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Surveying is a critical industry that supports the construction, real estate, engineering, and law sectors—even the development of the landscape around us. Surveyors possess vital skills and equipment for making precision measurements of distances and angles in both two and three dimensions. Without surveyors, we would not have reliable GPS software, property boundaries, or infrastructure. The field is a key element of our building and transportation systems.
This guide aims to inform you about this evolving industry and what it takes to become a surveyor.
What Are Surveyors? What Do They Do?
Surveyors are licensed professionals who use highly advanced technology to make precise measurements of the physical world. They are trusted by local governments, real estate developers, engineers, and property owners to identify geospatial positions, angles, and distances on which important legal and technical decisions are made.
Being a surveyor usually involves working outside, often in undeveloped areas, using specialty equipment like total stations (an advanced electronic/optical instrument), utility detectors, GNSS receivers, and even drones. Collecting data in the field requires attention to detail and an ability to solve problems on the fly. Unlike many other field technicians, surveyors are required to be licensed.
Data collected by surveyors is used by a wide range of other professionals, so they must be certified to ensure a high level of accuracy and quality. Surveyors are also trained in computer software, such as GIS, to help manage and disseminate their work.
Trends in Surveying
Surveying, in some form or another, has been around since the beginning of human development. The pyramids couldn’t have been built without it. Today, understanding the environment and determining who owns what land are crucial aspects of economic development. For this reason, the surveying industry will not disappear any time soon—but it is changing.
As mentioned, surveying relies heavily on advanced equipment that is continually being improved. New technology is constantly being released that delivers higher levels of precision and accuracy, easier operation, and integration with existing tools. Surveyors are now expected to hold a level of proficiency with many different brands and types of equipment, as well as the software for analyzing and visualizing the data they collect.
Even with changes in technology, surveying is a stable field. Society will continue to require it. There will always be work for surveyors since people need high-quality geospatial data to establish property boundaries, utility locations, and topography.
Steps to Become a Surveyor
There are several concrete steps to becoming a surveyor. The first is deciding which subbranch to pursue; the process culminates with a surveying license.
Step 1: Decide what type of surveyor you’d like to become
There are many different types of surveyors. While they all have a few things in common, there are significant differences that can shape a career path. The following are a few of the most common types of surveyors.
What first comes to mind for many are land surveyors, who focus on pinpointing property boundaries, often prior to the development of new infrastructure. They may be hired by either commercial or residential clients and their data are sometimes used to resolve legal disputes over property boundaries.
Utility surveyors are an important part of the construction industry. They determine where underground utilities already exist, what condition they are in, and where it is safe to install more. Proficiency with specialty radar equipment for detecting gas, electric, and water lines is required, as well as a keen attention to detail since accuracy is critical. It is truly a matter of life and death; utility workers can be killed if they dig into an underground electrical line or gas pipe.
Building surveyors incorporate the skills of both land surveying and engineering. Their role is to evaluate the structural integrity of a building, either proposed or existing. This is an important component of construction and real estate, with the analysis of surveyors used in gauging the valuation of a structure.
Focusing on the natural landscape, from soil and water quality to land use, environmental surveyors require specialty education in contamination to help determine compliance with environmental regulations.
Step 2: Pursue a relevant education
Surveying jobs usually require an education in the relevant discipline.
Once a type of surveying is chosen, the most relevant academic discipline can be determined. For example, if you’re interested in environmental surveying, you may want to obtain a bachelor’s degree in environmental science to learn about soil types, water quality, and environmental law. Alternatively, if you’d prefer utility surveying, you may want to learn about electrical currents, gas leaks, and radar (which can achieved with an associate’s degree from a tech school).
Step 3: Obtain training experience
A requirement for becoming a surveyor is training experience under the supervision of a professional surveyor. Many surveying companies have opportunities for surveyors-in-training to gain preliminary experience while they work towards their licensure.
Surveyor-in-training experience is also extremely valuable for determining the type of work you want to pursue long-term. You learn about different types of jobs, clients, and employers—all of which will be extremely valuable in your career journey. If you haven’t confirmed which branch of surveying you’re interested in yet, this is a great opportunity to discover which would be the best fit.
Step 4: Pursue certification and/or licensure
Each state has different license requirements, so be sure to research the specific regulations for the state where you plan to work. However, most states have a relatively comparable process: 1) submit proof of education, 2) provide proof of surveyor-in-training experience, and 3) pass an exam. When renewing a license (usually every 2–5 years), you may need to submit continuing education credits.
Job Outlook for Surveyors
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports steady employment rates for surveyors across the country. There are surveyors employed in every state, with the highest levels being in Texas, California, Florida, and Georgia. Surveyors are likely to be found in areas with ongoing development, so large states with a steady influx of new residents provide reliable employment.
But even more rural states, such as Alaska and Wyoming, have high concentrations of surveyors because property boundaries are critical to large landowners.
Surveyor Salary: How Much Do Surveyors Make?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, surveyors in the United States tend to make between $40,000 and $110,000 a year (or $19 to $53 an hour). Surveying wages are heavily impacted by location, with states like California and New York seeing rates of $90,000+ annually, while Midwest and Southern states see rates of less than $60,000.
ZipRecruiter reports the nationwide average for an entry-level land surveyor to be $74,746. The salary for more experienced surveyors steadily increases from there, since more senior professionals can charge more and work for higher-profile clientele.