get a lot of bids?

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u/jasonbf78 9d ago

Be ready to pay about double or maybe even triple what you would have last year…. Materials and labor cost are through the roof… not to mention you can’t hardly find materials so the building delays are insane… one of my customers said he’s usually 4-5 months on building homes, due to materials shortages, he’s 14 months out.

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u/Wonderingexplorer69 9d ago

Oh no. I am not your guy for anything stick framed or residential. commercial and residential are almost night and day different. The residential world where I am at is like the Wild West. I’d drive around nicer neighborhoods under construction and take down all the trades that are out there working. Also try to see if you can connect with any reputable builders for home companies. Offer to take them to lunch for a list of good subs.

Construction is simple. You get what you pay for. But I’d ask a ton of questions, and be wary of any variance in numbers more than 30%. I’d also keep a 20% contingency on your end. And if possible sign contracts with the trades

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u/Empirical_Spirit 9d ago

Thank you for the advice!

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u/Garth_Holiday 9d ago

Work with a local lumber yard. There should be sales people there that will do the takeoff for you.

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u/bodhasattva 9d ago

How do you get that type of job? Is there a entry level position?

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u/Coward_and_Diva 9d ago

Estimators have people that work under them that create plans and double check their work. I was a purchasing agent for a large construction company there we probably around 10-11 people working for 3 estimators in our office. You probably won't make great money to start but learn what you can, make connections and apply to jobs regularly

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u/DLTMIAR 9d ago

Estimators have people that work under them that create plans and double check their work.

What kind of estimating do you do?

Designers or architects make plans and estimators either work under them or along side. I've never seen estimators above them

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u/Coward_and_Diva 9d ago

I did Underground work so the estimators were king at the company I was at. I was never an estimator, I worked in purchasing to ensure that we bought everything according to plan and under budget. We didn't have designers or architects but I think we had one engineer.

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u/bodhasattva 8d ago

suffice it to say.....alot of math?

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u/Coward_and_Diva 8d ago

Not really. Nothing was more than basic math. Everyone who was working under the estimators were high school level education and 1-2 drop outs. I was the only one my age that was actually going to school. I did underground construction, I'm sure it's different for other types of construction

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u/Zealousideal-Club290 9d ago

I have an engineering degree but have never worked in engineering field. I got connected to the company through a friend of a friend of a family member type of thing knew they were looking for someone with that type of background

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u/Lifting_Rizzo 9d ago

I’m in commercial MSD. Yes. I do get bonuses in my company and I feel very fortunate about it! I feel like it would only make sense to have some type of structure to reward your employees especially if they beat the Budget numbers! With what can be a high stress job at times, those incentives/bonuses make it feel worth it!

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u/Bit_Chomper 9d ago

If available in your area, look into becoming a chartered Quantity Surveyor and building your experience from there. Estimator, commercial manager, contract administrator and procurement specialist all in one. You will double 100K before you even hit a management role.

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u/stevo427 9d ago

I’ve been doing glazing through the union for close to 10 years and was looking into getting into estimating also. Don’t see the trade mentioned often in public or anywhere

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u/bodhasattva 9d ago

That actually sounds like an amazing job. Money aside, planning shit like that sounds fun. How do you get that exact job?

Is that the title "Construction estimator"?

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u/ShrimpSlapper 9d ago

Yes, construction estimator. Lately they like specific software experience like B2W, HeavyBid, HCSS, etc. From there it gets a little niche like transmission/distribution power estimating, commercial building estimating, etc.

I work for a gas transmission/distribution company as an estimator making 6 figures. Started in the field as a project manager and moved into the office estimating.

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u/bodhasattva 8d ago

Very interesting, thanks for the info. One more, just because this is brand new to me and I need a little bit of hand holding. If you were to make a recommendation to start somebody off on the best track possible, what software/experience would you recommend, and what job type?

ex:

HCSS + Renewal Energy Construction ( I made that up, but you get the point)

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u/numba1mrdata 9d ago

Takeoffs are honestly kind of fun too. Like a puzzle

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u/Lifting_Rizzo 9d ago

It’s nice that all projects that we look at my have similarities, but they are all different which is nice to keep the mind stimulated and make it not feel boring IMO.

