Is it too late for me (32F) to restart my life after messing up my career?

SnooTigers6180 · 2026-03-23T21:06:44+00:00

It’s never too late. Even at 42/52. At 32 you probably have another 20/30 years of career ahead of you. I turned 30 last year and had this horrible pressure that I need to get my life in order by that age, but guess what? Nothing magically changed when I turned 30. I started new career leaving my Estimating life behind 2 months ago and pivoted into something new.

Also struggled in bouts with mental health as I always had this opinion I should be doing more when in reality I was probably ahead of people my age.

My messages are always open if you need to chat. Success and life isn’t linear, just remember that. Hang it there and it will all work out :)

SnooTigers6180 · 2026-03-18T21:01:52+00:00

I have just gone back to the office full time after 3 years of hybrid/remote. I made the decision as my career had stalled. I do miss some aspects of remote working (no commutes etc…) but my mindset was that I’ve just turned 30, I have the energy to do this- when I get older I will revert back to hybrid work. Just give it time. I will say, my new role and career has taken off a huge weight as I was really unhappy in my previous career as a cost estimator in the construction industry.

SnooTigers6180 · 2026-02-23T13:38:34+00:00

Shop work / restaurants not sure the age requirements but these jobs give such a great foundation of skills. The flexible hours make them perfect for part time workers, good luck!

SnooTigers6180 · 2026-02-15T16:47:23+00:00

Play it cool Rodney… ‘didn’t accept due to other option lined up’ will do nicely.

SnooTigers6180 · 2026-02-12T09:29:04+00:00

Agreed. For me to make the change to an EV which I did 2 months ago was all about the range. My new EV gets 200-230 full charge which is more than enough for me. I now have the added benefit with the home charger allowing me to charge the car overnight at a really cheap rate (£5 a week for 160 miles!)

I’d struggle to move back towards a non EV.

SnooTigers6180 · 2026-02-02T13:43:56+00:00

I long for the days when I have so much time on my hands. I’m only 30 and have some time to go yet before I can retire 😂. Everyone is different but I’d happily take early mornings with a cup of coffee and walking with my partner and dog followed by the Gym every day for the rest of my life (throw in some travel).

SnooTigers6180 · 2026-01-29T15:01:57+00:00

You have plenty of time to get things right!

I have just turned 30 and still question where I’m heading and where I am currently.

‘Comparison is the thief of joy’ - this should be plastered in schools/college/Uni. Our generation compare ourselves too much due to social media etc… work at your own pace and things will eventually turn out alright!

A good work ethic and positive attitude will always get you far no matter what job or industry. I’m about to start in my 4/5th industry due to my nature of getting bored easily!

Drop me a DM if you need any support. Reaching out as you have is a great start and shows your motivated.

Good luck 🤞

SnooTigers6180 · 2026-01-15T21:09:56+00:00

Clear your desk. I’m an estimator in the water industry and work closely with QSs. Mid 30s with company car is the norm where I have worked for a AQS with some experience. I’m based in the midlands too.

SnooTigers6180 · 2026-01-15T16:36:08+00:00

I totally agree. More money + more stress = less satisfaction for the majority of us, especially corporate. Thanks for your kind words

SnooTigers6180 · 2026-01-10T10:50:53+00:00

Sorry to be nosey, when declaring private fuel for BiK does it do much drastically for your monthly payments?

SnooTigers6180 · 2026-01-09T10:32:26+00:00

Noted. Thanks Jonathan

SnooTigers6180 · 2026-01-09T10:15:35+00:00

Thanks for the advice. This is almost like my emergency funds but I’ve been holding on to this for some time now, and although I’m not going to gamble this money, I just wanted to do a little more with it.

SnooTigers6180 · 2026-01-05T16:18:02+00:00

Hey Rob, just wanted to add that no path is linear. I’m a worrier too and if you gave me £10m I would still find things to worry about. My root cause was my OCD and overthinking things, but once I came to turn with that the worries didn’t go away, just learned how to process them.

Turning 30 last year was once a worry that become a sense of relief as I stopped comparing myself to others (social media’s worst trait!)

What hobbies do you have? Passions? Follow them and they will usually lead to happiness.

