I run into this occasionally. Some guy walks up on a job site, (sometimes holding a Busch beer) and says "I used to be a surveyor". Usually it turns out they held the level rod, on a construction site. Maybe even got to look through the instrument. (level)
I always cringe when I hear this. It's not that they don't know what they said, but, that I have no idea how much they did, or what they did.
Does rolling a Roll o Tape qualify you to say this?
Makes me wonder. Yeah, and I used to sell cars. I have sold a few cars. Does that make me a dealership? Or the owner of Ford, or Chrysler, or the head of GM?
If I change out the starter on a tractor, does that make me a tractor mechanic?
If I pee in a toilet, does that make me a plumber?
If I ride in an airplane, and visit the cockpit, am I now a pilot for USA airlines?
If I have done one tandem jump with a parachute, does that make me a paratrooper?
If I gave my dog a wormer, am I now a vet?
If I rode in the back of a cop car, am I a cop?
O well. I'm laughing.
So many surveyors!
N
I had one guy tell me he knew all about surveying because he used to layout plumbing in houses ... You know ... He could read a plan and take measurements.
> Some guy walks up on a job site, (sometimes holding a Busch beer) and says "I used to be a surveyor".
That was you, Nate? Wow, I always thought you were taller...And I'm pretty sure I was drinking "Old Milwaukee" that afternoon...:snarky:
Seriously, you're right. I run into busloads of geezers that "use to survey". I guess it's something a lot of folks have been exposed to or with which they can relate.
Sometimes when the old neighborhood watchdog tells me "I use to be a surveyor"...I tell him, "I still am, and I'm busy..."
That usually keeps the extraneous time spent to a minimum.
Nate,
Just reply "I was a Gandy Dancer and rode a Red Caboose".
DDSM
It used to kind of blow me away, as a kid, to hear somebody BRAG that they used to be a surveyor, and then to hear them talk.... like the guy who told me and my dad that he was "Out of work". I imagined that he had actually finished all his work at home, and went out looking for more!
He he
N
That is one of the reasons I'm not real thrilled about doing work in older residential areas. First, too many people are at home in the middle of the day. Second, too many think they need to know exactly why you have invaded the neighborhood. Third, all the guys who used to survey stuff way back when, you know, before they invent electricality thingies like the one I'm standing near to keep them away from it.
My take on that has been that they must not have been keepers because they are not doing it now.
B-)
I used to be a surveyor. 😛
Back when I was in the field, I always heard "I was a surveyor in the war" (WWII)
I would let those old guys tell their tale, then I would show them the EDM and explain how much things have changed.
I guess those guys are all about gone now.
> I run into this occasionally. Some guy walks up on a job site, (sometimes holding a Busch beer) and says "I used to be a surveyor".
It used to happen more often when I started in this business. "I used to survey in the WPA" or the CCC. Most of those guys have passed on to their reward now.
I used to be a piano player in a...........house
Mom was so proud!
I know what you mean. The old WW2 Guys always had a great story. I make time for them. ANYBODY who did artillery surveying in the military, are gonna get my time and respect.
Thanks for reminding me.
N
Had a crew chief who was an artillery surveyor in NAM. They sat on hilltops for weeks on end waiting for the rain to let up so that they could get a sight on the next hilltop. They were allowed to carry weapons but were not given ammunition. The reason given was that they "were not trained to defend themselves."
Jim
My sentiments would be to go to town, and buy some black market ammo, and then go back to surveying! OR buy beer, and SWAP it for ammo.
Gads. Military intelligence. It hurts my feelings to think of what ulcers that could produce, if it were me. Sitting out there all day, with no ammo.
Can we just send that logic to the looney bin, where it belongs?
N
Oh, I get that constantly! If I spend a second telling them about the new technology I get ABUSED for "putting someone out of work" and "having it easy!" That's when I get ticked off.
Once a Surveyor, ALWAYS a Surveyor.
Just like that other oldest profession....:-$
Who knows they might be interesting folks and maybe they were good surveyors. Others may be saying that because they worked on a crew for a time and remember it to be some of the best times of their life. But, yeah, I agree, I have had to sit and roll my eyes at some people who know more than you do from their old summer job. "We use GPS now"...."yeah, I have GPS in my truck, isn't it cool?"
Months ago, I was set up in the middle of the sidewalk when an "older" gentleman approached walking with a pool cue for a cane. (Mind you, this is a neighborhood where the a cop stopped and asked if we were armed... I made eye contact with this guy and asked if I could move for him to get by and he declined the offer. We visited for quite some time and I could have sat for hours listening to his stories of being an artillery surveyor. Nevertheless, everyday we worked in his neighborhood he would visit and I never worried about leaving a piece of equipment unattended because he had our back.
Yesterday, a neighbor walked down his driveway to see what we were doing. Turns out he worked for HP back in the 70/80's selling the HP surveying equipment. Took me way-back to some fond and not-so fond memories. This guy rattled off names of surveyors that I have long forgotten and quite salesman like, he had stories about all of them.
Have heard that many times myself and always figured it for the load of crap it was until -----
the day I met my client at a job site and he said he used to be a surveyor. Not believing him and tired of hearing it so many times I threw a nickel on the ground and said if he could level and plum the tripod in under a minute I would take x amount of the bill.
Needless to say I didn't make what I planned to on that job. Apparently he held a license in Florida and had just retired and moved back home. Wanted a survey of his new property. We keep in regular contact and he is a great guy. Never lets me forget how we met.
Learned my lesson,
Jim
great story.
I worked for a surveyor when I was just getting started. We'd seemed to be getting a truck load of "I used to survey" from every guy on the street for a month and finally he got fed up with it. He swore that the next time it happened, he was going to ask what their registration number was. Well it happened another couple of times and he just took it, fuming under his hat, and grumbling on the drive back to the office, "Next time...". Well "next time" finally came around and we were dealing with a crappy family partition that had never been adequately surveyed. One of the neighbors came up while we were scratching around a fence corner for any evidence that a surveyor might have left a footstep and he starting gabbing. My surveyor friend wasn't in the mood for distraction as this promised to be a hell of a job. Neighbor kept going and finally said, "All you need to do is butterfly a ninety and step it off, surveying isn't that hard." My surveyor said "Are you a surveyor?" Neighbor says "I used to be". That just got my friend even hotter, and he asked sternly, "What's your registration number?". Neighbor says "XXXX". Sure enough, he really was a surveyor, well, in the strictest of definitions. He was a highway engineer that got his stamp when they were grandfathering them in. Sure was a quiet ride home, but we sure laughed about it later.