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u/7thG0D 9d ago

Where do you get your takeoffs from?

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u/numba1mrdata 9d ago

Like what software? I use planswift

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u/shane727 9d ago

Do you need construction laborer experience to get into this? Basically...I know jack shit about construction is it possible to break into the field?

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u/DLTMIAR 9d ago

I started with a degree in civil engineering. I've seen jobs request some kind of engineering degree or construction management degree. You could also come into the job with just field experience

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u/CE2JRH 9d ago

As far as I can tell, that's because (in my area) nobody trains estimators. No courses, no on the job training. People just get experienced in the trades, then get shoved into estimating to fail or succeed.

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u/Accomplished-Bad3380 9d ago

There are estimating classes in most construction degrees, at least the ones I've been exposed to.

We do our own estimating, and then run the projects. So, estimating is probably like 10% of my job. It's probably my least favorite part. But, I'm working on a few right now.

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u/plonkeres 9d ago

Estimating has got to be the most boring, high stress job in construction. Staring at spreadsheets all fucking day but a mistake can cost tens of thousands.

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u/Accomplished-Bad3380 8d ago

That's why I'm glad its a minute part of my job.

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u/NRevenge 9d ago

Yup! Couldn’t agree more. It’s happening right now at my work too. Their pay isn’t competitive at all so RIP them getting any qualified candidates.

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u/PhilinGood3205 9d ago

I assume you live near a large city, mind if we get which one? I have a cousin looking to move from a dirt contracting position to project management before ending up in estimating.

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u/yogIE2021 7d ago

What qualifications you need to get in. I have accounting and business background

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u/Edible-Buttplug 9d ago

Hows it compare to working in construction? I'm an electrician but I'm interested in construction management.

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u/Lifting_Rizzo 9d ago

I'm not entirely sure what you're asking. Are you asking about the salary difference from field versus office? Or are you asking what the office like Project Managers do?

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u/N8Cali 9d ago

I work in construction project management for a large heavy civil contractor. I usually manage fairly large ($100M+) design build dot projects.

Estimate a lot in the pursuit phase, and get to see the projects through delivery. Very satisfying work for me. There can be times when you get on a shitty project that’s losing money, which can be very stressful. Typically work a lot in the summer, less in the winter.

Project engineers are getting paid $70k starting salary, and are above $100k with 5 years experience. Gotta have a CM degree or civil engineering.

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u/igot200phones 2d ago

I work for a general contractor. In general we have better pay/benefits than the trades. We also take care of our people better than most of the trade management takes care of their people.

We are all salaried so we don’t get any over time and yes we definitely work a shit ton of hours. However superintendents and above are more than fairly compensated.

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u/swgreen443 9d ago

Do you work for a company or are you a consultant?

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u/Lifting_Rizzo 9d ago

I work for a company!

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u/Knighty135 9d ago

How do you get into this field?

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u/PositivityIsTrending 9d ago

Construction Management or Construction Science degree is typical. Can also go project manager, superintendent or other with it depending on what you want to do. And each of those pay well too.

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u/SykoFI-RE 9d ago edited 9d ago

An associates degree in construction management is probably the easiest path in with zero experience. A bachelors in Construction Management will open more doors and potentially higher starting salaries. If you already have experience in construction and can read and understand drawings and methodology you could look into a certificate program in Construction Management through a university. I’m not sure how much those cost, but they should go pretty quick.

Construction Estimating has a MASSIVE incoming talent shortage. Most companies are short sighted and aren’t particularly willing to train new people, but there’s still plenty of places that will hire you if you show some aptitude and interest. Salaries might start lower ($50k ish), but by 5 years experience there’s zero reason you shouldn’t be making $100k+ if you’re making sure to keep your salary competitive.

From what I’ve seen the highest paying market segments are the smallest segments of the construction industry. So Oil/gas/chemical/power/DoE/DoD tend to be the highest paying segments. Heavy Civil /infrastructure (roads,bridges,dams) and large scale commercial are middle of the road, and smaller commercial and residential tend to be lowest. Of course there’s always exceptions and all of the industries do have opportunists >$100k.

