I am currently in a field unrelated to surveying. I have a bachelors but no surveying or geomatics education. I am working on getting a shadowing opportunity but I have a few questions. I will be sure to ask much of this while shadowing as well.
What is the outlook for surveying? I have heard that there are jobs everywhere but I haven??t been able to find any entry level job postings.?ÿ
Why should I or should I not consider surveying? I have read a lot of people on this forum and others say they love surveying and haven??t heard a lot of negatives.?ÿ
What kinds of hours should I expect to work starting out? Is it long hours?
Is travel expected or is that usually with pipeline work??ÿ
What is a realistic pay expectation for a new guy? A range is really all I??m looking for.
And if I work hard, learn quickly, then how long does it take to work up from entry level??ÿ
Is it worth investing in long term? Moving up from field guy to PLS?
I have more questions but don??t want this post to get too long. I can always come back and ask more later I??m sure.?ÿ
Guys who love to survey are guys who like to drive to the end of the road, then get out and walk as far into the woods as they can get by lunch time. They are not the sort that like to sit in meetings and take calls.
The money for civil engineering is typically a bit better than for surveying. But the gap is closing.?ÿ
The market for tech savvy surveyors is strong. It's the "tech savvy" part that is changing. The market for survey luddites is rapidly closing.?ÿ
The majority of surveyors work out of one office and are home every night.?ÿ ?ÿ?ÿ
Maybe a year to grow out of "entry level". Depending, of course, on you and your starting point. And the experience you get. The learning never stops. After a year you should be earning around $40k/yr. Maybe $50k after 3 years. Topping out in the $100k range (all+/-25%).?ÿ
My first question would be "why are you interested in surveying"??ÿ There must be something there that is attractive to you. What is it?
I can share my experiences with a career in surveying.?ÿ I've loved it and always have.?ÿ Even when the work was wicked and the pay was low.?ÿ I've enjoyed different scenery and a love of the outdoors.?ÿ The mystery of old deeds and long buried-and-forgotten corner monuments has an appeal to me.?ÿ And I've never been one that carried the "saddle" of a 9 to 5 very well.?ÿ I've loved being my own boss, making my own decisions and realizing that everyday I can still learn something new and important.?ÿ And fresh air is free for the taking.
The money was never great in my early years.?ÿ Even after obtaining a license in the early '80s I never really got rich working as an employee.?ÿ But the last 25 years have been good to me.?ÿ Years ago I started my own outfit with a number of crews and worked myself to death almost.?ÿ At the end of one of those years I realized I had grossed 700K in fees.?ÿ Made me feel rich until I looked at the books and realized it cost me about 690K to earn that 700K.?ÿ It was an eye-opener. Once I realized how to manage my work flow and fee structure the money came...and most importantly, stayed.
My suggestion would be to work for a season on a field crew.?ÿ You'll find out if you're cut out for the industry or not.
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I am currently in a field unrelated to surveying. I have a bachelors but no surveying or geomatics education. I am working on getting a shadowing opportunity but I have a few questions. I will be sure to ask much of this while shadowing as well.
What is the outlook for surveying? I have heard that there are jobs everywhere but I haven??t been able to find any entry level job postings.?ÿ
Why should I or should I not consider surveying? I have read a lot of people on this forum and others say they love surveying and haven??t heard a lot of negatives.?ÿ
What kinds of hours should I expect to work starting out? Is it long hours?
Is travel expected or is that usually with pipeline work??ÿ
What is a realistic pay expectation for a new guy? A range is really all I??m looking for.
And if I work hard, learn quickly, then how long does it take to work up from entry level??ÿ
Is it worth investing in long term? Moving up from field guy to PLS?
I have more questions but don??t want this post to get too long. I can always come back and ask more later I??m sure.?ÿ
Outlook seems good to me, but I also graduated a few years ago and jump straight into a great economy.?ÿ I would expect it to stay that way for a while but even if it doesn't you can always move to where it is.?ÿ Business is always booming somewhere.
Why do it??ÿ Because it will help keep you from getting fat without breaking your back.?ÿ There is also a huge variety of work that you can do in the survey world.
Why not do it??ÿ Because some people hate being in the elements or are intimidated by math.
In my experience the hours are kind of whatever you make them.?ÿ Maybe longer than normal in the summer and shorter than normal in the winter.
