All of my memories are tied to surveying. I've spent a lifetime in this business and was wondering this morning why I can't remember what I was doing as a "civilian." Who was I hanging out with? How was I spending my free time at age 20? I remember some stuff, but I tie everything back to what job were we working on at that time. Thousands of clients and thousands of surveys later, I'm here looking back through field books thinking, "I remember that now."
Paden said it was never about the money. I agree. You just get a warm feeling when you crack open that new job. What will I find? Who will I meet? Will there be trouble?
The numbers aren't what sets me on fire. It's making the lost and forgotten known again. I love a good boundary dispute. People hurling insults and making accusations: There's where the action is. Calming people down and getting them to understand the situation: That's where the satisfaction sets in. The look on my client's face when he asks, "Where do we go from here?" and I point up the hill through the woods or down over the cliff. "You're going down THERE?" Yes sir. We are going all the way to the end and coming back again. That gives me a charge.
I've recently got hold of the "whip." I'm not about to hand over my whip to a big company and have them use it on me. I crack the whip now. It's a great feeling to be self-employed and have complete control over what, when and how I do things. My whip is safely in the drawer and instead of driving my helpers, I coax them along.
Someday, I might make some money surveying but until then, I'll just enjoy the ride.
35 years for me this year, and I still believe that a bad day in the field is better than a good day in the office. Today, the boy and I set the last three concrete bounds on a 12 bound job, in the rain, and we were still smiling when we left. 🙂
foggyidea, post: 343347, member: 155 wrote: Today, the boy and I set the last three concrete bounds on a 12 bound job, in the rain, and we were still smiling when we left. 🙂
Payden, I really appreciate your original post. Thanks!
My tale is not as easy to write, but I probably will someday. RPLS dot com!
I started as a "summer aid" for the Soil Conservation Service back in the summer of '70, then went full time in April of '72. Except for 2 1/2 years in the early 80's when there wasn't any work, and 2 1/2 years in the mid-nineties when I tried my hand at selling survey gear, I've been at it ever since. I've been solo since '09, and I'd love to keep doing it 'til I can't walk anymore, but even then I'd try to figure out someway to get out in to the woods. Like so many others, it's never been about the money, it's always been about the enjoyment of the work. Back 10 years ago or so, my daughter worked with me for a few years, and every once and while, when hauling gear up a mountain or cutting line in a swamp, I'd turn to her and say, "Hey! We're actually getting paid for this!" Good times...
I would make a sizable bet that your daughter's reply was not nearly as upbeat.B-)
Nothing like digging something up that hasn't been dug up for decades. Finding it where you calc it to be from field measurements is just icing on the cake.
I've played in bar bands off and on over the past 15 years. Mostly "off" these days. I enjoy playing. And since it is typically local, there isn't too much hassle. But the money that I've made doing it is just money to be spent at the bar buying more drinks (and the cab ride home with my rig).
Of course, the older I get, the harder it is to find a band that wants to play the music that I like, doesn't want to "make it big", and can understand that my family and career take precedence.
It is stories like these, when others relate the passion and satisfaction that they get from a career in surveying that I realize that I made a good decision back in 1990 when I changed my major from Civil Engineering to Surveying.
I am at an interesting place in my career right now. On the one hand, I am happily and successfully(maybe even gainfully?) employed at a small firm in my hometown. On the other hand, I realize that being here inherently excludes me from many of the survey jobs that I'd like to be involved in doing. At this office, we just don't do some types of surveys that I like. So I either need to talk the owners into expanding our services. Or I need to figure out how to do them myself.
But never, at any time, have I ever considered NOT being a surveyor!
Yep, all of the above. I'm fortunate to be with some folks who are close to me in age and and are pretty much on the same page about what we do and why.
Started in September 1969....probably done almost everything.
Sometimes it's been great, other times not so great, but I never thought about leaving the profession.
It's like that old cartoon you seen where the rod person is dreaming of running the instrument, the IP is dreaming of being a party chief, the PC wants to be working inside at a desk, and the proprietor wants to be running the rod.
From swamps and forests of the Mid-Hudson Valley to the sidewalks and skyscrapers of New York.
Couldn't think of doing anything else.
You're very fortunate.
I played in one band that did pretty much exactly the kind of music I liked. We had a combination of cover tunes and original music. Unfortunately, the singer (who wrote the music) still thought he could "make it big" and was always wanting me to take time off of work to go "on tour". Not sure where we'd be touring, but anyway...
Most of my guitar playing happens on the patio with my acoustic. Or around a camp fire with my friends and some homebrewed beer.
Finding monuments that haven't been seen in 100+ years is a thrill unlike anything else.
Most days I feel like about the luckiest guy in town getting paid fairly handsomely to do something I really enjoy ... most of the time, ... and then there those days when the clients shoulder me with their completely unrealistic expectations and I just want to crawl under a rock and count down the days and years until I hang it up and go traveling and fly fishing to my heart's content. Like anything I suppose. Take the good with the bad and count my blessings. I've got a couple fairly miserable jobs to look forward to this winter that promise frozen digits and a fair chance at a broken leg if I'm unlucky. Here's the messed up part. I can't imagine doing anything else. I'm probably getting too old to be a Calvin Klein underwear model at this point anyway. 😉
In our area we often follow in the footsteps of a former local surveyor Bill Guile. He was licensed in May 1959. See pages 22-23 in Oregon Surveyor magazine for story. Thanks for the example Bill.
http://www.plso.org/Resources/Documents/PLSO_OctNov09.pdf
I always thought I would like to follow this example. Time will tell.
Quote from article below
His first survey in Lane
County was filed as C.S.F. No. 11056
in May of 1959. His last survey, C.S.F.
41669, was filed on November 3 (the
day he passed away). (2009)
Things I like:
Finding buried monuments when the client or adjoiner is standing over you telling you that isn't where it is.
Sitting at the computer desk matching the records to your first day of field work on a job.
New equipment.
Things I dislike:
Almost everything else. Especially the business part.
I've always said most days I enjoy my job while I'm doing it, and always enjoy that it is my job when I'm not. I'm not going to say I look forward to monday mornings or coming back from vacations, but I figure that's a lot better than most people feel about their job.
cheyenne10, post: 359286, member: 1236 wrote: In our area we often follow in the footsteps of a former local surveyor Bill Guile. He was licensed in May 1959. See pages 22-23 in Oregon Surveyor magazine for story. Thanks for the example Bill.
http://www.plso.org/Resources/Documents/PLSO_OctNov09.pdf
I always thought I would like to follow this example. Time will tell.
Quote from article below
His first survey in Lane
County was filed as C.S.F. No. 11056
in May of 1959. His last survey, C.S.F.
41669, was filed on November 3 (the
day he passed away). (2009)
"His last survey, C.S.F. 41669, was filed on November 3 (the day he passed away). (2009)"
Wow - just Wow...
