Can I build you a house? No, probably not.

Maybe I could. I’m not sure. I’ve not tried it before. However, I don’t fancy my chances. I quite like my soft office-y hands. But if you’re asking whether I can manage Excel sheets or work on bids that are an integral part of the modern construction process then the answer is more like “YES!”

For nine years I worked as a Quantity Surveyor in the construction industry, which is a job that goes by a variety of names in the US (Cost Planner? Cost Manager? Estimator? Commercial Manager?…), but in essence I was working on bids, proposals, estimating project costs, overseeing budgets, and monitoring costs of large construction projects.

(To elaborate further and for the sake of getting keywords and search terms into this text: I minimized expenses while ensuring quality standards, prepared estimates, and budgets, and conducted cost analyses, all from the project’s inception stage through to its completion, collaborating with architects, engineers, and contractors. I managed contracts, assessed financial risks, and ensured legal and regulatory compliance. That sort of thing.)