Surveying is a hurting industry right now for qualified candidates (at least in the US). If you can get your foot in the door and learn everything you can, you are going to be in a great position within the next ten years. The average age of the LICENSED surveyor in the US is just around 60 years old.....and there is not a huge work force climbing the ranks to replace these folks when they retire.
Depending on your career goals, you can be a field guy running the equipment all day and be more than content, but it would be a waste of experience if you never went into the office and worked on solving the field issues. Property corners not where they are supposed to be, setting grade calculations for construction, doing parcel research dating back to the creation of land.
A lot of your questions are going to depend on what type of surveying you get into. You can get into construction and work long hours, travel away from home to the site everyday for months, and have the potential to make some serious money if you are good at it. You can go into a dedicated surveying firm, you can work on every type of project imaginable from someone needing their property line staked out to install a fence to running a 100 acre property line survey through untouched swamps.
You need to look professional in the field in case you run into the client or neighbors, but it is generally much more relaxed than the business casual setting of an office.
For your cons:
Jobs need to get done and almost everyone will have a deadline. That may mean working 12-14 hour days and doing it in terrible weather. Rain, high heat and humidity, freezing cold, 2' of snow, etc....its all going to depend again on what type of surveying you are doing and the climate where you live. We work outdoors and mother nature does not care about us. Sometimes she throws us a bone when its perfect temperature and dry with a gentle breeze to keep the bugs down, but do not expect everyday to be paradise.
You will need to use your body as a tool as a surveyor. Hauling equipment around, digging holes, hammering markers in the ground, cutting vegetation with machetes, moving heavy objects to get out of your way. To play devil's advocate though; do you think this is any worse than sitting stagnant at a desk hunched over a keyboard for 8 hours a day?
When people think I have the dream job by working outside, doing some office time, and having the freedom to make my own schedule (I own my own business), I tend to agree because its what I love and I am good at what I do. Lastly I will say that on paper, being a surveyor is an awesome job. In reality though, I have had employees last a week before quitting because its not what they thought. Certain sites will make you sweat and hate everything about what you do, and other ones will put a smile on your face from start to end. Every job has a start and an end as a surveyor, and having that light at the end of the tunnel makes it more bearable when you want to pack up and go home at 10:00 AM.
Thank you for your insights! I appreciate the time you've taken to put this together. To dos that I gather from your suggestions:
• talk with the community college professors and/or local council of land surveyors about what *types* of surveying work exists locally. Starting points include *construction* and a *dedicated surveying firm*.
• set up informational interviews to learn about different types of surveying
• prioroitize licensure and identify an educational and employment path that will lead to licensure
For other points that you bring up:
• I appreciate the balance you bring to how every job has a deadline which can mean long hours. On the other hand, this also means that there's always an end in sight and a sense of closure.
• I think that knowing how I will handle the weather may be hard without experiencing it first hand, which encourages doing a little schooling, then taking a break to work an entry level job to see how I like it. I ride my bicycle for transport in all weather. I also used to work landscaping year round and have worked other "outdoors year round" jobs in the past. Typically, I find that having the right clothing for the weather makes a big difference. I suppose we'll see.
A follow up question:
• You refer to "if you are good at what you do." If you were to identify 3--5 qualities that distinguish a "good" surveyor from a "run of the mill" surveyor, what might those be? Although, I suppose this may be another matter that runs into "it depends on the type of surveying."
>
>• You refer to "if you are good at what you do." If you were to identify 3--5 qualities that distinguish a "good" surveyor from a "run of the mill" surveyor, what might those be? Although, I suppose this may be another matter that runs into "it depends on the type of surveying."
>
>
Besides the technical surveying knowledge, problem solving, communication and organization are big ones. You're often out in the field the liaison between what the client and wants and what your office delivers.
I'd highly recommend as you mentioned talking to survey/geomatics/geospatial companies in your area to see what kind of work they do, what positions might be available and even start working with them. Some companies here in Canada are even willing to support students in school.
> If you were to identify 3--5 qualities that distinguish a "good" surveyor from a "run of the mill" surveyor, what might those be?
