Getting an electrical estimator job.

How did you get your start doing electrical estimator work, and what career moves did you make to get to your current position?

Do you need a particular educational background?

While in College (not studying electrical eng.) I worked summers for a non-union electrical contractor. When I graduated College I stayed with electrical construction for 8-years. I tryed a couple other career moves until 1985 when
I passed the City of Chicago exam and became a license supervisory electrician.

I moved north of Chicago and started working as field electrician with another non-union shop to learn new construction which I hadn't had any opportunities with in Chicago (being non-union). With my remodeling experience, eagerness to learn and a College education the owner took me under his wing, taught me NECA manual estimating and send me to a 3-day Estimatic Seminar. Eventually I became the General Manager of the operation where I stayed for 11-years. I had worked with some computer programmers in the mid 80's for about 6-months as a management/energy consultant and one of them taught me just enough to realize that estimating on computers was a natural evolution. I tried to get the owner to bring in computers in the mid 90's and he was just too afraid the business would get out of his control using technology that he didn't understand so I bought my own computer and started developing an estimating program.

In 1997 I had written an estimating system but it was untested until I got a call from a friend at ComEd asking if I had any interest changing jobs since a union-shop GC contractor friend of his was looking for an electrical estimator/project manager to start up an electrical division. This was my opportunity to test and develop my estimating system so I took the position which lasted 9-years. After that success I wanted try working for others which I have and now I'm free-lance estimating while I look for another opportunity.