Just came across a salary question which ties right in with past discussions on this forum. Spoiler alert: the person comments that fast food workers are making more than they are. Perhaps the wise folks from this forum can provide some insights for this person.
https://www.indeed.com/forum/job/land-surveyor/Should-ask-raise-much/t566875
He sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders and yes he should feel cheated if the area pay scale is more than an entry level rodman.
Business 101. You can't keep good help if you don't pay an ABOVE average pay compared to fast food when surveyors trench through the mud, muck, woods, or even the urban areas.
Most surveyors pay piss poor rates because they have either conditioned the market to piss poor surveying fees or have believed the browbeating about how expensive and unnecessary surveying is to the client and to just land the job drop their fees to earn money for wages and operating expenses only.
It is a self-defeating cycle and we are swirling the bowl.
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Sounds fair, he is learning and he has the drive. Some people are just fine with recognition of the value they represent. Others will be waiting for that new opportunity to araise and leave. We need to start valuing our helpers and techs, they are hard to find.
Seems like a review and adjustment at 3 months, 6 months, or both - one way or another - would be appropriate.?ÿ $12/hr might do for the mid west but it is extreme low starting for PDX, and it definitely doesn't get you much in NYC.?ÿ?ÿ
Who knows. ?ÿIt's just one paragraph, relating one person's perspective, of employment; Applying their skill-set, in one business model, in one area, at some stage of a local economic cycle. It doesn't really tell you much.
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$12/hour in NYC sounds bat sh!t crazy to me. ?ÿI've started candidates that I though had potential at twice that.?ÿ
Our cost of living is well below average. There is no surveying function worth less than 25 an hour once past a probationary period. Even probies are over 20 if they get with a decent firm.
Charge what the jobs are worth and paying good help isn't hard. Charge wages plus the electric bill and you'll never find and keep the talent you need...
Anyone worth hiring is worth paying much more than $12/ hour (especially in a market where the cost of living is very high).?ÿ
You aren't competing for fast food quality employees - you are competing for employees who could be accountants, attorneys, engineers, computer programmers, etc. On top of those smarts - they need to have ingenuity, they have to be trustworthy, and they need to be willing to work in adverse environments. So you have to pay MORE than these other professions pay at the entry level.?ÿ
Building something important? You don't start with poor materials and hope that they magically turn into top grade materials.?ÿ
Low pay is false economy.
I started at $14/hour in 2009 and in less than ten years I'm just shy of six figures.?ÿ When asking for more money I never once mentioned the going rate, cost of living, or any other whiny BS.?ÿ Make it short and sweet: "I'm worth $XX because I made you money on this project, I saved you money on this project, I get to work early I stay late if needed and while I'm at work I keep on task.?ÿ Also, I don't discuss religion or politics and avoid drama.?ÿ?ÿ
If you can't calculate your own value, it's safe to assume that it is not that high.?ÿ If your boss goes out of the way to keep you in the dark concerning project budgets, find a new boss.?ÿ If your boss is not in the business to make money, find a new boss.?ÿ Wealthy individuals who run businesses without the express goal of making money are great for people who just want to drift through life but are the absolute worst for anyone that wants more.
I've said it before and will do so again. Surveying is a career that fancies itself a profession but it is for the most part a profession in name only. The pay is sub-standard at best and at most is piss poor. A person can make more money with better benefits working at Auto Zone and they would have a bonus of being able to use a real toilet and not have to take squat in the woods.?ÿ
Prices locally needs to double or triple to be able to hire and retain good quality employees. I do all I can to push the prices I charge higher but if there is one thing that is guaranteed is that another surveyor who lives much further away will undercut me.
A test of the state of this so called profession is this; Would you recommend surveying to your children? For me the answer is a resounding hell no. They can make far more money and have much better benefits while working far less at almost anything but surveying.?ÿ?ÿ
I know of no firm, even in Atlanta that offers an RLS?ÿ salary of 100K or more. Most of the RLS positions, even in the big city are around 65-80k and that is pathetic. I have even seen an occasional ad offer a whopping 55k and you can bet some idiot will take it.
Most big construction firms pay their field engineers $45 an hour and I know of a couple who make more than $50 hour. And they are not licensed. So tell me where would you go?
As Clark stared above I too believe that many surveyors have been conditioned and brow beat into believing that their work product is too expensive and as a result the surveyors are always working for wages and barely scraping by. Also many surveyors suffer from profit guilt.
Where is Ted Dura Dura when you need him?
I started at $14/hour in 2009 and in less than ten years I'm just shy of six figures.?ÿ
I think I'm just amazed anyone got a job in '09. I remember that being a very somber and lean year.
I started at $14/hour in 2009 and in less than ten years I'm just shy of six figures.?ÿ
I think I'm just amazed anyone got a job in '09. I remember that being a very somber and lean year.
It wasn't easy.?ÿ I had to move away from family and friends in Maine and NH when the economy tanked.?ÿ My wife supported me during that period while I completed my A.S. then my B.S..?ÿ I'm a firm believer in dropping off resumes in person, but even then it took many weeks until I struck pay dirt with a firm that had just had their party chief resign.?ÿ Cutting my teeth in surveying during the those lean years has helped me immeasurably.?ÿ
When I recognize a new employees talent/ambition and potential they automatically receive a raise. Because of this I have only had a handful of employees asking for a raise in 30 years of business.?ÿ?ÿ ??ÿ
