Cost estimators collect and analyze data to estimate the time, money, materials, and labor needed to do a job (ex: manufacture a product, construct a building, provide a service).
Estimator
Estimator
VIRTUAL JOB SHADOW
Welcome to your first day on the job! Watch this video to see a day in the life of an Estimator.
Click for salary, education, & more: Estimator (estimador)
As a cost estimator, it is your job to accurately predict how much money and time a project will take. Cost estimators do this with the help of technology tools like Excel or GoogleSheets. Here’s a fun way to test your cost estimation skills!
Imagine you are working for Willy Wonka. He wants to build a new Chocolate Factory, and you have been hired as a cost estimator for this project!
STEP 1: Research online and use your imagination to create a list of all the needed materials for a new and improved Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory. Make sure you include these things on your list plus any others you can imagine:
- Yearly Energy Cost
- The Chocolate River
- Oompa Loompa Salaries
- Oompa Loompa Healthcare
- Edible Wallpaper
- A Golden Goose Egg
- Flying Glass Elevator (which is kind of like a rocket)
- Candy Making Machinery
- Candy Packaging
- others you imagine!
STEP 2: Research the cost of the things on your list. Use this spreadsheet and fill it in using the cost information you find.
STEP 3: Crunch the numbers to prepare your final cost estimation for the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory!
STEP 4: Upload your completed cost estimate spreadsheet to the Student Showcase and build your resume as an estimator!