Survey Tech.

Here in California, I'd probably look to pay in the $12/hour range to begin with, assuming entry level to be someone with some drafting classes and a desire to learn.

$12/hr seems quite low to me. My first job as an entry level drafter was $15/hr and that was 15 years ago!

:good: I was making $12/hr 25 years ago as a survey tech. These days, you can get more than that in the fast food industry in some parts of the country.

Geoff and Vern,

Gentlemen, let me apprise you of current events. Nowadays, it is tough to command even $12 unless you have a doctorate, multiple licenses, and 20 years experience. Oh, and you must also be "a team player", pass a drug test, have "reliable transportation", and be able to get to work on time every day. Think I'm kidding? Peruse Craigslist sometime.

Dave

Hey RB,

I just employed a CADD "newbie" at $13/hr with fully paid medical benefits. Got him from Seminole State College. Fortunately he's very eager to learn the "mechanics" of Acad the way we do it.

Bill B-)

I was making 12/ hr in 1990 as a entry level cad monkey straight out of 2 year Tech School . I can find guys now that will kill for a 12 hr and hour job .

> Here in California, I'd probably look to pay in the $12/hour range to begin with, assuming entry level to be someone with some drafting classes and a desire to learn.

I'm suprised to hear it would be that low in California. When I hear the billable rates that surveyors quote in California (which I can only dream about here in Florida), I was figuring it would be considerably more.

Whatever happened to that "Top Pay" career in Surveying?

Gee, whatever happened to that "Top Pay" career in Surveying?

Whatever happened to that "Top Pay" career in Surveying?

Los Angeles just raised the minimum wage for hotel workers to $15 an hour and I'm not even sure speaking English is a requirement. :-/

... speaking of technician benifits

Just out of curiosity, does your company offer your field crew members fully paid medical insurance? At the company I used to work for (which was a primarily engineering firm with survey staff), they offered medical insurance, but it was only partially paid. Us office employees could afford to chip in, but the field crew members usually could not afford it, so they often went without. I think a lot of the smaller surveying shops around here don't offer it at all.

Whatever happened to that "Top Pay" career in Surveying?

BTS,

Northern, Lake, Marion, Sumter and Flagler Counties are exploding with new housing construction. You can make a small fortune up there!

B-)

... speaking of technician benifits

Partially paid...but we have three health insurance options and if a single employee went with the least expensive plan it would only be $20 a week. Dental and vision are about another $2.50 each a week.

Additionally our current 401K match is 6%

Whatever happened to that "Top Pay" career in Surveying?

Good one Bow Tie. I saw that years ago and saved it. Don't know where, but it's a classic.

Now I know where it is - in my 2014 Halloween folder. I may go as a surveyor and get some real laughs, even get to wear my plumb bob. Get that printed out as a flyer.... and I have an old Gurley and I'll just happen upon on a pint of rot gut whiskey in my back pocket and tie flagging on all the bar stools. I've got a whole shed full of out of date survey gear, so I can switch costume. Sounds fun, thanks for the idea seed.

Remember this guy, he was pretty special too:

... speaking of technician benifits

"Just out of curiosity, does your company offer your field crew members fully paid medical insurance?"

Yes, everybody. It is ppo $50 to visit ER/$1500 max out of pocket regardless of what problem.

It is terribly expensive but I have very happy work oriented employees.

B-)

> > Here in California, I'd probably look to pay in the $12/hour range to begin with, assuming entry level to be someone with some drafting classes and a desire to learn.
>
> I'm suprised to hear it would be that low in California. When I hear the billable rates that surveyors quote in California (which I can only dream about here in Florida), I was figuring it would be considerably more.

Depends on where in CA. I'm in the Central Valley, where wages tend to be on the low end. $12-$15 is pretty standard for a starting job with no prior experience. If you were talking Bay Area, it'd be much higher because of cost of living.

The other consideration is if they have experience or have taken more than a class or two at a local JC.

Edit- Oh, I didn't mention that medical would be assumed. That just goes with the territory.

Wow. I have seen wide variations in compensation but that's horrid. We saw a little of that in the middle of the last downturn...
When I started my first civilian job as a Rodman it paid $3.50 an hour. By the mid 80's I was making 6.75 an hour in Austin. Moving to St. Louis nearly doubled my wages overnight. It amazes me there are still places that start you out that low.
The wages and benefits here have partially recovered. Thankfully I get my care at the VA. Without that it would still be tough...

We just hired one in NW Indiana for $25/hr plus benefits.

In Dallas you cant pick up an illegal day laborer for 12 bucks an hour. He would laugh at you.

California can vary quite a bit for wages. I live in a community a little smaller than where THiggins is from but a bit closer to the Sacramento metro area.

If I were still running my business up near home, I could find an entry level chainman or someone to do entry level CAD work for $12/hr, but that means truly entry level - very little or no relevant experience. That would be someone who you would need to spend a fair amount of time training just to get them competent in the basics of the position.

For someone with enough experience that they've got the basics covered, it would be $15 to $18. For someone with a good deal of experience, but still at the chainman/CAD tech level, it could go into the mid $20s.

In the metro areas, including Sacramento, add $6 to $12 per hour to fill those positions. Last I looked, a union chainman was getting about $29/hr. CAD techs are not in the union, and in the Sacramento area, that puts an above average CAD tech with a few years experience and who is competent to perform most survey calcs close to or a bit below the union chainman. In the Bay area, that CAD tech would be making more than the union chainman and maybe as much as a union chief.

Some parts of CA are seeing work pick up over what we've seen over the past few years. Most rural or semi-rural areas are still stuck in the great recession of the past 6 years.