An assistant quantity surveyor at Diamond Build, Rahul Tank started a traineeship in quantity surveying after graduating in business and law – and he is now working towards another degree.
After graduating with a degree in business and law, Rahul Tank struggled to find a fulfilling job and worried that he had wasted his time at university. Uncertain about his future career prospects, he agreed to work experience at Diamond Build and is now forging a career in quantity surveying.
After struggling to find a secure job, how different does it feel now you’re working in construction?
After leaving university, I watched most of my friends get jobs that directly related to their degrees whereas I had no clear career path. Now that I’m working in construction those worries have gone. As a young surveyor in London there are always going to be new and exciting projects that I could get involved in.
“I’ve been given a huge amount of responsibility for the project and I’m really grateful for that progression.”
Although I didn’t follow a traditional route into construction, taking a step back after university has helped me in the long run. The work experience helped me to get a feel for different departments within construction. I also realised that my degree gave me lots of transferable skills and those have really helped me progress, particularly when dealing with more contractual issues.
Your work experience and the public sector project you’re working on with Diamond Build threw you in at the deep end on site. How has that experience been for you?
I spent a week shadowing the site manager and surveyor at a school, which Diamond Build was expanding. I had never done anything like that before and it was a real eye-opener into the reality of what we do.
The experience confirmed that I wanted to focus on surveying. I was offered a traineeship and I’m now working towards a degree in quantity surveying and commercial management.
I’ve had lots of mentoring and I’m part of the team building a new £10m residential development near Arsenal’s football stadium. It’s a new-build project on a very logistically challenging site next to a railway track, so I’m learning lots of new skills. I’ve been given my own packages to manage with subcontractors and help to place orders, organise valuations, payments and procurement.
I’ve been given a huge amount of responsibility for the project and I’m really grateful for that progression.
What would you say to anyone thinking of a career in construction?
I’d recommend joining an apprenticeship or training scheme. You’ll quickly learn whether construction is right for you and the practical experience you gain is invaluable, helping you both academically and in your future career.
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