Crew Chief for life?

Definitely!!!

I would. I'd prefer that set of skills for the kind of work I do over a 4-year grad that I'd have to un-teach a lot of what he had been fed in school. The only thing is that at 50, depending on your personal situation, it might not be long before you don't want to climb hills with a 20-something partner. I can still almost keep up at 57 and make a point of doing it to make sure I still can.

Oh, and I can't quite figure out your headgear.;-)

Yes.

I don't try to keep up with a 32 year old. I tell him, I'm not going to kill myself, I take longer but I get there.

Why not. If I had the work load to justify it, that is the person I'd want to hire first as long as he was physically able to do the job. I'm 57 and still do the crew cheese job. But who knows how long I can do it. They say the knees are always the first to go. 😐

I spent today all day in crotch deep water so that DEP FEMA and MADOT could confirm that there is a bottom to that river. I'd run up a mountain for them too.

Duluth trading, Booney hat

I have your counterpart on the payroll now. There aren't many licensed surveyors that I'd trust more than him. He graduated with a 4.0 in CE Technology. The thing is, he doesn't want to get licensed because he doesn't want to work in the office and he doesn't want to deal with people. His surveying skills are second to none.

That's great, but in the field you have to deal with people, usually the most unfriendly kind.

Well, true, and he does it well. But he deals with fewer that way than he would in the office. He also hates construction work because he hates talking to contractors.

Sure Bob H, I'd hire you. You sound like a top notch crew chief.

But, tell me if I'm wrong, I sense that maybe you're thinking you should try to be more. Such as getting licensed and or getting more office skills. Otherwise, why would you be asking?

Look at it this way, if the head of a survey dept. or business had to choose between you and you with a license and more office skills, which one would he/she hire?

I say go for it. You can get licensed, gain more office skills and still be that die-hard crew chief.

Stephen

> he doesn't want to get licensed because he doesn't want to work in the office

That's the reason I went solo.

Dealing with people isn't that bad, although I've got to agree with him about contractors. I wouldn't say I hate construction staking, but it is my least favorite:-)

Douglas

The problem with being a career party chief is the salary cap. If you are are working for a bigger company, getting a license and promoting to the office will always mean more money.

I do know some party chiefs that are(or were) making a lot of money, but the guy with the license was making a lot more [because of him or her].

There used to be a lot of money to be made by all, but that has all but vanished.....

Dugger

> Would you hire him?

YES. A guy like that can be a huge asset.

I'd hire him in a heartbeat. And working hourly with overtime can make you as much or more than salaried licensed office types, depending on the company of course.
DJJ

In State service the positions above me are office jobs. So I could promote for more money (base salary only, OT goes away at that point but I don't get much anyway) but I like my job and besides, frankly, the family would spend the extra dollars so I will just stay where I am.

State PCs are licensed and I also do my own calculations and mapping. I have some office work coming up over the next few weeks because I have a scan job in the can I have to process (there aren't any office techs to do it for me). So we are in and out of the office which is a good mix.

If you have an LSIT and if we had an open position I would welcome an experienced Party Chief on the crew but you wouldn't be the Chief, you would be a crew member. That's OK though because we often work almost as two solo crews. Obviously we work together a lot too as a two person crew but even then it is tremendously helpful to have an experienced person at each end of the operation. When traversing I do the instrument and note keeping and he selects the traverse stations and sets up the targets plus we both clear line. I don't put my oar into his end of the operation mostly because it isn't necessary, I'm as likely to mess up things as to improve them and it's better to focus on my job and let him focus on his.

I like to give general direction and then let the crew member accomplish the details of the task themselves. We will collaborate a lot too. If I am scanning and I have delegated the control work to him then we collaborate on where I need control and where he needs control (we try to combine them as much as possible).

No

Bob, I am sitting about where you're at. Been surveying for close to 30 years, mostly construction, and still have not gone after licensure. I could have sat for it back in 2000, which was the last year that you could use experience over school. Didn't do it, sometimes I regret that, but I am making 6 figures a year, have insurance and retirement with the firm I am with, got one daughter thru college, etc. I may still go for the license in the future, but hell, it always seems like I've got another project coming on, and time wise, can't seem to find a big enough break in the work schedule to attend classes to finish my degree. My job as the project surveyor has metamorphed and now I am doing design work in the office during the winter and project superintendant in the field during the construction season. I have standing job offers from several different firms and am quite comfortable where I am at right now. That said, having the license would open things exponentially, you don't have to use it, it would simply add to your qualifications when looking for work. Good luck to ya, check AK out, seems we're alway short handed, plus the natural gas line is looming and that will employ a lot of people.

-JD-