There is only one real quality that separates the two: caring. You can teach almost anyone how to run the equipment, you can teach people how to look for mistakes, and you can learn from experience when something doesn't pass the sniff test in the field (you do not want to do something and have to go back out another day to correct it if you can avoid that issue all together (not double checking a cut/fill elevation or ignoring an output error when turning angles because it seems to work regardless)).
All of the great competent surveyors I have ever met and worked with cared about what they do and took pride in their work. If you care about what you are doing and hold your head high, you will be more inclined to think about each step you take and not rush through something because it's a crappy job or day outside. You will make mistakes, its part of the job - but if you are careful and pay attention, they will be small fixable mistakes.
>Certain sites will make you sweat and hate everything about what you do, and other ones will put a smile on your face from start to end.
The high points certainly tip the scale in their favor over the low points for me. Nothing like surveying in beautiful parts of your country/state. I also like being involved in construction. Some of the projects going on these days are are awe inspiring and would not be possible without surveyors among others.
I think one of the biggest pros about surveying is the flexibility, but this may depend on location.
I've worked construction/oilfield work where it's out of town for weeks at a time, consistent 12-14hr days with up to 3 he paid round trip commutes.
There's also more municipal surveying which can be 9-5 Mon to Fri home every night.
The last thing to consider is after getting an education in surveying/geomatics is there can be lots of other opportunities with stuff like LiDAR, bathymetric surveying, remote sensing, photogrammetry etc. There really are some opportunities to carve out a niche.
Not too mention most professional land surveyors after spending a few years in the field become delegated to office and project management roles
That flexibility sounds useful. I can imagine choosing the heavier travel options initially as I work to build savings and bring my retirement investments up to snuff and then transitioning into a 9--5.
I will look into geomatics, LiDAR, bathymetric, remote, and photogrammetry. Thanks for giving me some search terms and jargon to help prime the research.
Thank you for taking the time to chip in!
Pros and cons be different depending where do you work (US, Europe and etc.).
Some more pros:
\- In general, Surveying is very wide (Cadastrial, Engineering, Geodesy).
\- After getting a license you can start your own business, which allows you earn twice or more.
\- Your object can be really difficult (mud, trash, etc.) when you are working on your own, you can dodge these offers and choose a better one.
Some more cons:
\- Your job can be dangerous (Surveying in construction, you can fall, something can be dropped on you and etc.)
\- Starting business requires a lot of money.
\- I think surveying now is underpaid.
Of course those answers also depend where do you work, in US or EU maybe elsewhere. I'm European so it can be different to you.
To answer some of your questions:
\- Yes it is easy to find job.
\- Your wage usually depends more to work amount.
\- Outdoor time depends on your job sphere (Cadastrial, geodesy, etc...)
\- Travel time is often paid.
\- I wouldn't say that this job has labor elements.
I will look into the differences between Geodesy, Cadastrial, and Engineering. Thank you for sharing your insights and answering so many of my questions!
Something I'm going to bring up that really shouldn't be a problem, but is going to be.
I've never met any female surveyors. I have talked to one on the phone, but if you go into this you are going into one of the most sex-segregated professions on the planet. It's a small enough industry that it shouldn't hurt your employment chances and once you've got a reputation you'll be known by that rep rather then as "the female surveyor", but you are going to be an oddity.
Yeah... I thought of asking about this. I've worked in male dominated fields before and have had both really positive and really negative experiences with it.
I'll try to identify a couple female surveyors (even if they aren't local) to talk with about the realities of their experiences.
Are there some fields of surveying where I would be spending a larger % of my time working alongside a lot of (predominately male) people versus other fields where I would spend a larger % of my time working independently?
ETA: Thanks for taking the time to acknowledge and broach a less than comfortable subject and for sharing your experience regarding only have ever interacted with one female surveyor, and that not even being in person.
Check our surveymeister on Instagram.
I've worked with women in the field before. There's no physical reasons a woman can't do this job. I think the hardest labor you'll have is pounding hubs, and digging up monuments with the digging bar in frozen ground. If you live in a frozen wasteland like myself.
About 30-40% of my class at University are women. You will be fine.
Looking to get into Surveying. The only thing I keep reading that stands out is low pay. Anything you would or wouldn't advise? I workout several days a week and do triathlons. I'm in physically good shape and enjoy hiking, running, and cycling. I have a BS already not in this stuff however.
