hey guys im a younger guy that one day would like to own my own excavation company. right now im waitting to go out to b.c to go work for kiewit on a big pipe line job. hopfully ill get out their soon. i usally run dozer and i have allways fallin into being the foremens second hand man.. not bad i think for being a 20 year old kid. after afew years for working out in b.c. i plan on working to start a company of my own. but not to get ahead of my self i was just wondering if their was a school for estimating for earthwork. my uncle has a large drywall company and he went to a school but that school really only does interior estimating. can u help me search
Congrats on getting on with Kiewit. They are a good company to work with I find. I worked for them shortly in BC on the sea to sky highway improvement project. You will learn lots working for them probably. Their field data collection is good, and that's what makes their estimating so efficient. Most estimators in heavy civil construction are graduates of a civil engineering technology program or something similar. Here's the program offered in BC: http://www.bcit.ca/construction/civil/ I live in MB so I go to Red River, in the project management course in the second year you do some estimating: http://www.rrc.mb.ca/index.php?pid=2216 You might be thinking "I only want to know how to estimate, not to be an engineer" but in reality you need to have some kind of civil engineering education to get a job estimating. Think about it, to be an estimator you have to understand more than just how long it will take a machine to dig, grade and pave a road for isntance. You have to understand exactly what the engineers who design the job are thinking. Who better to estimate than another engineer? Also, if you do start your own company, investing in a solid education will be the best first investment you ever made. Good luck.
If a 4 year degree is your cup of tea, I have to promote my alma mater Auburn University. I have a Building Science degree (construction management). http://www.cadc.auburn.edu/bsci/ Architecture, scheduling, estimating, project management, contracts, contracting business, safety, soils, concrete, steel and wood structure engineering are all course studies. In addition; accounting, management and economics are required courses for the degree that you take from the business school. It was a well rounded education for me. When I was there (a few years ago ) it was focused more towards building construction, but now they have highway/heavy, real estate development and residential construction courses. There is also a graduate program. Of course you are located in NH and a school many, many miles away may not be practicle. Take a look around your area for colleges that offer a similiar construction management degree, you don't necessarily have to go through a civil engineering program to become a PM or estimator. Some advice, get as much education as you can while you are young. Good Luck!
thanks guys im not near the point where i drop digging holes and go to school but i really liked hearing helpful info like that ill keep my eye open and see where it brings me lol thank u
I'm only 15, but I plan on attending a Civil Engineering school, but if you want to try and learn on the side I suggest a few books: Estimating Excavation, Pipe and Excavating Contracting, Moving The Earth, Excavation and Grading Handbook, and last but no least Deere and Caterpillar Performance Handbook. I have all of these and they are really great for learning. I've read the first 2 from cover to cover and that's where I began my studies. A lot of it I picked up from just reading on forums like this one. I wish you luck!
You've received some excellent advice. The best estimators are the ones that not only can do the math, but know the best methods of actually performing any given job. As in most fields, an education will definitely get you on a good head start, but your most valuable resource will be actual experience in the field. And by that I mean doing the work, not just watching someone else. It sounds like you getting some good operating experience and a good chance to see how your foreman handles things. I assume the company you're with now has an estimator on staff. See if you can spend some time with him/her. You might want to check with your local technical college and see if they offer any night courses. Nolan suggested some great books, but it helps to have someone knowledgeable check your numbers. A good estimator will know what his final number should look like. Dirtwork is one area where small mathematical errors or miscalculations can cause huge problems in an estimate. Good luck. If you have any questions, I might be able to provide you with some further info. I've been estimating for 15 years and training estimators for 8 years. Just send me a PM or email me.
