QUANTITY surveyors work within the construction industry. They ‘survey’ building costs. They work alongside architects, contractors and owners to give them a bill of quantity of the proposed cost of plans that they have drawn up.

During the construction phase, the quantity surveyor will monitor the work done and give a thorough evaluation to pay contractors for the work that they have done and advise clients of this.

Quantity surveyor Eric Dias talks about the career choice this week.

Dias, 49, has been a quantity surveyor for the past 26 years. He received his education at the College of Arts, Science and Technology (now UTech), in contractual engineering.

1. What is the value of the work that you do?

If you have someone like a quantity surveyor to advise you, things will go well. A contractor can just be claiming something that is not there or due. There are certain conditions that have to be met and we ensure that this is done.

2. What prompted your entry in the field?

My friend Peter Chambers got me interested in it. He saw my love for the construction field and anything technical. I also think going to St Andrew Technical High school was the best thing to happen to me. It gave me a push into the right direction.

3. What are the challenges you face in your line of work?

I think the main challenge is the work force. Sometimes you do not have really skilled workers and you have to be on them at all times, watching to see if they are doing their job well.

4. Where have you worked?

Right now, I am a consultant to HBD Construction Limited and I do freelance work for M&M Engineers and M&M Jamaica Limited. However, when I graduated from CAST I started at the National Housing Corporation Limited. I also did contractual work with the Ministry of Education as a quantity surveyor and project manager.

5. What are the academic requirements for getting into the field?

Minimum five CSEC subjects including Math, English and a science subject, preferably Chemistry or Physics.

6. What other skills or competencies are required for entry into the field?

It would be good if you could draw and do technical drawing and you have to love and familiarise yourself with construction.

7. Why would you advise anyone to get into this line of work?

In a time when our country and other countries — for example Haiti — are looking to rebuild, many quantity surveyors are going to be needed to ensure that things are fair for owners. It’s a very interesting field and you can make a comfortable amount from it.

8. How much is there to be earned annually in this line of work?

Depending on the experience of the quantity surveyor, we can make about $2.5 million and over for the year. If you are really experienced you can demand a percentage of a contract that you are working on, and the bigger the value of the contract the better.