Please come join us. The industry’s lack of talent development has created a huge worker shortage and there are tons of older people nearing retirement with no workers to back fill. I’ve been doing this for almost a decade across 3 different companies and I have still always been the youngest person by at least 5 years…..

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u/Lonestar_st 9d ago

I have a certificate in basic foundation auto cad. I have also taken some classes in hvac. Would these benefit me in a estimator job?

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u/Heromann 9d ago

BIM detailer/coordinator is a job field you could look into. I have a degree in a non relevant field, got hired on 50k+ while they trained and am looking at over 70k just 2 years in. Any interest in the automation side of things you could easily break 100k in 5-10 years. Company is having trouble hiring more, everyone goes for the project management side of things, which honestly does pay a bit more.

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u/DLTMIAR 9d ago

Better than nothing

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u/EducatedMule 9d ago

I work as a civil engineer with my PE in a high cost of living state and haven’t been able to break 6 figures. How long do you think it would be for someone to transition over from engineering to cost estimating? Pulling together cost estimates for plans is honestly one of my more favorite parts of my job.

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u/-CaptainCrack- 9d ago edited 9d ago

I'm a Superintendent for a heavy civil construction company and make 6 figures with 0 education and I'm 31, just hard work and too stupid to leave the field. Also do estimating when I'm not married to a project.

We have 2 estimators that have their civil tech diplomas. I would think a PE could hire on with a contractor no problem and be breaking 6 figures soon if not right away depending on the location.

Edit: if you have experience with construction GPS and total stations we would hire you in a heartbeat as with most civil construction companies. Multi talented people with a strong work ethic are rare.

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u/SykoFI-RE 9d ago

I'd imagine the transition could be pretty quick, especially from a skills perspective, especially if you've been involved at all with the constructability side of things. Being able to read and understand drawings and specifications is probably the most basic building block of estimating.

I'm sure there's free resources out there, but for someone with a PE who wanted to just start directly applying to Estimating jobs, if you studied these two books and were familiar with the lingo and concepts in them, you'd probably be a shoe-in for an estimating job. You just have to apply/interview alot because for some reason our industry really has a stick up their ass about training new people.

Truth be told I'm not sure how pay would go transitioning roles between engineering / estimating and being able to maintain your current salary without taking a hit, but its definitely possible that you could make a lateral pay move. Once you have like 2 years of successful estimating experience though, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to move jobs to one >$100k if your company isn't keeping your pay competitive.

https://www.pathlms.com/aace/courses/2928/documents/3831 https://www.pathlms.com/aace/courses/3268/documents/3899

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u/N8Cali 9d ago

If you have a PE lots of firms in construction would hire you to do estimating and work on design build project management.

The culture difference would be significant. Most contractors expect 50+ hour work weeks and every firm I’ve work with is full of major HR issues (abusive management and non-pc culture). Doesn’t bother me tho.

I’ve got project engineers working for me that just have a construction management degree that are making $100k+ with like 5 years of experience.

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u/ShrimpSlapper 9d ago

I was a civil construction major (not a PE though, in CA) and originally started field managing civil projects. Using my field experience I would help the estimators win projects while I wasn't on a project. After three months I transitioned to a full time estimator. If you show skills understanding specs, drawings, and can put together a proposal to get buy-in from management, you should transition quickly. The direct field management definitely helps, if not having access to field guys to help estimate will do the trick.

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u/GodofAeons 9d ago edited 9d ago

Hey there, I've got 5 years of mortgage lending construction loans and a Bachelors in Sociology minor in Criminal Justice You think if i get a an Associates in construction management, it would serve better than masters in city planning or public administration?

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u/Accomplished-Bad3380 9d ago

To go into estimating?

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u/GodofAeons 9d ago

Yeah, or some high paying field lol. Always was interested in that type of stuff

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u/DLTMIAR 9d ago

Holy shit. Spell check. With your lack of attention to detail I don't think you'd fare well.

