I'm looking for a career change. I have some vague idea that surveying (construction or land) might suit me.

If anyone's interesting the oil and gas business is in the ****ter and I'm probably getting laid off. The silver lining is that this could be give me the impetus I need to get out of this awful business.

The only issue is that I am 37 and worry I might be too old to change careers in employers minds?

Anyone got any advice?

 

Getting a bit hot in Libya with isis around was it

 

Funny, my Dad was talking to me just yesterday saying that if I wanted to leave the farm, it's not too early for me to do so. If I left, he'd just sell up, buy 5 properties and retire. It did get me thinking though. The thing that would worry me with a change in career is the starting salary and a fresh start so to speak, doing something completely different.

 

Nah I've been in West Africa since 2013.

 

TDW - You do realise that surveying and quantity surveying are quite different things?

My brother was a building surveyor - which required a 3rd level qualification in a relevant subject area.

I have a friend who is a quantity surveyor at a printers, he started in the company in another role and was promoted into his QS role - his job is to project the quantity of raw materials needed to print each order which feeds the quotation process for sales.

Unless you have the relevant university attendance certificate in a construction / building / architecture discipline, I think you may be pushing a closed door regarding building surveying. You may get a break as a QS - but it doesn't pay anything like the oil & gas industry.

 

On the flip side I am a Senior Estimator, we don't have to go through the lobotomy to do out job like the QS's do and we line the work up for them to take the glory ;-)

I was nearly 30 when I moved from shop floor work into Estimating and did a 3.5 year stint in banking during the 'crash' so never be afraid to do something new, starting at the bottom and working your way up - hard work and devotion to your job is key.

Finding someone who is looking for a trainee QS / Estimator may be the tricky bit, but if you are serious then i would speak with a few agencies who deal in construction as they may have something on their books - their is a massive shortage of QS's and estimators (and planners etc) in the industry so new people are been welcomed into the industry.

Good luck.

 

Weirdly for some reason I know a lot of building surveyors (well I know the reason, but still!!)

They all did surveying at university, then had to do professional qualifications that allowed them to belong to RICS

They are all pretty successful too (and actually do quite varied jobs within the profession)

 

Yeah I'm not looking for that sort of money, I'm realistic.

I should probably have called the thread 'surveying' instead.

The reason I mention land surveying was that I have geology degrees. There are some thin crossover skills and knowledge, not much perhaps, but more than a media studies degree!

 

Ok thanks.