What is your current job?

Senior Quantity Surveyor

What job did you want to do when you were younger?

I wanted to be a Primary School Teacher or a Nurse

Describe a typical day in your current job

No day is the same, I spend most of my days pricing projects to the client and liaising with subcontractors. Most days are a judging act to ensure the management of internal stakeholders while also ensuring the client receives an excellent service.

Why did you choose construction as a career?

My sister had already started her career within construction which intrigued me. Having that influence showed me an industry I didn’t understand much about, but it inspired me and showed me that there is a place in the construction industry for women.

Did you have any reservations or concerns about joining the industry as a woman? Have these changed?

I was inspired by my sister which allowed me to be better prepared stepping into an industry as a young woman to a mostly male environment. Moving on 15 years it has changed in that there are more women in the industry which when starting out, can be less daunting to young females.

What do you feel is the biggest challenge of being a woman working within construction?

To break down the barrier of women being shoehorned into stereotypical roles.

What is the favourite part of your job?

That no day is the same, every day is different and I get to mix and deal with a variety of different people, which is very interesting.

What’s been the biggest surprise since joining the construction industry?

My biggest surprise since joining Construction is the number of women in the industry at all levels and in all types of roles.

Would you recommend a career in construction to women? Why?

Definitely, there are so many opportunities within the industry for women. There are so many interesting jobs open to women that need to be published more to young women.

Do you have any advice to any woman who’s currently thinking about coming into the construction industry?

My advice would be, do it. Even if the job you aspire to seems out of reach, it’s not. The construction industry is not just a male environment, there are many senior roles filled with woman and more women taking up jobs that were predominantly male roles. Times have changed. You can do anything when you put your mind to it.