/s not /s

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u/FiveChairs 8d ago

Thank you, this inspired me to get back into school to be a building inspector (it's an associates degree, but I know in construction that actually counts for something)

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u/Lifting_Rizzo 9d ago

I got really lucky and landed the job from just applying on a job post. The demand, at least in my area, is high right now, but it feels so difficult to find anyone. You might even get lucky just by searching up contractors and just knocking on their doors and show interest.

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u/[deleted] 9d ago

[removed]

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u/Lifting_Rizzo 9d ago

I had none. I went to college for electrical engineering. I had to learn everything from scratch and somehow survived the steep learning curve. Attention to detail, having really good memory, and being good a communication helps A LOT.

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u/Ak15567 9d ago

I applied at my local IBEW to be an electrician. I told the interviewers my end game was to be a PM. 8 months later one of the interviewer who is an Owner hired me with no experience and I've been chugging ever since. I got lucky I guess.

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u/Doyale_royale 9d ago

I would HIGHLY recommend going into this field if you’re entering college. I went to a large state university and our construction science students always graduated with great jobs. They would have a board posted in the department where you would just sign up for interview time slots and each student would get a handful of offers. The pay may be lower than engineers at first but there are other perks like living assistance, paid gas, and then the salaries scale with experience very well.

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u/arbitraryrandompanda 9d ago

This is the way. I'm in project management in construction and I know a lot of estimators who make a whole lot more than I do.

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u/Ak15567 9d ago

Weird. Other way around for me.

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u/space-time-jumper 9d ago

How TF is the estimator making more than the PM lol?

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u/MistaWesSoFresh 9d ago

Wondering the same and I run a construction company.

If estimator also does sales then I get it.

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u/Zealousideal-Club290 9d ago

What would you consider the sales role in construction? Seems like larger construction companies have 'business development' people as functional salesmen to promote and advertise the business on Linkedin, Social media etc. At our company, the estimators are the closest thing to 'sales' people but no one does a whole lot of what I would consider 'sales'

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u/MistaWesSoFresh 9d ago

Construction doesn’t only mean large commercial contractors. I’m a high-end design build firm with in house labor and a salesperson/estimator. The same person who shows up at your house to sell you a kitchen remodel is the same person who produces the numbers.

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u/Zealousideal-Club290 9d ago

Gotcha that makes sense. Seems like the has much more traditional sales people than the commercial side.

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u/Ibuilds 9d ago

Commercial large project construction management is brutal. Deadlines, workload, covering your ass all the time. I used to recommend it as a field to people but not anymore. There have got to be easier ways to get six figures.

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u/space-time-jumper 6d ago edited 6d ago

I suppose it could be with a large firm, but mid-range isn't that bad.

Commercial project management always seemed like building a court case to me. Just a HUGE emphasis on covering your ass. As long as you can put the time in to understand and interpret the project documents, it's really not that bad?

I could see it getting shitty with a massive scope but really, project management is just that. Management.

As long as you effectively manage the project controls and route the schedule, it seems fairly straightforward. You're inevitably going to end up in mediation. That's where the project tracking is critical. I'll admit I don't have any biiig project experience.

What am I missing though? I don't thing it's untenable.

You mention the difficulty and I see that as a matter of leverage especially with the shift in generational employment. My theory is that high functioning PM's will be in serious demand. I'd also think that demand will lead to serious pay. Not just scraping six figures, wealth building capital. Might even be able to get some skin in the game.

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u/BurtReltub 13% FI 9d ago

Same

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u/SageBow 9d ago

Project manager here making $90k+ I’m gunning for that sweet sweet estimator money

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u/Ak15567 9d ago

Estimators make more? Seems weird to me.

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u/SykoFI-RE 9d ago

I’d bet on average project management roles make more than estimators, but it also wouldn’t be that unusual to have estimators making more than some PM’s. A lot of the wage rates in construction come down to the level of worker availability at your time of hire and there’s far more people with project management experience than estimating experience.

There’s also typically a cap on estimating roles, where as some PM’s are paid on commission and can leverage that to make much bigger money.

Personally, I would never want the additional stresses of being a PM over an estimator. I value work/life balance way too much.

