Looking back, my enjoyment of maths and the sciences at school, of physics in particular, were an obvious sign that I was destined for a career in the more technical of industries. But I ended up leaving school without a clue as to what direction I should take.
I knew one thing and that was that I didn’t want to go to university before I knew what I wanted to do! But what job to do straight out of school when you have no idea what you want to be? Temping seemed like a good option, to try out different industries and roles, so I jumped around, filling in whilst people were off sick or on holiday, in a wide range of businesses.
My time as a main contractor’s receptionist completely opened my eyes to an industry I knew scarcely anything about and I quickly became swept up in the potential of becoming a quantity surveyor. I couldn’t bear being pigeon-holed or restricted by a job.
That’s just what I love about being a QS. I’m exposed to every level of a construction project and can make an impact at each stage. It’s limitless in terms of the different areas of construction you get to be involved in. One day I could be reviewing technical drawings, the next settling a dispute and then maybe undertaking site visits and inspections.
They say if you find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. Don’t get me wrong, of course there are days where I am reaching for the wine bottle as soon as I walk in the door, but all in all, being a QS suits me down to a tee and I am personally rewarded by the satisfaction I find in it almost every day. Working with other professionals across the board who are willing to learn and adapt to the ever-evolving industry, just like myself, is something that I will never get tired of.
Identifying a potential opportunity, or an issue before it becomes a problem, is what makes my day. Proving the ability to save time or money without compromising on the project output is the added value of QSing that motivated me the most.
I had achieved my degree however found myself filing endless paperwork on a daily basis instead of actually feeling like I was making a difference and adding real value to the projects I was involved with.
After coming to this realisation, I decided I wanted to take a leap and set up my own consultancy. And so, Hawk Surveying was born. I dabbled in freelancing whilst Hawk was forming and found I couldn’t say no to the appeal of some of the projects on offer. One of those projects was a new science tower block for the University of Technology and Science in Sydney which took me to Australia for almost 2 years.
As much as I loved the outdoor life and the glorious weather down under, my life in England eventually called me back in 2018. My focus returned to building Hawk Surveying to the size and standard it is at now – a firm regulated by RICS, growing in numbers and gaining more momentum each day.
As someone who loves structure and learning, there was never a doubt that I wanted my firm to be RICS regulated. To me, it’s a stamp of quality, which identifies a firm as being professional, one which refuses to cut corners, and who are constantly updating their knowledge and skillsets.
The process of becoming RICS accredited is one of the toughest things I’ve faced in my career. The intense studying and dedication it took to demonstrate my competence took a lot of time and energy. What I hadn’t anticipated was to fall pregnant and for the challenge to become even harder. To me, juggling my family life and career made my RICS accreditation an even bigger achievement.
As with setting up any business, it’s been really hard work and at times, stressful, but I couldn’t be prouder of what we’re achieving, and for our exciting future ahead. We have a great team that are committed to delivering the best for our clients, and an even better support network to ensure we’re continuing to learn and grow, and to go above and beyond even our own expectations.
I’m always happy to support others’ career journey. If you want to chat or even just pick my brains, feel free to get in touch here.