The traditional route to becoming a Construction Estimator is to complete a degree in a related field, followed by several years of work experience in the construction industry. While a formal degree is a straightforward way to prove your qualifications to an employer, being able to produce reliable estimates is more important. It is possible to gain the necessary skills for construction estimation without a college degree, especially for workers with relevant work experience. For example, seasoned construction workers, building designers, and cost estimators in other fields can transition into construction estimation with some additional training. Others, with less direct experience, can also pursue this career without a formal degree, but they will need several professional training courses plus a few years of on-the-job training and experience.

Pros and Cons of Becoming a Construction Estimator Without a Degree

No matter a candidate’s route to becoming a Construction Estimator, they will need significant study. However, not everyone can pursue higher education. Alternative training methods like professional training programs have several advantages over formal degree programs, including lower cost, less time in classrooms, and more focused study. Many career-focused training schools also offer mentoring, networking, and job assistance from industry experts. Self-paced and part-time options allow students to fit their studies around a work schedule.

In some ways, though, pursuing this career without a degree is more challenging. Degree programs cover many general and soft skills that newer workers may lack. If not learned while pursuing a degree, these and other specialized skills like computer-aided drafting (CAD) and business accounting must be learned either through work experience or additional training courses. Also, while some students welcome the faster pace of career training programs, others find them rushed and frustrating. Ultimately, students bear greater personal responsibility for their progress in training programs. If they do not take full advantage of limited class time and complete out-of-class assignments, they will not get the full benefit of their purchased courses.

Learning Methods to Become a Construction Estimator Without a Degree

Internship

An internship is possibly the ideal way to enter a career. Working alongside professionals in an active organization gives aspiring Construction Estimators expert guides, a detailed view of their job, and the opportunity to build necessary skills while contributing to real projects. Interns can also gain industry contacts and build a more impressive portfolio. A paid internship is better still, allowing students to devote more time to their professional improvement. However, paid internships are rare and competitive, usually going to the best-trained candidates. Even unpaid internships may prefer candidates who have completed some relevant coursework. Most interns apply after completing a degree, but some internships will accept candidates without a degree if they can demonstrate good prerequisite skills. 

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Professional Training

Outside of higher education, there are several ways students could gain preliminary training for construction estimation or even a full professional education. Some vocational schools and adult education centers host construction planning programs of varying focus and depth. Professional and technical training schools also offer courses that teach the skills Construction Estimators will need. The most complete courses, certificate or professional training programs, combine the curricula of multiple classes into a full career preparation series. Shorter, more accelerated programs called bootcamps include only the most critical lessons but can still be thorough enough to qualify graduates for internships or entry-level positions. All these courses are taught by live instructors, either in-person or online. Most programs also explicitly support career preparation, offering additional services like advising, job placement, and networking. 

On-demand Classes

On-demand courses are taught through pre-recorded videos supplemented by texts and exercises. These classes are inexpensive and allow students to study whenever they are available. Some on-demand schools also offer mentoring and other career support services, though they lack the direct guidance and regular feedback of a live, expert instructor. When using these classes, students must take more responsibility for their educational progress and career preparations.

Free Resources

Some students take advantage of free tutorials like publicly available video lessons, textbooks, and industry websites. For a complex and technically-driven job like construction estimation, this approach will likely take a long time, cause many frustrations, and require especially strong motivation. Plus, being self-taught means having no school to vouch for your accomplishments, even if you learn everything required. This lack of verification can make securing a first job especially difficult.

What is a Construction Estimator?

Construction estimation, also called quantity surveying, is a specialized type of cost estimation. Construction Estimators predict, as accurately as possible, what a building project will cost, considering the project's full scope to produce detailed cost breakdowns and summarized estimates. Construction Estimators may produce multiple estimates for the same project, starting with a general conceptual estimate and then generating progressively more detailed estimates as information becomes available.

To perform this work accurately, Construction Estimators must have a detailed understanding of construction work, including:

  • Reading building plans;
  • Listing the materials, labor, and equipment needed for a project;
  • Knowing the prices for these needs;
  • Anticipating other possible costs like insurance and fees; and
  • Anticipating factors that could alter those costs. 

