How was your transition from crew/tech to licensed?

Congratulations! By getting your license you've no doubt garnered the respect of your peers and it is true that the path to learning has only just begun and won't likely end any time soon. The big shoes you look to fill will take time to grow into, so don't be in a rush. A decade into my journey post-licensing, I'm still a noob, just a bit wiser and I still have to struggle at times to fill those shoes. Be patient with yourself. It sounds like you're in a good place to continue with that development so don't be too quick to cut loose any ties, rather make the most of them. Keep doing what you've been doing successfully and work at getting better and gaining all the experience and wisdom you can under that tutelage. Don't be afraid to stretch your limits. Most of us are capable of far more than we give ourselves credit for, but those things don't happen over night. The journey is a marathon, not a sprint and will be completed one step and stumble at a time. That's all I've got. Good luck.

Congratulations on obtaining your LS. Now the real fun begins. Best advice I have for gaining clients is to attend and join as many networking associations as you can.

Ruritan Club, Home Builders Assoc., local fraternities and the "connected" people in your community. Networking is key. Do an exceptional job and you will have no problem obtaining the clients you need.

I first became licensed to provide land surveying by obtaining my Professional Engineer license, so my journey is radically different from most on here. At the time I applied to take the PE exam I was working for a large consulting firm that had the US Government as its number one client at various locations around the US. We had about 80 employees at my location whose job title included the word "Engineer" but only about eight who had attended university classes in engineering. Five had graduated, including my immediate supervisor, his immediate supervisor and myself. I became only the third to become licensed There was no reward or assistance of any kind from my employer. I did it for my own future worth and to prove to myself that I was capable.

The Land Surveyor license came a few years later when some very ignorant people were sufficiently convinced by other very ignorant people to strip the legal right to perform land surveying away from licensed practitioners who had more than proven their ability to do so. I understood the premise behind the change but could not willingly accept the "delicensing" of anyone who had earned and practiced with that license. So, I get to pay twice the license renewal fees and obtain fifty percent more continuing education credits because I am a dual licensee. I did not suddenly become more capable when I had the second piece of paper to hang on the wall. Competence was already present. Otherwise, I would have been a fool to offer services for which I was not adequately trained or field proven. Having a license does not in any way confirm worthiness as an independent consultant. Only much experience added to the education and the license makes one worthy of the public trust.

Having a licensed person performing in the technical roles under one's direction gives that person a sense of confidence that those technical duties are very likely to be done correctly by someone who knows what they are doing. So first off, know that you are pulling your weight already, right where you are in the organization. Your license is evidence that you are minimally competent to make professional level decisions regarding the technical aspects of surveying. It's not the starting gun to send you off to schmooze clients.

You said that your opportunities for learning have been well facilitated by your organization and your immediate supervisor. That's great! Let them keep doing that at the pace they are comfortable with. If they have been providing the opportunities to grow so far, then you can be confident that they are making an investment in you and will be grooming you for a larger role at a rate that allows you to comfortably grow into the next stage along the way.

You should probably have a talk with your boss to let him or her know which direction you want to go in the organization. Your boss may be able to give you an idea how long it might take for you to get there, and what it will take in terms of aspects of the job you need to learn to get there. If the management where your at is smart, they won't transition you too quickly because that's the best way to overwhelm a new licensee and burn them out.

Let your boss know your career goals. Let your boss set the pace for providing the opportunities for you to grow at a reasonable pace into that job. Be patient and enjoy the journey along the way. By the time you get there, you will be very good at what you do, have confidence in your abilities, and have a secure place in the organization. And, you'll be thankful that your employer didn't burn you out along the way.

If you start trying to build clientele apart from your boss' guidance, you are more likely to screw something up and tick off the people who have been providing your opportunities up to this point.

One day in 1998 I was in my cubicle, basking in the glow of a hot cathode ray tube, when my wife called. "There is a letter here from the state licensing board", she said, "do you want me to open it?". "Please do", says I. Yup, I had passed. I told my boss who was 2 cubicles over. He sent out an email to the whole office announcing the news to 150 coworkers. A dozen or so sent back congratulatory emails. One or two stopped by my cube to offer congratulations in person.

After about 5 minutes I sat down and got back to work. That is how the transition from tech to licensed went for me.

Good post. I too just made that transition. Wasn't too much different, still doing my work. I earned my LSI 1.5 years ago. First PLS this January and my 2 state last month. My 3rd and final state will be this coming january. Transition was fast for me. I was doing more than party chief role, but now I'm doing project management, billing, and the most difficult for me.....finding and securing new work and clients.

My advice would be to spend as much time in the field as possible. Sometimes it almost seems like that can go away with the license, like you are expected to stay in the office now. That all depends on the company you work for and the work load.

I became licensed in 1980. It wasn't until 1986 that I set my own tags and sealed a map for the first time. It's not a bad option to continue your learning under a mentor's license for a while, until you feel confident - not egotistic. That first survey was part of a quiet title action.

The only thing that was an immediate change was that my name appeared below the signature line.
At that time my average day included out in the field a few hours a day to keep two crews busy, deed research, in office to do all the computations and prepare all the paperwork and talking to all the clients.
Obtaining a license enabled me to get out from under companies that did not fully appreciate what I brought to the table.
Two years later I was on my own.

I've been in management roles before and after being licensed. Fortunately, my employers always paid me based on my worth and not simply a license. Obviously, it opened more doors getting it. Yet, even with a paycut, there is nothing like going back to being a crew chief. Only responsible for your jobs and crew members. No stress, outdoors, few meetings, making your own schedule, not worried about sustaining workload...it was awesome. CLSA had a good comic strip about the dreams of a surveyor from rodman to manager. I have come complete circle twice now.

Congrats! And good luck.
~Raybies

If your work is nogood, BEFORE you got your license, it's probably nogood after.
Difference is, now YOU are liable, not the guy you used to work for!
Congrats.
Think about what i said above. I'm dealing right now with a similar situation.