Estes received his bachelor's degree in news editorial journalism from University of Alabama in 1989. He also worked at Tuscaloosa News and the Montgomery Advertiser Sports Department. In 1991, he became a news editor at Journal Record Newspaper in Marion County. He has been involved with a variety of organizations throughout his career, including serving as a member of the Winfield Board of Education, the Northwest Alabama Adult Education Board, and the Alabama Association of School Boards Board of Directors, among others.
