Don't knock the State...
When I was in my 20s and 30s I had zero desire to work for the guhmint. Then I got laid off and had two offers, the better was a local City. The culture shock took a while to get over then I started realizing, this is not bad. The big decisions are made in the government. Private firms in the engineering business pretty much have to follow those decisions whether doing government contracting or private development. Then I got a job with the State in 2000. I almost left in frustration but I stuck it out and got offered a transfer to my current job in 2009. I work for Cal Fire...firefighters are can do, unlike the rest of the government. Just go do it, get it done, no BS or a lot less BS.
better salaries (unless you want to be an Office Manager of a private firm). If you really want to be a businessman then don't work for the State. The State runs on rules, not logic. Mostly we can get away with bending the rules but some things like purchasing are not negotiable. Purchasing and the fiscal year constraint, this money is for this year, not next year.
Better fringe benefits
Vastly better retirement. I know young adults never think about retirement but it comes sooner than you think.
I am fortunate to have the best job in State service. We just hired out of private and another guy we stole from Caltrans HA! The Caltrans guy is just ecstatic, you mean we hike in the woods all day no traffic trying to kill us? yes. Here would you mind carrying the instrument...sure...vroooooom LOL up that steep hill in a split second.
State Forest Boundaries
Fire Stations, Conservation Camps (inmate fire crews), Air Attack Bases at airports, Helitack Bases and other facility topo and boundary, monitoring wells
Fire Origin Investigation...Terrestrial Lidar, capture the scene, survey all the various evidence hats, pin flags, etc.
Serious Accident Review Teams, same as fire origin.
@dave-karoly Wow, that sounds like a great gig! I bet no other State has that kind of a set up.
Maybe consider narrowing down your focus a bit. Typically someone just starting out won't be writing legals. While the material in Wattles would help you better understand reading and writing legals, from a more practical stand point you will get much more mileage out of a text book like 'Elementary Surveying' by Paul Wolf & Russel Brinker/Ghuliani. I think you can pick up an older edition that will cover the basics for under ten bucks. Becoming proficient in the math and methods takes precedent over everything else if you want to make a living at this profession. There is simply no substitute for working under the tutelage of good mentors and having mastered this basic knowledge will demonstrate to others that you aren't just in it for a paycheck. Good luck!
So far I've found mostly old college books on intro to surveying. Talks about the setup and some formulas. They're a good start. Have Blacks Law, local ordinances and the Acts all on PDF. Some books on reading plats and plans. Checked around and am not finding anything else on the list. Local book stores, library and internet included. Not finding any local groups to partake in. The books I've been unable to track down so far are
Boundary Control and Legal Principles
Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location
Global Positioning System: Theory and Practice
Guide to GPS Positioning
Surveying, 9th Edition; by Francis H. Moffitt and Harry Bouchard
Water Boundaries; by George M. Cole
Elements of Photogrammetry; by Paul R. Wolf
Analysis and Adjustment of Survey Measurements; by Edward M. Mikhail and Gordon Gracie
Writing Legal Descriptions
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I don't know how critical it is to have these exact books for studying for the tests. As I mentioned before I do have a few books on the subjects, just not these specific ones. The Writing Legal Descriptions is the one I can't find any equivalents.
I spent 5 1/2 years working for the State and while I didn't make bank, I did have good insurance and benies and it was far and away the best 5 plus years as far as professional advancement I could have gotten anywhere. The time I spent working there gave me more opportunities to learn and far less pressure to meet some profit driven deadline than I would have ever found in the private sector. I've encouraged a lot of guys to spend some time there if they can get their foot in the door because the kind of experience they'll get exposed to is really difficult to find in the private sector. Who in the heck gets to map 300 plus miles of Alaska coastline from a helicopter flying a hundred feet off the surf? Beats the h$ll out of dipping sewer inverts.
"Who in the heck gets to map 300 plus miles of Alaska coastline from a helicopter flying a hundred feet off the surf"?
This right here. 🙂
The 1969 edition of Boundary Control and Legal Principles and the 1962 edition of Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location can be had on Alibris.com for around $5, plus shipping, and are perfectly valid for the entry level student of Surveying.
For things like GPS and Photogrammetry I think i might want later editions of the available texts. The technology is advancing rapidly. But at the entry level stage I'd go for an edition of Elementary Surveying that is not too old. That book has extensive chapters on those subjects. Until you have fully digested all it contains those more focused texts will be of no use to you.
There is loads of stuff on line for the downloading. Almost every state DOT has some form of Surveying Manual. This from the Washington State DNR (scroll down to find the links to various guidebooks) for example.
I've got no idea if this site is valid or not but they say they have a copy for under $70: https://www.buildersbook.com/writing-legal-descriptions-in-conjunction-with-survey-boundary-control.html
Ebay also has one for $95.
Look for "Land Survey Descriptions by Wattles.
former employer had the "other" Wattles in the library. It seems to me it was a typewritten book.
