A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

[lexiphanic]

So I'm taking this class in Construction Estimating. Pretty much just for my own knowledge, not aiming for anything in particular. We had a homework exercise due today that was basically "Given scenario X, should your company submit a bid for project Y?" The instructor took a poll of people's answers, and the result amused me greatly

Comments

[hexagonalcarbon]

How come?

[lexiphanic]

How come I was amused? It just struck me as funny that the people who had an idea how projects really go had one answer, while the people who've never worked in the real world had a different one. I suspect that's a trend the prof has seen before.

[msss]

Can you tell us what the scenario was? (I'm just curious, knowing nothing about construction.)

[lexiphanic]

It was something along the lines of "you're a smallish company who's never done this type of project before. If successful, it'll constitute 75% of your yearly income, and cement your position in the industry. There are bigger firms that are potentially more qualified, but you have lower overhead that could make the project more profitable for you. Do you submit a bid?"

Those of us who said No said so because there was so much risk of bankruptcy, especially since the company had no previous experience with the project type. 75% is a lot to hang on one project. The people who said Yes mostly figured they could hire someone with the right experience to help get the project done. They aren't really wrong, but they are much more avid gamblers than me, apparently.