I have gone over this several times on the forums, but if you have a couple years of field experience, and have the opportunity to go to college, do it. (Be prepared, this may be long winded) I bagan my college career in Mechanical Engineering. I got a point, where I had a choice to continue in Mechanical Engineering, or go a different route. Seeing as though many of my friends in Mechanical couldnt get a job, I took the other path, and switched to Construction Engineering. Best decision I have ever made. I now work for a small developer as a project Superintendent, running $5million housing projects. At 26, I am making more money than I can spend. My days are spent making phone calls, planning, organizing, scheduling, sovling problems, dealing with the inspectors, and occassionally strapping on a tool belt, or running equipment. My education included engineering, scheduling, estimating, management, accounting, mechanical systems, geotechnical testing, concrete testing, surveying, and building code, and much more. I am now an invaluable tool to my company, because I have knowledge in all areas of construction. I know a little bit about each piece, and I learn something new everyday. I worked for a large commercial GC for 2 years. I was pretty much used and abused, and then after 2 years, they gave me a pink slip, and said, "see ya". Now at this smaller firm, our construction dept. is me, and a project manager, and a few administrative staff. I do it all here, estimating, scheduling, writing contracts, running equipment, managing materials, engineering, design, painting, etc. If you can move, I would highly recommend The University of Akron, for their COnstruction Engineering degree. The program is top notch, and is accredited. You qualify for taking the PE test to become a professional engineer. Check it out if you are interested. Other colleges will have similar programs. However, many only have 2 year degrees, where Akron's is a 2+2, meaning you first earn an associates, and can go on to earn your bachelors. http://www.uakron.edu/colleges/summit/engineering_science/construction_engineering.php Hope this helps you make a decision.
Hi guys! I've been lurking for a while, but this is my first post on this forum.:usa Some of you might recognize me from the DHS forums (username: Heavy_Equipment_Obessed) (Sorry if this ends up a bit long winded) I want to do the same thing (start my own excavation company in the future), but I don't have a job with Kiewit...:beatsme... For that matter, I don't have any practical experience:Banghead, just a love of all things heavy equipment. With regard to education, I have tried to research the best way to break into this field: First, I looked at heavy equipment schools, but deeper research revealed that, for the money you spend, the education extremely basic ("this is an excavator") andthe paper certificate you receive ( a "proof of (education) purchase", if you will) isn't as valuable to employers as it was hyped up to be. Second, I tried seeking direct employment as a laborer (with a view to become an operator) with various excavation contractors. I found that larger companies only hired Union people, while smaller companies were just trying to survive - every company I spoke to, small and large, seems to have already laid off experienced people, just to keep their business solvent. Finally, I decided on my current approach - go back to school (I already graduated with an AA in General Studies) and get a master's degree in civil engineering with an emphasis on construction management and, through internships and entry-level positions, effectively start out on the management side of the industry. After a time in management (and, possibly, some on-the-ground laborer experience while in school), owning my own business would naturally the next level up. Thank you for your insight! As I said earlier, I've ultimately been planning to get a master's degree (or better) in civil engineering, but, before reading your post (and the others in this thread), I had no idea how deeply the education behind this degree would be connected to estimation and other aspects of project management. Now, I'm more certain than ever that this is the best path for me to take. Thanks again!
Welcome to Heavy Equipment Forums HvyEqp Obsessed! :drinkup
thanks guys im glad to see that im not the only one around with a crazy plan the better my self haha. Heavy_Equipment_Obsessed it is hard to get started in running equipment. i did got to that school that cost to much and looking back at it i kinda worked out. is u really don't get anything out of the class but a lighter wallet and the basics but i helps put my foot in the door what happened to me is i got out of school and started looking for a job. very happy knowing i was trained and thinking that if i had that card i could get a job anywhere but i was wrong. in that school thats what they make u think i did know how to run grades and i leard how to read prints in high school so it was ok. lucky one of my apps came though and i got a job but not running equipment. laboring and winter was coming so i took the job for about half of what i asked an hour hahaha. and i got lucky cause i was with a was at work one day and the guy that was running the D8N was pissed and quit beacause he didnt want to run on the rock and my foreman looked at me and and said u went to school for this stuff u Pat go run the D8 and my dumb self went ok and at the end of the day i knew why the other guy quiet hahaha