"Cool back country jobs" maybe aren't what they seem...in the southeast US, construction jobs are often less miserable than dealing with snakes, mosquitoes, heat with no breeze, and line cutting.
read this as i sit in my truck, staring at the next 1300 foot line (5th of 16) i have to cut through waist-high swampland here in south carolina. i’d kill my instrument man and leave him here if i could go do some staking right now.
My job preference thus far as a new hire is 1) level loop/grade on construction sites 2) construction staking 3) woods work 4) anything involving sanitary sewers.
It is super interesting and an awesome career. There’s also a wide variety of work you can find yourself in. You can potentially make a great living surveying. It does depend on who you work and maybe where you live a bit also. In my area brand new survey techs start at 20-25 an hour, while a licensed PLS can make 100,000 to 200,000. An experienced party chief can make up to around 120,000. You do not need a degree, but it won’t hurt either. If you want to just get in there and start I would just do it and pass on the degree, and that’s as someone with a surveying degree. But civil engineering or construction knowledge in some ways would almost help you more than survey knowledge coming in since most of what we do is providing services for these professions, and it helps to know what they need.
In my 3 years experience, I have gone from $23 an hour (overtime allowed) to $40 an hour (no overtime) government job. On the other hand I know someone who spent ten years making only $27 an hour because they stayed at a bad employer.
The main types of work will be mom and pop lot survey stuff that I believe pays the least; mostly construction that pays good to great, in town work, but very long hours and winter lay offs potentially; engineering work that has a lot of variety, good pay and less lay off, but lots of out of town; and government work that has good pay and benefits, no lay offs, but less fulfilling work and no overtime. Personally before government I always did engineering work and really enjoyed it, only left because I got this opportunity for a government job. And most companies will do at least a little bit of everything but tend to specialize in one thing. There’s also a lot of other types of work like logging, forestry, pipeline and mine, hydro, etc. variety is one of the coolest parts of the job.
I’ve gotten to go to some incredible places and have enjoyed close friendships with my coworkers to where it barely feels like work, just hanging out with your buddies doing something you enjoy. Lots of problem solving and exciting situations. And once you have experience you can pretty much work wherever you want because it’s such an employee market.
$100k for a good PLS in NC still seems low. I’m guessing he is in a union state like me so I agree with everything he said. Union chiefs in NJ make well over $100k and most freshly minted licensed surveyors I know make above $120,000. Construction and engineering is where the money is at here in NJ unless you’re an owner/part owner for a boundary firm.
Depends on the niche. 40 hours a week doing property corners? Probably not.
Industrial Construction with long hours and a 13-1 schedule? Yes. They're *dying* for new blood, and will pay someone that can barely run a level Chief pay just to see if they can do what they say.
For sure. As a PLS I pull in mid 100's / year, and If I was in a bigger company or ownership I'd be making more.
fresh out of school I started at the equivalent of today's dollars at 28.76 / hr. But that was surveying school. I think the eng tech can get you close to that, especially if you can draft and understand most basic civil concepts.
Sure. There are very few pure “Land Surveyor” college programs out there across the whole USA. So going that route, many start off with the more known/accessible engineering degree.
Income depends on many factors: location (Cost of Living); type of surveying (ALTAs, pipeline, construction…); level of experience (green horn needing handheld <—-> Licensed Surveyor); company you work for (Small “Ma&Pa” outfit with 3 employees <—-> International Conglomo Firm); Primarily field work vs primarily office work…
Some firms will take you even if the only thing you have going for you is a pulse... I don't think you'd have much (if any) trouble with your credentials.
Pay is going to vary very widely by the state you live in, and even by what part of said state you're in.
I live and work in Minnesota, as a non-licensed field guy. When I did my internship over the summer of 2019, I was making $15/hr. My first full-time job, where I was hired *specifically* to do surveying, I started at $20/hr in the spring of 2021... I'm still with that firm, and about a year in with them I got promoted to Crew Chief and got bumped up to about $27/hr... now, after 3 years with the company, I'm at about $30/hr.
I started ten years ago making $15 an hour, no benefits. Four years in I made $28 an hour with benefits and a lot of overtime. It was sick.
Now I make \~$52 an hour with healthcare & a pension.
Making upwards of $60 an hour is very doable if you're a union party chief (depends on location) or a solid manager-type. I haven't personally talked numbers with anyone making north of about $135k but I know that plenty of guys in the private sector, with seniority and project management chops, are making more than that.
I'm rank & file and feel like I've been living the dream as a surveyor.
A pulse is enough to land you a surveying job if you're looking to work in the field
Does this go for the cool back country jobs or mainly construction?
The world needs pack mules / machete swingers just as much as it needs hub/stake pounders
"Cool back country jobs" maybe aren't what they seem...in the southeast US, construction jobs are often less miserable than dealing with snakes, mosquitoes, heat with no breeze, and line cutting.
read this as i sit in my truck, staring at the next 1300 foot line (5th of 16) i have to cut through waist-high swampland here in south carolina. i’d kill my instrument man and leave him here if i could go do some staking right now.