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u/SageBow 9d ago

Depends on the trade and experience IMO. PMs get really good perks though being able to network and get face time easier.

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u/Ak15567 9d ago

Last one I worked for had a bonus scale which was essentially .5-1% of total cost on profitable jobs. So it wasn't abnormal to be running 5-10million dollars worth of jobs as a PM on top of a solid salary annually. Estimators got shared profit which was about 10-15% of their salary.

My current one has estimator and PM as one person, but it's a shame I don't get double the pay.

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u/420chiefofZEP 9d ago

What kind of estimates do you write? I'm an independent insurance adjuster so I write property loss repair estimates all the time. Might look into this.

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u/Ak15567 9d ago

You estimate electrical or mechanical or plumbing or millwork drawings, get quotes build relationships with GC and owners. Need to have some working knowledge of whatever you are estimating, unless you want to start from entry level.

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u/sshhtripper 9d ago

I probably know the answer, but is this a male dominant industry?

I've always had interest in trades/project management but I feel like I would have hard time as a petite girl. As I get older I feel I could be taken more seriously, but still... Petite girl working around men is intimidating.

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u/Accomplished-Bad3380 9d ago

Also a PM in construction. Sure, it is male-dominated. But there's no reason to be intimidated by men. Either they're good people or they're assholes. The good people won't bother you and they'll stand up to the assholes. There still are some jerks and sexism, but it's falling by the wayside pretty quickly. Good company culture is important.

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u/valgme3 9d ago

Female construction PM here- there are women in this industry- and all of the ones I’ve met are tough as nails. There’s a lot of sexism in the industry- but support between women too.

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u/InsideCompetition547 9d ago

It’s nice seeing more diversity, I’m a man in the LGBT community which can be really challenging in this field but kind of drives me to assert myself as being just as essential as anyone else working in the field.

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u/mostly_ok_now 9d ago

I'm a young (ish) female PM and I just started with my third company, before this I had never worked with another female PM, but my current company is about 50% female PMs. It's so awesome.

There's a noticeable shift in attitudes recently of what makes a good PM. My super old school sexist boss actually openly said to me "I think women actually make better PMs...men are too emotional about it." And at my new company I took over a client from a male PM that had been there a while. At a kick off meeting I overhead the client talking with my boss about him being off their work and saying "he just gets so defensive and has a bad attitude."

In my mind, a good PM is a great communicator, likable (it's so important to develop good relationships with clients and subcontractors), has no ego (asks questions to get things right), and collaborative (gets whoever needs to be involved to get the solutions and doesn't feel the need to take credit).

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u/alheim 9d ago

Plenty of women, especially in heavy civil project management side. Plenty of men too.

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u/Lifting_Rizzo 9d ago

I'm not entirely sure what your line of work entails, but for me it involves looking at electronic blueprints of commercial projects and providing an estimate of cost for my company to build said project specifically for our trade and hopefully we are competitive in our price and win the project. Mine would be the drywall world.

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u/Hingle_McDinglebear 9d ago

Estimator for a GC here, I do high level take offs on everything to make sure subs are in line with typical industry rates. I put all associated prices together and submit a lump sum bid to a client.

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u/Zealousideal-Club290 9d ago

Are you making 100k? I'm and estimator for a glazing subcontractor and feel like a lot has stagnated for me at the company since the pandemic. The idea of trying to make the jump to a GC sometimes sounds appealing sometimes but I'm not sure if I would really correlate to increased pay necessarily.

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u/ShrimpSlapper 9d ago

I used to estimate for a GC and made close to 100k ($90k in CA). I jumped to $100k+ when I jumped to estimating for the owner (in my case the utility). I do high level estimates for budgetary purposes and check RFP estimates.

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u/Hingle_McDinglebear 9d ago

Yes I do, it is a bit of a jump. You switch from one small scope to the scope of the entire project. You have to be able to build the entire project in your head and understand every fine detail. It can be stressful at times but I enjoy the challenge

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u/420chiefofZEP 9d ago

Do you charge by percentage of estimate? Or paid like a W2?