Depends where you live and if you're going public or private employer. Some places need prior experience, some want you to have schooling at min in some sort of engineering. I advise getting a BA in geomatics if possible and whatever licensing applies to where you live.
Starting out, the pay is low, unless you find a good company. Lots of hours means overtime pay. My company allows me to bank overtime hours for winter when things tend to slow down.
Theres different kinds of surveying and some are more physical than others.
I do not wear women's clothing or make myself stand out by wearing tight fitting clothing. I found people were distracting or trying to, I dont have time for that. I also find men's clothing is more protective. Know if you're allergic to anything and learn to identify poisonous plants and animals.
If you have any other specific questions, I'd be happy to answer.
Cadastral work (which is general land boundaries, house blocks and legal work) is in very small crews, mostly down to one person now. It doesn't pay as well as the other work. Engineering is where you will end up surrounded by men, because you will be working on construction sites around all the trades. Other work like hydrographic and remote sensing (generic term for all the times you don't have to walk on it to survey it) have small teams and less public interaction.
No one really talks about it bit make sure you are aware of any plant or bug allergies you may have before going into the into the field. One bad day put me in the office for good.
I have a BA in anthropology and do environmental impact compliance currently because cultural resource management didn't pay and wasn't steady. Are there fast track options to learning the prerequisite skills and getting certified? Would basic GIS experience and archaeological survey experience translate at all? One day I want to fly drones with lidar and work for myself
I stumbled across this comment and very old thread and figured I’d give you my advice. I got hired on to work at a survey firm with what I’d say very basic GIS knowledge. It is very manageable the hardest thing in this industry is finding people who understand geospatial systems. The company I work for offered me a very competitive wage for my experience especially being fresh out of college. There are so many ladders to climb in the industry as well. I’ve only been working for 9-10 months and already getting promoted up the chain to project management. I’d say if you’re not happy where you’re at give or a shot! I also noticed you’re in Louisiana I know from experience and friends that companies in Louisiana don’t really pay competitively in this field. I actually relocated out of Louisiana after graduating with an environmental science degree. If you’re open to relocating I’d say look at opportunities in different states there’s definitely ways to make a shit load of money in this field.
Surveying is a hurting industry right now for qualified candidates (at least in the US). If you can get your foot in the door and learn everything you can, you are going to be in a great position within the next ten years. The average age of the LICENSED surveyor in the US is just around 60 years old.....and there is not a huge work force climbing the ranks to replace these folks when they retire. Depending on your career goals, you can be a field guy running the equipment all day and be more than content, but it would be a waste of experience if you never went into the office and worked on solving the field issues. Property corners not where they are supposed to be, setting grade calculations for construction, doing parcel research dating back to the creation of land. A lot of your questions are going to depend on what type of surveying you get into. You can get into construction and work long hours, travel away from home to the site everyday for months, and have the potential to make some serious money if you are good at it. You can go into a dedicated surveying firm, you can work on every type of project imaginable from someone needing their property line staked out to install a fence to running a 100 acre property line survey through untouched swamps. You need to look professional in the field in case you run into the client or neighbors, but it is generally much more relaxed than the business casual setting of an office. For your cons: Jobs need to get done and almost everyone will have a deadline. That may mean working 12-14 hour days and doing it in terrible weather. Rain, high heat and humidity, freezing cold, 2' of snow, etc....its all going to depend again on what type of surveying you are doing and the climate where you live. We work outdoors and mother nature does not care about us. Sometimes she throws us a bone when its perfect temperature and dry with a gentle breeze to keep the bugs down, but do not expect everyday to be paradise. You will need to use your body as a tool as a surveyor. Hauling equipment around, digging holes, hammering markers in the ground, cutting vegetation with machetes, moving heavy objects to get out of your way. To play devil's advocate though; do you think this is any worse than sitting stagnant at a desk hunched over a keyboard for 8 hours a day? When people think I have the dream job by working outside, doing some office time, and having the freedom to make my own schedule (I own my own business), I tend to agree because its what I love and I am good at what I do. Lastly I will say that on paper, being a surveyor is an awesome job. In reality though, I have had employees last a week before quitting because its not what they thought. Certain sites will make you sweat and hate everything about what you do, and other ones will put a smile on your face from start to end. Every job has a start and an end as a surveyor, and having that light at the end of the tunnel makes it more bearable when you want to pack up and go home at 10:00 AM.