Travel has been really reasonable, at least for me.?ÿ I've never been out of town for more than 4 or 5 days in a row but that hasn't happened more than a few times a year and I always enjoyed the experience.
Not sure what to expect on pay since experience and education make such a difference.?ÿ I would guess $20 an hour minimum assuming you're working full-time.
As far as moving up there seems to be a certain throttle built into the system in the form of the experience required to be licensed.?ÿ No matter how sharp you are they aren't going to let you be a PLS until you satisfy the experience requirement.
Honestly, I can't believe someone wouldn't want to move up from field guy to PLS.?ÿ To me it's like asking a burger flipper if they would like to stay a burger flipper forever or own 10 of their own restaurants.
The real key in my experience to moving up the ladder quickly is the education part. A lot of the grunt work just about anybody can do and the pay reflects it unless you fall into some kind of union apprentice arrangement and earning scale. That most typically involves construction related work. The catch is very little of the kind of experience will get you closer to getting licensed. Personally I did a few seasons in construction early on and while the money was good, after nearly getting pancaked by a water truck I realized the scene wasn't my calling. To get the type of experience that will lead to your license you'll need that education component and experience working under an RLS, preferably many. The education will allow you to quickly advance as long as you are motivated and willing to accept responsibility. Pay varies greatly depending on the region, economy and what you bring to the table. I like Paden's advice. Try and get on with a crew and work a season and see if it's for you. Some thrive on the constantly changing challenges and adversity and others wilt. You like it, get proficient in coordinate geometry and running a datacollector and totalstation. With those skills and a level head on your shoulder, there's almost always job waiting. The rest is putting in your time and gaining experience and not burning too many bridges. It's a small world.?ÿ
You mention a possible interest in obtaining a PLS, be aware that there are great variations in the requirements for pursuing licensure. As you mention you possess a non-surveying/geomatics undergraduate degree you might look for programs like this at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: http://sci.tamucc.edu/academics/geom-cert/index.html ?ÿ
Good luck.
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Like most every other endeavor, you will receive what you put into your work.
It is said to be a lifestyle, and if you can see yourself wanting and enjoying the life of a Surveyor, then you can go far.
I have had people to last on the job less than half a day and others that got out of the truck at a stop sign closest to their house on the way to a project that was somewhere they did not want to go.
It is easy if you can grasp hold of the work with joy and can break you if you can not handle the situations.
There were a few people that lasted a month or until they learned that it would take them several years beyond 4yrs of college before they would qualify to take their last test to be licensed.
Then there are the people that I have known for 50+yrs that have hardly done anything else except survey for a living.
Maybe that is why our numbers are so few, meaning that Surveying is not simply a job, it does take a certain lifestyle to continue and be a part of the Profession.
There are dozens of different styles of surveying in our industry and each is just as rewarding as the other.
good luck
What is the outlook for surveying? I have heard that there are jobs everywhere but I haven??t been able to find any entry level job postings.?ÿ
Why should I or should I not consider surveying? I have read a lot of people on this forum and others say they love surveying and haven??t heard a lot of negatives.?ÿ
What kinds of hours should I expect to work starting out? Is it long hours?
What is a realistic pay expectation for a new guy? A range is really all I??m looking for.
I am not a surveyor, but like you, have considered it. I take survey classes (a survey technician degree) and have some idea what my classmates who graduate are getting paid. They seem to start in the $22 to $24/hr range, either as field or office techs. I know a couple who moved up in pay quite a bit in less than two years. I think nearly all 8 or 9 students who graduated last year got jobs, so no shortage of entry level survey jobs around here it seems (things may be changing now). As for hours, I know some of the field techs had to go to work really early, like 6 or 6:30 am. That's early! And it's not flex hours.
Much of surveying sounds like a blast to me (boundary surveys and the laws, historical aspects, GPS surveying, the puzzle solving, experiencing different places). The part that to me doesn't seem like a lot of fun is drawing topos. The idea of walking around a site or lot, gathering lots of point, and then drawing it in CAD seems tedious.?ÿ
Good luck!
What is the outlook for surveying? I have heard that there are jobs everywhere but I haven??t been able to find any entry level job postings.?ÿ
Why should I or should I not consider surveying? I have read a lot of people on this forum and others say they love surveying and haven??t heard a lot of negatives.?ÿ
What kinds of hours should I expect to work starting out? Is it long hours?