Some of this knowledge comes from formal studies, some from construction experience, and some from active research. Construction Estimators must be good communicators, able to discuss projects with anyone involved: clients, supervisors, government agencies, tradespersons, subcontractors, vendors, and financial officers. These discussions elicit information and clarify a project’s requirements and limitations so that the Estimator can fully calculate its details. Attention to detail is another crucial skill for a Construction Estimator. The success of their work relies on their ability to spell out every possible aspect of construction projects and correctly anticipate their costs or influence on costs. 

Construction Estimators frequently work for building contractors, creating their bids for proposals or helping them decide what jobs are worth bidding on. Construction Estimators also assist in budgeting for construction projects at building companies, real estate developers, or government agencies like transportation, urban planning, or civil engineering. Some Construction Estimators are direct employees of these industries, often advising an administrator or supervisor or else contributing to a construction planning team. Other Construction Estimators are self-employed, working as freelancers whenever and wherever their services are needed. Freelance Construction Estimators often assist smaller businesses that only need occasional estimation work, but such independent Estimators may also be hired to produce estimates for comparison against contractor bids or internal budgeting, to make sure those estimates are reasonable.

Some Construction Estimators work remotely, collecting information from local clients and contacts and then building their estimates from these reports. Other Estimators travel as necessary, examining construction sites, talking to local contacts, and meeting with clients. Additionally, depending on their position, a Construction Estimator’s work might not be done after preconstruction. Some Estimators monitor jobs in progress to watch for potential savings, cost overruns, inventory and labor problems, and other concerns that could alter a project’s final cost. 

Can You Really Become a Construction Estimator Without a Degree?

Yes, a Construction Estimator can work without a formal degree. In fact, many working professionals in this field spent no time in higher education. Instead, they learned all their necessary skills through a combination of related work experience and training courses. In some ways, this route is beneficial, since work experience provides living expenses, industry contacts, and references. This path also focuses workers on all and only the training they need. Although a related degree is a convenient shorthand to prove a worker’s education, gaining such a degree is a long and expensive process and still doesn’t necessarily cover everything a Construction Estimator needs to know. 

Some Construction Estimators do hold a degree but in a field unrelated to construction, engineering, or business. An unrelated degree is no more a hindrance to pursuing this career than no degree at all. An unrelated degree can even be an asset if it includes general skills like mathematics or communication. A student who graduates in an unrelated field will still ideally spend a few years working in the construction industry, and they will still need specific training to gain construction estimation skills, but again, these are the same expectations as for a candidate with minimal prior education.

Steps to Become a Construction Estimator

General education 

Every Construction Estimator needs certain fundamental abilities: includes the fundamental abilities every Construction Estimator will need:

  • Mathematics, especially algebra and geometry
  • Communication, both verbal and written
  • Organization, including data management and ordering tasks
  • Attention to detail
  • Financial awareness, including reasonable prices and budgeting

Technical Training

This step includes the knowledge and skills required for construction work. Most critically, a Construction Estimator must learn how to read construction plans and translate those plans into specific materials and tasks. Some Estimators gain this training through a degree program or vocational training. Others learn through work experience. A Construction Estimator does not need to have been a hands-on builder, but personal familiarity with construction labor is valuable.

Construction Estimators also need to know various software systems used in building design and construction planning, particularly 2D and 3D modeling programs, Computer Assisted Design / Drafting (CAD) systems, and Building Information Models (BIM). Construction Estimators must also study construction estimation software, which organizes and automates many of their tasks. These software packages significantly improve the efficiency and accuracy of estimation work, so their use is expected for any working Construction Estimator.

Work Experience

As noted, work experience can provide most of the education Construction Estimators need, especially if they have worked for a significant time in an appropriate position. However, even if an estimation student has a formal degree in an applicable field, they still need some work experience. This labor exposes them to real working conditions, such as the challenges of working with clients and subcontractors, the concerns of on-site builders, and actual expenses and complications. Some candidates work as construction estimation interns or trainees, gaining critical skills as they contribute to project planning. Others gain relevant experience in adjacent fields like architecture or civil engineering.

