Sharing what you have learned, in a general form, with someone who hopes to attain something similar to what you have accomplished is vital to the continuation of your chosen field.?ÿ This board is great?ÿ for everyone from the newly hired grunt to the top of the heap. If the only people with which you communicate are all running on the same track as you, it is difficult to be a true mentor.?ÿ What works great for one person may not work well for another because we are each a unique bag of knowledge/experience/attitude/family situation.?ÿ But, we all need exposure to the variety that exists beyond our day to day work.
Mentoring can be as simple as chatting with the 23 year-old neighbor's son about what you know that might help him advance in whatever it is he is pursuing.?ÿ Experience is a great educator.?ÿ Communicating that experience to others is how they learn to avoid mistakes in which you have been involved, even if in a very different occupational pursuit. Idiot/A-hole bosses and supervisors exist in all multi-level types of work.?ÿ The temptation to jump for the gold ring is strong in all fields.?ÿ Having employers close the door overnight can happen anywhere.?ÿ Share what you know where you can.
The best advice I can give to anyone considering surveying as a career is "DONT"
For most considering it, they will be much better off studying engineering - the education, the support, the opportunities, the salaries are significantly better.
Surveying takes a special sort of masochistic bonehead...
@jimcox?ÿ
People keep saying this, but it has not been my experience at all. I have always been paid more than the engineers I work with at similar experience level. Surveyors are much harder to hire.?ÿ
I think there is a perception that surveying is lower paid because we have an army of unlicensed "surveyors" that work for us for almost nothing. Engineers don't have a low paid workforce of the same scale.?ÿ
Surveying also has more opportunities to chose a low investment, lowish stress career that does pay less.?ÿ
@aliquot?ÿ
Maybe it is the different countries, but your experience is definately NOT what happens here!
@jimcox?ÿ
In ten years; a surveyor licensed between now and then; will need a bigger wheelbarrow to carry around all his money...
@jimcox?ÿ
My New Zealand experience is extremely limited, but for a short time I worked for a New Zealand based company in Canada, they were offering positions in New Zealand for surveyors and engineers. The surveyors were being offered more. I would have loved to take it, but by that point I realized multinationals were not for me.?ÿ
Surveying takes a special sort of masochistic bonehead...
I agree.?ÿ But that never really got in the way or kept the rest of us from propagating our profession.
I've seen a sea of young folks fall into surveying for a lot of various reasons.?ÿ And in the last 20 years I've seen a few actually consciously decided to aspire to licensure and succeed.?ÿ But it is not, nor will it ever, be a profession that draws its numbers from those that seek opportunity, above average pay, comfortable working conditions or fantastic retirement.
Over the years I've read and heard rumblings about our diminishing profession.?ÿ In my mind the reason our numbers are generally small is because there are only a few that are either willing or stubborn enough to make it a career.?ÿ And maybe there in lays the beauty.
In my 52 year career I've tried to mentor and teach every employee that would listen.?ÿ And there are only three of them that ever stayed with it and attained licensure.?ÿ It's not a flashy or particularly wealth-laden profession.?ÿ But it provides those few of us that have a passion for it some of most fantastic joys and satisfactions that a life here on earth can provide.
I raise my glass high for all us masochistic boneheads.?ÿ 😉
@jimcox that's not true.?ÿ In my state the number of PLS licenses have been dwindling for years.?ÿ Demand for PLSs thereby increase dramatically.?ÿ The State is licensing only a hand full of Surveyors a year and the pay is increasing accordingly.?ÿ It's not at all hard for a Surveyor at any level to find a better paying job.
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I resemble those remarks????
I hate construction but love surveying.?ÿ I wouldn't in a million years want to be liscenced.?ÿ I think I have the best job in the world and I'll do it till I can't get out of bed anymore. Got taught by some great PLSs. When I slow down I'll teach a guy my ways but until then you have to search the YouTube deep and hard but you can find my videos in there somewhere???
@jed I do a ton of construction layout calcs, also do boundary calcs.?ÿ I had some awesome mentors coming up as well and do strictly office work now.?ÿ It sometimes gets overwhelming but I love it and will be in the game as along as I am capable of playing.
Idest speaks much truth.?ÿ Being a mentor requires that the mentor keep knowing more than the mentee.?ÿ That won't work too well if the mentor is slowly going backwards.
@chris-bouffard that's what is great about a career in surveying, something for everyone just find the aspect you love emphasize on that???
@jed?ÿ
You said a mouthful, Jed.?ÿ It's whatever keeps you happy.
For example, there was a time when I flew all over the country for work (not surveying).?ÿ I grew sick of it.?ÿ My wife and toddler grew sick of it.?ÿ It put a strain on my marriage.?ÿ The work I did was great and fulfilling, but the traveling and the isolation for hours on end was bad for me.?ÿ Was working on an ulcer and I was under 25 years of age.?ÿ Loved the work, hated what it did to me.?ÿ We have to find that correct balance.
That is where mentors can be especially effective once they recognize what works best for you.?ÿ Then they can guide the mentee on how to become better at whatever level that is.
