Outdoor jobs

How To Get A Job As A Surveyor

Surveyors work for architects, engineers, construction companies, land surveillance companies, and a variety of government agencies.  At present, job opportunities for qualified Surveyors are excellent.

If you want to get a job as a Surveyor, you must be in good physical condition as surveyors are often required to walk long distances, and carry heavy equipment over rough terrain.  You must also be detail-oriented, precise, well-organized, and have excellent communication skills, both oral and written.  You must be able to work well as part of a team.  You must enjoy working out doors in any type of weather.  The work may involve considerable travel, and time away from home, sometimes to remote areas.  Surveyors usually work a regular eight hour day, five days a week.  Overtime is usually only required in exceptional circumstances.  In matters under dispute, surveyors may be required to testify in court.

Surveyors are responsible for measuring and mapping out the natural features of the earth’s surface and air space, as well as buildings and other structures on it.   To do their work they must first travel to the work location, usually as part of a team, which may include other surveyors, technicians, cartographers and photogrammetrists.  Once there, they use a variety of instruments to measure angles, directions, and distances, as required to do the job at hand.  This may involve checking or determining boundaries for deeds or leases, doing title surveys, staking out the area in question, and taking and recording measurements.  This is done with the aid of highly technical instruments, including GPSs.  The Surveyor must then make calculations, and enter the information they collect in a report for their employer.  Such reports may include written descriptions, scale drawings, and  topographical maps.

Education

If you are still in high school and want to later get a job as a surveyor, take courses in English, computer technology, and all the mathematics and sciences available.  Also take any courses available in mechanical drawing and drafting.

It would be a good idea to try to get some experience as an assistant to a surveyor, whether paid or voluntary.  Colleges, vocational schools and some technical institutes offer one and two year courses if you wish to enter the field as an assistant or technician.

States vary in their requirements for professional surveyors.  However, more and more employers are demanding a college degree, so if you are serious about becoming a surveyor, find an accredited degree course and get a bachelor’s degree.  All states require surveyors to be licensed.  To obtain a license you must graduate from an accredited program.  For more information about accredited courses, go to the site for accreditation as follows:

http://www.abet.org/

Although all states require Surveyors to be licensed, procedures for licensing may vary from state to state, so make sure you understand fully the requirements for the state in with you wish to practice.

To become licensed, you must pass an exam, administered by the national licensing organization, the NCEES, whose site follows.

http://www.ncees.org/

You may also be required to pass a second state-administered exam.

Surveyors may also be certified.  Certification is not essential but it is a concrete testament to your level of skill and experience.  It is a decided asset if you wish to advance in your field and be eligible for the most prestigious positions.