Notifications
Clear all

Why can't we be (fill in the blank) surveyors?

7 Posts
7 Users
0 Reactions
4 Views
(@holy-cow)
Posts: 25292
Topic starter
 

Within other professions there are multiple categories within that profession. Why does the surveying profession continue to hold to a single, all-encompassing generic term to label all of us? Personally, I view this as a big mistake.

Approximately one-third to one-half of the university curriculum for each of the various engineering fields is basically the same. The remainder is what separates the Electrical Engineers from the Mechanical Engineers from the Civil Engineers from the Nuclear Engineers and so forth. Then the minimum of four years of practical experience with ever-expanding levels of responsibility is reguired in the area somewhat unique to the specific field in which the P.E. applicant wishes to gain admittance to the examination. After graduation, most engineers in one field do not interact frequently with groups of engineers in other fields. They may work with them on certain projects, but, as collaborators not competitors.

Meanshile surveyors all get tossed into the same general pool of availability like tomatoes in the bins at the grocery store. How would the casual consumer have any idea which one will best fulfill their desires?

Comments?

 
Posted : September 22, 2011 7:23 pm
(@deleted-user)
Posts: 8349
Registered
 

Why can't we be ethical surveyors?

.

 
Posted : September 22, 2011 7:55 pm
(@guest)
Posts: 1658
Registered
 

The engineering profession is far larger than the surveying profession.

Just the civil engineering profession is far larger. Within the civil engineers, we find structural engineers, soils engineers, highway engineers, sanitary engineers, bridge engineers, etc.

None of them are broken out further by registration. They all seem to know their specialty and so should we without further help.

 
Posted : September 22, 2011 10:04 pm
(@gene-baker)
Posts: 223
Registered
 

Here in Texas surveyors are licensed to perform, identify and offer opinions to the location of boundaries; nothing else. Now I suppose you could chop that up into two pieces; rural/urban, or maybe residential/oil. It's just a fact of life that we are able to perform topography and construction surveys under the engineers' act. I carved a little market for my company and like what I do (and it is not boundary surveying). I would ask why do some surveyors have engineer/attorney envy? The license on my wall indicates that I have been given the privilege to offer my opinion on locations of boundaries in Texas. I cannot find any language that says that is all I can do.

 
Posted : September 23, 2011 3:50 am
(@hub-tack)
Posts: 275
Registered
 

When did GIS become part of surveying? I always thought surveying was about accuracy and GIS was more like Horse Shoes, Grenades and Architecture (close is good enough).:-|

 
Posted : September 23, 2011 12:19 pm
 BigE
(@bige)
Posts: 2694
Registered
 

Filling in the blank as requested:

Why can't we be EMPLOYED surveyors?

 
Posted : September 24, 2011 9:53 am
(@butch)
Posts: 446
Registered
 

:good:

 
Posted : September 24, 2011 12:14 pm