What is a realistic pay expectation for a new guy? A range is really all I??m looking for.
I am not a surveyor, but like you, have considered it. I take survey classes (a survey technician degree) and have some idea what my classmates who graduate are getting paid. They seem to start in the $22 to $24/hr range, either as field or office techs. I know a couple who moved up in pay quite a bit in less than two years. I think nearly all 8 or 9 students who graduated last year got jobs, so no shortage of entry level survey jobs around here it seems (things may be changing now). As for hours, I know some of the field techs had to go to work really early, like 6 or 6:30 am. That's early! And it's not flex hours.
Much of surveying sounds like a blast to me (boundary surveys and the laws, historical aspects, GPS surveying, the puzzle solving, experiencing different places). The part that to me doesn't seem like a lot of fun is drawing topos. The idea of walking around a site or lot, gathering lots of point, and then drawing it in CAD seems tedious.?ÿ
Good luck!
I don't find that to be tedious at all, in fact that's some of the funnest work to do, imo.?ÿ I've talked to a few PLS who are stuck inside all the time doing office stuff and they've said to me "Ugh, I just want to get outside and shoot a plain old topo once in a while...".
Also, if you set up auto-linework you mostly eliminate the dot connecting part.
Not really useful but a few years ago a co-worker who'd obtained his LS 4 years prior quit and took an entry level position in Project Management.?ÿ I asked him why and he replied he didn't want to spend the rest of his career making maps.?ÿ It took me a while to understand that;?ÿ once you've gotten your LS that's about it for career advancement (barring starting your own business).?ÿ You're essentially a well paid professional technician already at the glass ceiling.
I thank everyone for their responses.?ÿ
I was looking at switching to surveying ?ÿbecause there is the outdoor aspect. Working inside all day is stifling. Where I work, there aren??t even windows. ???®?ÿ
I also like that it??s very detailed. You have to use math. And a lot of people say they have to solve puzzles almost everyday. That sounds both interesting and frustrating. But sometimes there??s nothing more satisfying than working on something for a long time and getting frustrated and finally working it out.
I understand that coming from another field I would have to begin at the bottom. I can??t really take a lot of time off to go back to school for another degree. In my state a degree is not required for licensure.
I am mostly looking for information to make a good decision. If surveying is something with low pay, long hours, and poor working conditions, I would prefer to find out early on before investing a lot of time into it.?ÿI have been doing a lot of research and I do not expect any of these things, but would still like to know.
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That is truly a risk. But business ownership, or jumping ship, isn't the only way out. I'm survey manager for a small engineering firm. I don't make a whole lot of maps myself, I manage and direct others who make the maps.
the ceiling is whatever you want to make it once you get within spitting distance of it.?ÿ i've turned down plenty of well paying jobs in the past 5 years because i want to be none of the following: a babysitter, an ass kisser, an administrator, a salesman, an office dweller.?ÿ not that working for myself, out of my house, doesn't include elements of each of those, but it's at my whim and to the extent i wish it.
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and times are very good right now.?ÿ at least here.?ÿ i don't know what salary ranges are everywhere, but i know what they are locally.?ÿ or, at least, i know what the offer range is for a ceiling-level licensed surveyor.?ÿ and frankly, somebody would have to be a whole lot more comfortable with the... comfort... of an office job than i am to take that average offer.
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and i know i could make even more money if i brought on people and expanded my work load, but i don't want it or need it.?ÿ i want to drive to the end of the road and walk out in the woods.
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edit: as per usual, i posted this, then thought about it, then realized i was implying things i don't mean to.?ÿ being a high level staff surveyor/manager is a perfectly good, honorable, and respectable choice.?ÿ it just ain't for ME.
But business ownership, or jumping ship, isn't the only way out. I'm survey manager for a small engineering firm. I don't make a whole lot of maps myself, I manage and direct others who make the maps.
I'm VP of a 60+/- (and growing) person engineering firm.
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I don't make a whole lot of maps myself, I manage and direct the people who manage and direct others who make the maps. Along with performing management, planning, and business development tasks in all of our service areas (not just surveying but civil & geotechnical engineering and landscape architecture)?ÿ