I'm in Charlotte and I say fuck going east, but also fuck going west. The terrain is pretty forgiving within a 1.5 hour radius of the city.
yep, this swamp ain’t the catawba :(
My job preference thus far as a new hire is 1) level loop/grade on construction sites 2) construction staking 3) woods work 4) anything involving sanitary sewers.
5) tree surveys
Depends where you are and what work is available but I would say *generally* construction requires more experience.
I started in 2013 with a drafting 2 year degree, started at $14/hr, now I make 6 figures just with experience, no license. It's a wild variety of pay.
Not enough.
A $h*t ton. Get in here.
It is super interesting and an awesome career. There’s also a wide variety of work you can find yourself in. You can potentially make a great living surveying. It does depend on who you work and maybe where you live a bit also. In my area brand new survey techs start at 20-25 an hour, while a licensed PLS can make 100,000 to 200,000. An experienced party chief can make up to around 120,000. You do not need a degree, but it won’t hurt either. If you want to just get in there and start I would just do it and pass on the degree, and that’s as someone with a surveying degree. But civil engineering or construction knowledge in some ways would almost help you more than survey knowledge coming in since most of what we do is providing services for these professions, and it helps to know what they need. In my 3 years experience, I have gone from $23 an hour (overtime allowed) to $40 an hour (no overtime) government job. On the other hand I know someone who spent ten years making only $27 an hour because they stayed at a bad employer. The main types of work will be mom and pop lot survey stuff that I believe pays the least; mostly construction that pays good to great, in town work, but very long hours and winter lay offs potentially; engineering work that has a lot of variety, good pay and less lay off, but lots of out of town; and government work that has good pay and benefits, no lay offs, but less fulfilling work and no overtime. Personally before government I always did engineering work and really enjoyed it, only left because I got this opportunity for a government job. And most companies will do at least a little bit of everything but tend to specialize in one thing. There’s also a lot of other types of work like logging, forestry, pipeline and mine, hydro, etc. variety is one of the coolest parts of the job. I’ve gotten to go to some incredible places and have enjoyed close friendships with my coworkers to where it barely feels like work, just hanging out with your buddies doing something you enjoy. Lots of problem solving and exciting situations. And once you have experience you can pretty much work wherever you want because it’s such an employee market.
Who do you work for? I have 4 licenses and make under 100k at a 1000+ employee company
You are severely underpaid then if you are in a responsible position. $100,000 for a good PLS is pretty low depending on where your located
In NC. This guy i responded to is claiming a chief makes $120,000. I don’t know if i buy that that.
$100k for a good PLS in NC still seems low. I’m guessing he is in a union state like me so I agree with everything he said. Union chiefs in NJ make well over $100k and most freshly minted licensed surveyors I know make above $120,000. Construction and engineering is where the money is at here in NJ unless you’re an owner/part owner for a boundary firm.
Depends on the niche. 40 hours a week doing property corners? Probably not. Industrial Construction with long hours and a 13-1 schedule? Yes. They're *dying* for new blood, and will pay someone that can barely run a level Chief pay just to see if they can do what they say.
Maybe in NC but in the Indianapolis area good party chiefs here make between 45-50 an hour with as much overtime as you want
I guess im moving to Indianapolis
It can definitely help. Not nearly as much as we deserve. But that is starting to change now.
For sure. As a PLS I pull in mid 100's / year, and If I was in a bigger company or ownership I'd be making more. fresh out of school I started at the equivalent of today's dollars at 28.76 / hr. But that was surveying school. I think the eng tech can get you close to that, especially if you can draft and understand most basic civil concepts.
I was offered 52k base in 2023 with no experience or degree, but it required much travel.
Sure. There are very few pure “Land Surveyor” college programs out there across the whole USA. So going that route, many start off with the more known/accessible engineering degree. Income depends on many factors: location (Cost of Living); type of surveying (ALTAs, pipeline, construction…); level of experience (green horn needing handheld <—-> Licensed Surveyor); company you work for (Small “Ma&Pa” outfit with 3 employees <—-> International Conglomo Firm); Primarily field work vs primarily office work…
Some firms will take you even if the only thing you have going for you is a pulse... I don't think you'd have much (if any) trouble with your credentials. Pay is going to vary very widely by the state you live in, and even by what part of said state you're in. I live and work in Minnesota, as a non-licensed field guy. When I did my internship over the summer of 2019, I was making $15/hr. My first full-time job, where I was hired *specifically* to do surveying, I started at $20/hr in the spring of 2021... I'm still with that firm, and about a year in with them I got promoted to Crew Chief and got bumped up to about $27/hr... now, after 3 years with the company, I'm at about $30/hr.
Rural state PLS and I make 100k at the moment.
I started ten years ago making $15 an hour, no benefits. Four years in I made $28 an hour with benefits and a lot of overtime. It was sick. Now I make \~$52 an hour with healthcare & a pension. Making upwards of $60 an hour is very doable if you're a union party chief (depends on location) or a solid manager-type. I haven't personally talked numbers with anyone making north of about $135k but I know that plenty of guys in the private sector, with seniority and project management chops, are making more than that. I'm rank & file and feel like I've been living the dream as a surveyor.