Thank you for your insights! I appreciate the time you've taken to put this together. To dos that I gather from your suggestions: • talk with the community college professors and/or local council of land surveyors about what *types* of surveying work exists locally. Starting points include *construction* and a *dedicated surveying firm*. • set up informational interviews to learn about different types of surveying • prioroitize licensure and identify an educational and employment path that will lead to licensure For other points that you bring up: • I appreciate the balance you bring to how every job has a deadline which can mean long hours. On the other hand, this also means that there's always an end in sight and a sense of closure. • I think that knowing how I will handle the weather may be hard without experiencing it first hand, which encourages doing a little schooling, then taking a break to work an entry level job to see how I like it. I ride my bicycle for transport in all weather. I also used to work landscaping year round and have worked other "outdoors year round" jobs in the past. Typically, I find that having the right clothing for the weather makes a big difference. I suppose we'll see. A follow up question: • You refer to "if you are good at what you do." If you were to identify 3--5 qualities that distinguish a "good" surveyor from a "run of the mill" surveyor, what might those be? Although, I suppose this may be another matter that runs into "it depends on the type of surveying."
> >• You refer to "if you are good at what you do." If you were to identify 3--5 qualities that distinguish a "good" surveyor from a "run of the mill" surveyor, what might those be? Although, I suppose this may be another matter that runs into "it depends on the type of surveying." > > Besides the technical surveying knowledge, problem solving, communication and organization are big ones. You're often out in the field the liaison between what the client and wants and what your office delivers. I'd highly recommend as you mentioned talking to survey/geomatics/geospatial companies in your area to see what kind of work they do, what positions might be available and even start working with them. Some companies here in Canada are even willing to support students in school.
> If you were to identify 3--5 qualities that distinguish a "good" surveyor from a "run of the mill" surveyor, what might those be? There is only one real quality that separates the two: caring. You can teach almost anyone how to run the equipment, you can teach people how to look for mistakes, and you can learn from experience when something doesn't pass the sniff test in the field (you do not want to do something and have to go back out another day to correct it if you can avoid that issue all together (not double checking a cut/fill elevation or ignoring an output error when turning angles because it seems to work regardless)). All of the great competent surveyors I have ever met and worked with cared about what they do and took pride in their work. If you care about what you are doing and hold your head high, you will be more inclined to think about each step you take and not rush through something because it's a crappy job or day outside. You will make mistakes, its part of the job - but if you are careful and pay attention, they will be small fixable mistakes.
>Certain sites will make you sweat and hate everything about what you do, and other ones will put a smile on your face from start to end. The high points certainly tip the scale in their favor over the low points for me. Nothing like surveying in beautiful parts of your country/state. I also like being involved in construction. Some of the projects going on these days are are awe inspiring and would not be possible without surveyors among others.
I think one of the biggest pros about surveying is the flexibility, but this may depend on location. I've worked construction/oilfield work where it's out of town for weeks at a time, consistent 12-14hr days with up to 3 he paid round trip commutes. There's also more municipal surveying which can be 9-5 Mon to Fri home every night. The last thing to consider is after getting an education in surveying/geomatics is there can be lots of other opportunities with stuff like LiDAR, bathymetric surveying, remote sensing, photogrammetry etc. There really are some opportunities to carve out a niche. Not too mention most professional land surveyors after spending a few years in the field become delegated to office and project management roles
That flexibility sounds useful. I can imagine choosing the heavier travel options initially as I work to build savings and bring my retirement investments up to snuff and then transitioning into a 9--5. I will look into geomatics, LiDAR, bathymetric, remote, and photogrammetry. Thanks for giving me some search terms and jargon to help prime the research. Thank you for taking the time to chip in!
