Hello,
I am a sophomore at Vincennes University in the Surveying Management bachelor program. I have been in the surveying field since July of 2020. I am employed by Hand to the Plow Surveying, LLC, based in Noble County, Indiana. We do boundry work, site plans, and occasionaly stake buildigs and tiles. My goal is to become a liscenced surveyor in the state of Indiana and to have my own company.
I have always liked maps and navigation. After every vacation I would have my pack full of maps. I am an Eagle Scout. Boy Scouts gave me the opportunity to gain basic skills in orienteering, pioneering and other outdoors skills. Through highschool, our vacations would entail the family taking random backroades that were on county and state maps into the middle of nowhere in places like the UP of Michigan, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Kentucky, and Tennessee. I have never been lost, just momentarily displaced. (We also had a GPS just in case.)
I had never thought of using these skills in my profession. I was at Purdue Fort Wayne my freshman year. Engineering seemed to fit my interests in math and science. I had never thought of being a Surveyor. Engineering seemed ok but I wanted to be in the field part of the time. Engineering seemed like an office job more than a field job. Two weeks into classes, I was struggling with staying?ÿ in or transferring out of engineering. Then, a family friend mentioned Surveying.?ÿ
My mind was blown. I did research?ÿ into Surveying and was intrigued. On of my neighbors (who is a surveyor) came over to have his truck worked on. While my dad worked on his truck, I talked to him for three hours or so. In a few days I went in for a job shadow. Within a week I had a job and here I am a year later. I switched to Vincennes University because Purdue has surveying only as a masters program. I will graduate from Vincennes in three years instead of four. I will have a head start on engineering if I want to stay in school.?ÿ
I don't understand why I hadn't thought of or no one had pushed me towards surveying. Surveyors are desperately needed and highschools are not pushing it. I would have thought that schools would have pushed a career that needes young people to fill the ranks.
Welcome! Thank you for sharing your story and thank you for pursuing a career in Land Surveying! It's great to hear that we have younger folks such as yourself hunting down a career that they truly enjoy. 🙂
Welcome!!!
Welcome, your writing skill is admirable. ?????ÿ
@flga-2-2?ÿ
That is what college does to you.
Welcome, friend, and neighbor. ?ÿMy family??s roots run deep in Noble County. ?ÿSay hello to Scott for me. ?ÿWe went to Purdue together a long time ago.
Welcome aboard! This is a great site. You will learn and be entertained. ?ÿOne more thing and I say this with all good intentions, ?ÿ Turn on your spell check function ???? ????
Hope you find this to be as educational and entertaining as you might like.?ÿ Learning takes place every day on here.?ÿ Even for those of us old enough to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis and the potential for WWIII.
BTW, I knew there was an Albion, MI, but did not know there was an Albion, IN, also.
Some of my ancestors spent decades southeast of you in the Van Wert to Lima, Ohio area.
Greenhorn good luck with it I wish you the best.
?ÿ
I agree with OP. Too many of us get forced into thinking that going to college for engineering is the only worthwhile career thanks to society, school counselors or parents/adults saying it??s the career we should pursue. I went for civil engineering and got my PE but I can honestly say that I am just as passionate if not more so about surveying. I would rather work with my hands and be outdoors most days but not all of my projects let me do so
When I was 15, my dad said "surveying is a skill that you get better at for as long as you do it". That statement appealed to me. He was right. Every day is a new day for learning.
@brad-ott What years were you at PU??ÿ I had a good buddy go up there after we get done at VU in 99.?ÿ He may have went the IUPUI route for his BS and then, I know, he did his MS at PU.?ÿ He's been the Tippecanoe County Surveyor for many years now after being the deputy for a while.
