Surveyor

Surveyors make exact measurements and determine property boundaries. They provide data relevant to the shape, contour, gravitation, location, elevation, or dimension of land features for engineering, mapmaking, mining, and construction projects. The BLS reports a median salary of $63,080 with 5% projected growth. Licensure as a Professional Surveyor (PS) requires education, experience, and passing national and state exams.

A Day in the Life

A typical day starts early at a construction site setting up the total station and GPS rover on known control points. The morning involves collecting boundary points along a property line, recording data on a handheld controller. After lunch, the surveyor returns to the office to download field data into surveying software and begin drafting a boundary plat. Late afternoon includes calculating lot areas, writing a legal description for a title company, and preparing a staking plan for tomorrow's layout of a building foundation.

Key Stats

Required Skills