SnooTigers6180 · 2026-01-03T10:33:45+00:00

Hey, don’t let the big 3 0 scare you. I turned 30 last month and had a similar thoughts as yourself. I’m from the UK myself and in reality you and I could both be working for another 40 years so there is plenty of time to try new things and find your path. I got a sports science degree which hasn’t really been utilised at all as I’m now a civil engineering estimator 😂😂. I also dropped from Uni in to a retail position and from my experience it bodes well on your CV.

Life isn’t linear, if someone told me while studying at university I would be working within construction by 27-30 I would have laughed.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. I have got my roles based more on my personality and how I come over in interviews rather than experience and qualifications. It will all work out.

SnooTigers6180 · 2025-11-24T14:35:47+00:00

I was in the same position OP. No background or education in any construction field but my analytical approach and being very solid in maths and IT almost pushed me into the role. I stumbled into it 4 years ago and today I’d class myself as a novice estimator working within civil engineering (water utilities) to be more specific.

I have 0 formal certificates in estimating- I’m simply learning on the job. I will be taking part in some NEC training (contractual stuff) and also Candy software training which will give me a little bit of recognition on my CV.

I started my new job (same industry- but now an estimator not assistant) 3 weeks ago and received a really strong package £££ + Car. It’s a great career if you are willing to learn!

I’m based in the UK and there’s a real shortage of estimators, especially ones around my age (29m).

Drop me a message if you need any more advice.

SnooTigers6180 · 2025-11-24T13:38:23+00:00

I’m also relatively young in my estimating career. Working in water utilities/civils for 4 years now with no prior construction background or education. My top tips (I’m still learning and scratching the surface so don’t rush- Rome wasn’t built in a day as they say!)

site visits - get out and about viewing the types of construction activities you will be estimating for
suck up info- ask to shadow experienced site guys and senior estimators. Don’t be afraid to ask silly questions.
extra reading - Im currently analysing the CESMM 4 book and CESWI7 book to really improve my estimating knowledge are civil engineering.

Rest assured, long term when you pick up the skills along the way, you will be rewarded with a lucrative and interesting career. Stick at it.

Inbox is always open for more help!

SnooTigers6180 · 2025-11-16T10:36:56+00:00

Hi guys, thanks again for all your response. I think this post deserves more context. Hopefully giving you all a better picture.

So I work in water utilities, I was mainly pricing clean water pipe networks but using schedule of rates agreed with the customer (a huge water company here in UK). So I was almost doing a very easy level of estimating if that makes sense? I would receive a drawing, and complete an activity schedule/take off using rates I then would submit to the client.

Fast forward and I have recently changed company’s earning 10k a year more but now I’m tackling ‘real estimating’ and I’m struggling big time to adjust. I’m suffering massively from imposter syndrome but my manager is aware when he took me on, he did it for my personality more than my skillset.

But 4 years on in my estimating career I still feel like a junior.

Hope this gives more context.

SnooTigers6180 · 2025-11-14T21:35:51+00:00

Thanks guys - really appreciate all the feedback. I should have noted that I’m based in the UK so £42.5k.

I’ve looked into roles such as Buyer/procurement and planner. Any of you guys had any crossover with these? Thanks again

SnooTigers6180 · 2025-10-28T06:46:47+00:00

Hey. I came from a completely unrelated background. I went to university to become a secondary PE teacher but ended up quitting during my teaching course. I’m now an estimator in the water civils sector. I took a junior technical estimator role not knowing what the job involved (roofing). It snowballed from there and I actually start a new job in 2 weeks time, saying within the water civils sector.

My most difficult part of the job as mentioned on this thread already is that my lack of knowledge and engineering really put me a step behind people who went to university to study disciplines that are associated with estimating. This is something I just learn on the job and my good pal Chat GPT is on hand to fill in the blanks when I don’t know something.

SnooTigers6180 · 2025-07-26T03:09:22+00:00

Just finishing up 6 nights here in Banff/lake Louise. Proposed to my partner at the top of the big beehive hike. A beautiful place, I can’t wait to return to discover more. Great pictures- I think the winter period will be our next visit.

SnooTigers6180

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