Should I say anything to the boss

Off the cuff, I would say that you should advise him on how to get some experience surveying such as working on a survey crew for some time. And that you would rather not be updated on any of his plans and to leave you out of it. And not report him to the boss. Make it between you and him and that you don't want to be made aware of his plans for a future business.

But I'll bet some guys will chime in with better advice. That's just my immediate reaction.

MOST Engineers are not good for much anyway. They often know how to build bridges, and how to build sewers, but they really are not good for much else. He probably wants YOU to come, and help him out! If it's not on 90°, he could get into a bind! A few of them even know how to BUILD total stations. BUT, how to use them? well, it's all down the sewer, and across the bridge from there!

Ok, got that out of the way.

I am not too sure what to say. Pray about it.

In SOME ways, you have a little obligation to your present boss. Kind of like if you KNEW the client moved your control point.

If you have a real good boss, who was intelligent in social matters, it would help.

Nate

Engineers

Most don't know how to build, they know how to design.

Talk to the engineer. Tell him you do not want to waste company time talking about his dreams of becoming a surveyor.

You might mention to the engineer that wants to be a surveyor, that unless your state specifically allows engineers to practice surveying, that he might be asking for a whole heap of trouble. I don't think the licensure board would look to kindly on this practice. He might even be at risk of getting his engineering license suspended or revoked. I would not mention to the boss unless something comes up. As long as you are planning on staying there, then no worries. I would try to distance yourself from this individual if possible.

I don't think there is anything wrong in what your colleague is doing. He is still able to do his job right? He is not stealing clients from your boss right?

Everyone has a dream about his career & your colleague is at that stage where he sees the light that in order to get rich you have to do it on your own.

I for one would not be spending $10,000 if I did not have any sure income yet. I bet he already has an incoming project.

As long as he has not neglected his duties in the company then there is nothing to report. He could be doing it on weekends right or on his leave time right? Nothing wrong with that.

1. I see no need to tell the boss, unless the boss is relying on the guy to do something critical to the company and his leaving would cause great problems. As you describe it, this doesn't sound like the case.

2. Tell the guy you're not interested in joining a start-up company, and don't want to know any more about his plans to do so.

3. Make sure he knows that it takes more than a little practice to become a licensed surveyor, even if he is a licensed engineer, like years of supervised work and maybe specific college courses depending on your state.

4. Perhaps review with him what surveying a non-licensed person can and can't do in your state. In some states he could do construction layout if he was good at it, in others not.

5. If it turns out that he decides he won't leave but wants to know more about surveying, then help him all you are able. It could be beneficial to you and the company if he has more understanding of what you do.

I see nothing wrong with buying some equipment and doing some jobs on the side as long as it is not affecting his day job.

Personally, I would keep my mouth shut. Most surveyors I have worked for have always encouraged employees to learn more about the business (especially on their own time),.

And 10K isn't that much to spend on equipment. That's what this brush ape did 13 years ago.:-D

Tell the boss. Then come back and tell us all about the drama that unfolded.

No, I'm kidding. Don't do that.

Until he gets a suveying license, he's harmless. I'd let him go. Just because he's an engineer doesn't mean jack squat about being able to survey.

I'm not sure what state you're in, but I would think that nearly all of them require some experience to survey. If he's not getting any, then he's not going to get a license.

Sounds like he has this big idea in his head, but he hasn't been slapped in the face by reality yet. Until he starts actually doing something unethical, move along, nothing to see here.

I think your actions for the last 6 years and the expressed satisfaction would clarify that you are not the type to want to take the risk of starting a new firm, especially one where you would be expected to do all the work and your pardner handling the businesses end. Don't need to tell your boss, but you do need to tell the engineer that your not interested but thanks anyway, he won't be around very long anyway, deduced from what you are saying which indicate his common sense and value system.
jud

The only part I see an issue with is

> He called me in his office earlier today and said shut the door.

That means wasting company time on his pursuits. I suspect he was also doing his quote shopping online during business hours as well.

I think some others have given good advice.

I would suggest inviting him for a beer after work. Politely let him know that you are not interested in joining his start-up and would prefer to dedicate your time on the clock to your current company obligations.

If you want to be really nice, offer to meet with him after work hours to advise him on some of the items you know about the licensing and business end of surveying in order to keep him from doing something to get in trouble.

It would be nice if the higher ups decided they need some help on a job and he actually volunteered....