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u/Hingle_McDinglebear 9d ago

I am a salary employee. The GC makes money by adding overhead and profit to bids. ( my position is an overhead job). I am expected to have a job win percentage of 25%…. I typically have 4 jobs in my personal bid chamber at any given time

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u/thewonderfulpooper 9d ago

How do you get there

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u/MagicCoffeeBeanSpaz 9d ago

My husband does this for military hospitals. He’s not quite at 3 figures but he makes a heck of a lot more than me with a Masters degree. It’s good money!

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u/conman526 9d ago

Dang estimators are not paid six figures where i live. It's a more entry level position unless you're like THE director or way up. 65-75k is the pay range I've seen.

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u/Lifting_Rizzo 9d ago

I’d agree that’s probably about the same for my region as well maybe a little higher depending on trade. I’m no chief estimator (yet), but I do bid most of my regions work and have had a successful track record. So I’m sure that played in my higher salary through the years.

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u/First_Bullfrog_ 9d ago

I hated Estimating during school, and for w.e even knowing how much money those guys can make, I just never wanted to do it, now that I'm in full architecture path I'm kind of wishing I went back and took the estimating path instead, I even had a job offer in school 😂😂😂😭

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u/Groggy_Doggy 9d ago

I was an estimator for construction and earned £20,000, I was the only one in my office that could use CAD. The other guys were still pen and paper measuring up.

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u/hereforthefire 9d ago

I'm a PM that estimates my own projects. Best and worst lol.

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u/yaalaan 9d ago

Came here to find this.

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u/jamesearltennisrackt 9d ago

Just saw an estimator fuck up and cost his company ~$500k for stone aggregate he did not account for in the bid. The owner would not budge and the contractor had to eat it all. Be careful with that calculator!

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u/ant_honey6 9d ago

How did you get this position?

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u/supernawas 9d ago

honest question, I've worked in flooring for about 6 years now from installing, to crew leader, and now I'm at a desk estimating tile, carpet, and hardwood. Love being at a desk vs the field now that my back and knees are done with all that. How hard would it be for a person like me to transition to full construction estimating? I've been a assistant project manager (for 6 months, temp job) and I'm well versed in reading most architectural plans, but no college time at all.

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u/yetanotherburner17 9d ago

Well I'm underpaid.

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u/JaxenX 9d ago

Question for you if you have a moment, I’m in the final stretch of a Geomatics/Surveying degree, would that relate in the construction estimator field or would I need more of a focus in construction specifically?

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u/CommandoLamb 9d ago

I could do that...

"Hey CommandoLamb, how long should this board be?"

... Eh, looks like 3ish feet.

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u/Browndaniel69 9d ago

What type of construction sector you are estimator for? I was estimator for shoring and deep foundation contractor and starting for me was 50k and they were bumping up to 60k next year. But I couldn’t take estimating anymore. It’s too much stress, so I joined consulting firm and working as Civil designer now.

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u/Lifting_Rizzo 9d ago

I in the metal stud, drywall, ACT, Paint, and more, but those are the main ones trades I deal with. I've trained a few people under me already, and it has shown me that it definitely is not for everyone. I had a colleague who worked for a GC, and left to be an Electrical/Lights Designer, can't remember exactly, because the stress and demand was just too much. They are MUCH happier. Haha.

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u/Browndaniel69 9d ago

Yep! To be a good estimator, you need to know overall scope of construction, and most importantly a lot of connections lol.

What i saw in my 6 months of estimating career was no matter how low you bid.. GC will still prefer bids from people they like.

My former boss use to work for one of the subs as senior estimate and was making over 160k + bonuses which were typical 20 to 40k.

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u/sejolly07 9d ago

What are the chances of getting into this as a 37 year old?

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u/awnshelliott 9d ago

How did you get into this line of work?

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u/Chicken_fondue 9d ago

2 months out of college with my BSCE and already got a raise because I’m the first one to actually be able to do the job compared to the previous guys who had years of experience but no computer skills or felt they were above everyone else. Also passed the FE exam in case I decide to get my PE in the future.

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u/jamiek083 9d ago

I need to move to the US then!!