Estimation Training 

This study teaches students the specific tasks and tools of construction estimation, such as takeoff (the process of itemizing the elements of a building project and computing their costs) and bid creation. Some construction and engineering programs include estimation as part of their curriculum. Students with sufficient prior experience and related study can also add estimation training in a few weeks. Extended training in construction estimation is more necessary for either students with an unrelated degree or those whose work experience had fewer planning and technical aspects.

These steps can be completed in differing orders: some Estimators complete classroom training and then go to work to sharpen their skills and gain experience. Other people work in construction first, then add additional training as necessary to become Construction Estimators. In any case, training courses from providers like Noble Desktop can span the gaps between prior experience and a new career. A full certificate course in construction estimation can prepare a student to work as an Estimator, while a bootcamp can help an experienced builder transition into construction estimation, or a series of shorter classes could provide the same training for either.

Learn the Skills to Become a Construction Estimator at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop and the Visual Design and Construction Institute (VDCI) offer online classes that teach the skills Construction Estimators need. In addition to classes on construction estimation, their curricula include general construction skills and construction and visualization software like 3D modeling, Computer-Assisted Drafting (CAD), and Building Information Model (BIM) systems. For each class, students complete one or more portfolio-quality projects, receive a certificate of completion, and can retake the course within 1 year, if needed.

Students new to construction estimation should start with VDCI’s Construction Estimator Course, a self-paced course including video lessons, practice exercises, training projects, and supplemental reference materials. The course assumes no prior experience and explains the primary skills of a Construction Estimator: reading construction drawings, translating those plans into component lists, calculating component costs, and accounting for various other expenses. 

Another set of self-paced courses explains how to read construction documents, often called blueprints. Construction Estimators need to completely understand building plans in any format, physical or virtual, to accurately extract information for their estimates. VDCI’s Blueprint Reading Fundamentals Course Bundle includes courses on both residential and commercial construction, combined at a discounted rate. This bundle can also be combined with the Construction Estimator Course as a Blueprint Reading & Construction Estimating Course Bundle.

For those without previous construction experience, VCDI’s self-paced Construction Fundamentals Course Bundle provides a thorough introduction to the processes, systems, and materials of building construction through video lectures and active projects. This series of six class units covers site surveying and foundation work, steel and concrete building structures, the components of the building envelope (including walls, floors, and roofing), interior and finishing work, utility systems like electrical and plumbing, fire protection, and final cleanup steps. The bundle also includes a one hour, 1-on-1 mentoring session with an expert instructor.

Alongside programs specifically for construction estimation, Construction Estimators often use Building Information Modeling (BIM) software like Autodesk Revit to itemize the details of a construction project. BIM programs combine 2D and 3D modeling tools with informational resources representing materials, work stages, and other components. VDCI’s Revit Fundamentals Course Bundle combines an introduction to the program and BIM systems in general with an intermediate course that extends and expands students’ ability to create and read detailed building models. Students learn how to create a full-featured 3D building model, create and use 2D representations within that model, and generate architectural graphics, working building plans, and schedules that list material and labor requirements. These courses also address workflow design to improve efficiency in Revit. 

Like BIM, Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) is also frequently used to visualize building projects, both to guide estimates and to collaborate with clients and colleagues. CAD programs like Autodesk AutoCAD create detailed visual and spatial representations that can depict buildings and construction sites. Construction estimation students will benefit most from VDCI’s Autodesk CAD Certification Bundle, a set of five self-paced classes that include an introduction to the program, an intermediate class explaining the creation of construction documents, two extended units building further construction document skills, and a class on smaller-scale detail drawings in CAD. This bundle is designed to prepare students for Autodesk Certified User in AutoCAD certification, and the course includes a voucher for the certification exam and a free exam retake if needed. Students also receive a 1-on-1 training session they can use for exam preparation or career advising.

Alternately, students prepared to pursue complete training in both CAD and BIM systems can combine both their certificate bundles into a single CAD/BIM Certificate Program. In addition to introductory and intermediate classes and two units of extended practice with construction documents for both programs, the combined program includes a professional-level capstone project, 120 hours of added elective classes (including advanced AutoCAD or specialized versions of Revit), and eight 1-on-1 mentoring sessions to address difficult topics or get help with career preparation.