Ya'll know what kind of job I'm talking about, some of those good ol "swamp jobs" along the missisippi river. ya know where you wade around in mud and water waste deep all day long ...... where you gotta take everything you need b/c you wont see the truck till sundown b/c you have to hike in 2 miles, work all day then hike back out to civilization kind of jobs..... the jobs that have a cotton mouth behind every bush..... mosquitos and bugs that could suck a man dry of blood, during the middle of August when it is 105 degrees at 10 a.m..... the kind of jobs I loved doing when I started and was the sole reason I became a surveyor.

Get In Front Of It Now

If the engineer is doing what you think he is doing on company time, he will soon be asking you to help him out with his projects on company time. It is very hard to estimate how your boss will take it, you may be out the door anyway. At least you will know you lost your job for doing the right thing rather than losing it for doing the wrong thing.

Start with "I am very happy working here but I have been put in a difficult position." Be aware that you my be expendable if the boss desparately needs an engineer,

Paul in PA, PE, PLS

Get In Front Of It Now

> If the engineer is doing what you think he is doing on company time, he will soon be asking you to help him out with his projects on company time. It is very hard to estimate how your boss will take it, you may be out the door anyway. At least you will know you lost your job for doing the right thing rather than losing it for doing the wrong thing.
>
> Start with "I am very happy working here but I have been put in a difficult position." Be aware that you my be expendable if the boss desparately needs an engineer,
>
> Paul in PA, PE, PLS

I think you may be reading more into this than is there. How is this clown going to get any projects? He doesn't know anything about surveying and he doesn't have a license.

I'd file this away, an ace in the hole, so to speak. As of right now, there doesn't appear anything to tell, other than the fact that he might be getting equipment quotes on company time. I think that telling the boss at this point would cause a big stink over nothing. Now, at some time in the future, this may change. I'd keep a watch over him and see if things progressed.

And one more thing. If this clown doesn't know what he's doing, DO NOT SIGN A REFERENCE LETTER so he can take the surveyor's test. That has nothing to do with eliminating future competition. It's about keeping people that don't know what they're doing from getting public ackowledgement that they know what they're doing.

People talk and dream. I would probably tell him that he could hire you in of hours at $200 an hour to consult/teach.

I wouldn't tell the boss, but I would explain to him that I was uncomfortable about talking about his venture at work.

People want to trust. And unless the boss is obtuse, they probably already know. Violating your coworkers trust will not make you look good.

If you feel you have a reason or compulsion to say something, I would give the guy a chance to talk to the boss first.

That is just my 2 cents. Some bosses wouldn't care, some would view it as not being loyal.

I think all you really need to do is make it clear to him that you like your current job and don't want to leave. It sounds like he's trying to involve (or recruit) you because he's either wants you join him as a partner or teach him the ropes.

Maybe he's not happy being an engineer and wants a career change, or maybe he envisions opening a surveying & engineering office of his own, and hiring a surveyor. There's nothing wrong with that. The guy's got ambitions and they apparently don't involve working for someone else. Good for him. I started buying equipment and supplies 3 years before I got laid off, because I could see the writting on the wall at this particular company.

$10000 for a full crew set up? Really? How is that possible? Does he not realize that there need to be a vehicle, a gun, a level, rods, prisms, tapes, nails, disks, a license to practice and a licensed SURVEYOR to sign... 10000? come on.

sorry pseudo, wasn't meant at your comment, was replying to the original

> $10000 for a full crew set up? Really? How is that possible? Does he not realize that there need to be a vehicle, a gun, a level, rods, prisms, tapes, nails, disks, a license to practice and a licensed SURVEYOR to sign... 10000? come on.

you can survey just fine out of a 94 escort. Besides the license and the total station, the other stuff is cheap.

I have seen many scenarios like this with different little twists.

To all who say do not tell the boss, I disagree. I had an Acad operator
who seemed like the most honest person in the world. She came to
work every day on time. She was very careful with our final work product.
However, whenever there was a crisis or a conflicting story, she would lie
to calm the storm. She rarely lied to me. Some of her lies could have
cost my company several thousand dollars but were caught in time.

Here is a true story about an engineering/surveying company about 90 miles
down the road. It was a small company of 8 employees. The boss was a
PE/LS. He had one engineer and one land surveyor. The rest were crew
members and draftsmen. From there, it sounded like the Cypress Bend story.
Somebody told the boss. The boss got rid of the land surveyor and kept the
engineer.??? It took a couple years before the engineer was replaced. The engineer
started his own engineering company and then he got involved with land surveying
heavily and then the surveying board of registration gave him a call for a hearing.
He went to work for an engineering company that had no surveyors and wanted
no surveyors.