@jflamm?ÿ
Danny Swain is currently teaching SVT 542 Hydrographic Surveying. Sofar, I like the course and thus far it has mainly focused on single beam.
He is very nice and invited all students to come down to FL and get hands on echosounder equipment with him on the weekends(his freetime). I don't know many instructors that would be willing to do that. Don't know about the equipment, maybe he has it?
Edited---last part I wrote came out funny.
That's awesome!?ÿ Danny is one of the most intelligent people I've ever met.?ÿ He loves to teach.?ÿ He's the head surveyor for the St. Louis District USACE but now I think he might be the lead surveyor of all the USACE.?ÿ I've spent many hours on the phone and zoom meetings with him during the year and a half I was at a company that has a USACE contract.?ÿ Which includes a lot of hydro.?ÿ If you want to get him excited and going, start asking about Star*Net and Least Squares Adjustment.?ÿ ?ÿMy goodness, I think he wrote the book!?ÿ He intimidated the crap out of me at first but after you get to know him, he's a great guy.
Where did you go to college and would you recommend it?
Not for a survey education...
The University of Oregon (with a year abroad at King's College, University of London and Magdalene College, Cambridge.
I would certainly recommend this route for anyone who wishes to bore their wife to tears going on and on about why The Tempest is the greatest play written in the English language.?ÿ
Did anyone select interning instead of a degree?
I prefer the term autodidact over intern, but yes.?ÿ I considered going to East Tennessee when I got into surveying at age 25, but decided that attending university was something in my past and I was content learning on my own, from mentors, and continuing education.?ÿ?ÿ
You might look into Oklahoma State University - OKC. They have a surveying program that is all online.
I started out when I was 15 in 1991 as a rod man during my summer breaks ??off the books? until I was old enough to get working papers. I went to school for engineering but only did two years worth. I stayed in the survey field and worked my way up as far as I could go without a license. I decided to go back when I was 37 in 2014. I wrapped up my four year degree with NJIT in ??17 and was licensed in ??18.?ÿ
The professors and doctors I had have moved on. I can??t comment on the new staff, but I would recommend it IF they were still there.?ÿ
Looking at the responses already posted, it looks like you have plenty of info. I would go the education route. And good on ya, for choosing Land Surveying, we need every recruit we can get! ?ÿ
I'm leaning towards an online survey technology degree. I am debating if online can teach me enough when compared to an in class program.?ÿ
Minimal schooling.?ÿ I really do hate the standard school environment in which you must take a bunch of classes not at all related to your future career.?ÿ I had 1 year at a school that no longer teaches the survey/drafting course I took.?ÿ The rest was all on the job training until I had to obtain some general college credits to obtain my Idaho license(WA didn't require any schooling at the time I took it).?ÿ So I took English, Math and Excel.?ÿ Excel was the most useful class, by a mile.?ÿ
"My end goal is to own my own land survey firm."
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I would suggest a degree in Business...
@jim-in-az Absolutely. Learning surveying is one thing, but learning how to run a business is an entirely different subject. Accounting, business law, finance, taxation, marketing - all most useful. I went for an accounting degree with an eye on a possible fall back career as a CPA, but they sure came in handy years later when I opened my own shop.
Newark College of Engineering. Class of 17
The staff has changed so I cannot comment on the program anymore. I liked the professionals and professors I had though. I went back to school with 23 years of surveying experience and I can vouch for the ability of those teaching the curriculum?ÿ
@jitterboogie I had a Gunny in the USMC that use to say that on deployments. But I usually had to wake him up as he could sleep standing up. ?ÿI would say why do you sleep so much he would say if he was sleeping he was not truly deployed. Then he would say just get back to processing data . Like I ever got to sleep. Process all night line crews out in the morning. Who needs sleep. ?ÿLol. ?ÿ
I'd say you were lucky he did t go full Gunnery Sgt Hartman on you and rip off your head and $#!7 down your neck!
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