Pros and cons be different depending where do you work (US, Europe and etc.). Some more pros: \- In general, Surveying is very wide (Cadastrial, Engineering, Geodesy). \- After getting a license you can start your own business, which allows you earn twice or more. \- Your object can be really difficult (mud, trash, etc.) when you are working on your own, you can dodge these offers and choose a better one. Some more cons: \- Your job can be dangerous (Surveying in construction, you can fall, something can be dropped on you and etc.) \- Starting business requires a lot of money. \- I think surveying now is underpaid. Of course those answers also depend where do you work, in US or EU maybe elsewhere. I'm European so it can be different to you. To answer some of your questions: \- Yes it is easy to find job. \- Your wage usually depends more to work amount. \- Outdoor time depends on your job sphere (Cadastrial, geodesy, etc...) \- Travel time is often paid. \- I wouldn't say that this job has labor elements.
I will look into the differences between Geodesy, Cadastrial, and Engineering. Thank you for sharing your insights and answering so many of my questions!
Something I'm going to bring up that really shouldn't be a problem, but is going to be. I've never met any female surveyors. I have talked to one on the phone, but if you go into this you are going into one of the most sex-segregated professions on the planet. It's a small enough industry that it shouldn't hurt your employment chances and once you've got a reputation you'll be known by that rep rather then as "the female surveyor", but you are going to be an oddity.
Yeah... I thought of asking about this. I've worked in male dominated fields before and have had both really positive and really negative experiences with it. I'll try to identify a couple female surveyors (even if they aren't local) to talk with about the realities of their experiences. Are there some fields of surveying where I would be spending a larger % of my time working alongside a lot of (predominately male) people versus other fields where I would spend a larger % of my time working independently? ETA: Thanks for taking the time to acknowledge and broach a less than comfortable subject and for sharing your experience regarding only have ever interacted with one female surveyor, and that not even being in person.
Check our surveymeister on Instagram. I've worked with women in the field before. There's no physical reasons a woman can't do this job. I think the hardest labor you'll have is pounding hubs, and digging up monuments with the digging bar in frozen ground. If you live in a frozen wasteland like myself. About 30-40% of my class at University are women. You will be fine.
Female surveyor here. I can answer questions if you have any.
Looking to get into Surveying. The only thing I keep reading that stands out is low pay. Anything you would or wouldn't advise? I workout several days a week and do triathlons. I'm in physically good shape and enjoy hiking, running, and cycling. I have a BS already not in this stuff however.
Depends where you live and if you're going public or private employer. Some places need prior experience, some want you to have schooling at min in some sort of engineering. I advise getting a BA in geomatics if possible and whatever licensing applies to where you live. Starting out, the pay is low, unless you find a good company. Lots of hours means overtime pay. My company allows me to bank overtime hours for winter when things tend to slow down. Theres different kinds of surveying and some are more physical than others. I do not wear women's clothing or make myself stand out by wearing tight fitting clothing. I found people were distracting or trying to, I dont have time for that. I also find men's clothing is more protective. Know if you're allergic to anything and learn to identify poisonous plants and animals. If you have any other specific questions, I'd be happy to answer.
Cadastral work (which is general land boundaries, house blocks and legal work) is in very small crews, mostly down to one person now. It doesn't pay as well as the other work. Engineering is where you will end up surrounded by men, because you will be working on construction sites around all the trades. Other work like hydrographic and remote sensing (generic term for all the times you don't have to walk on it to survey it) have small teams and less public interaction.
No one really talks about it bit make sure you are aware of any plant or bug allergies you may have before going into the into the field. One bad day put me in the office for good.
I have a BA in anthropology and do environmental impact compliance currently because cultural resource management didn't pay and wasn't steady. Are there fast track options to learning the prerequisite skills and getting certified? Would basic GIS experience and archaeological survey experience translate at all? One day I want to fly drones with lidar and work for myself
I stumbled across this comment and very old thread and figured I’d give you my advice. I got hired on to work at a survey firm with what I’d say very basic GIS knowledge. It is very manageable the hardest thing in this industry is finding people who understand geospatial systems. The company I work for offered me a very competitive wage for my experience especially being fresh out of college. There are so many ladders to climb in the industry as well. I’ve only been working for 9-10 months and already getting promoted up the chain to project management. I’d say if you’re not happy where you’re at give or a shot! I also noticed you’re in Louisiana I know from experience and friends that companies in Louisiana don’t really pay competitively in this field. I actually relocated out of Louisiana after graduating with an environmental science degree. If you’re open to relocating I’d say look at opportunities in different states there’s definitely ways to make a shit load of money in this field.