Living the dream

I would love to be able to tell you that I was one of those people who always knew what they wanted to do. Unfortunately this is far from the truth.

When I graduated from Leeds University with a degree in maths I had no idea what I was going to do next. I was told that this was an excellent degree to have, that the job possibilities were nigh on endless and that the window of opportunity had been flung wide open. This was all very well and good, but it didn’t help me to move out of career choice limbo.

After several months of contemplating, I started to consider the prospect of becoming a QS. Up until this point, my knowledge of the construction industry was limited to the fact that builders like drinking tea. I felt that some more extensive research was needed and soon I found myself in the position of graduate QS at EC Harris.

During my first few weeks I was overloaded with new information. I was struggling to remember the difference between an APC and a DPM and was left wondering whether working in close contact with MRICS would be hazardous to my health.

Fifteen months into my career as a QS and I am still learning something new every day, but I’m growing increasingly confident in every aspect of my job.

I can speak with confidence about cost planning, benchmarking, valuations and tenders; I understand more detailed aspects such as sustainability issues, BREEAM and the BSF scheme – all of which were gibberish to me only last year.

So maybe I never had a childhood dream job to aim for, but I have somehow managed to find myself at the start of a career that promises to offer huge challenges and equally satisfying rewards – and I know that I have made the right choice.