The future of land surveying - NCEES symposium

[mpallamary]

Thoughts anyone?

[Warren Smith]

Definitely an issue, and insightful as to some of the root causes. Nicely written as to the perspective of potential entrants into our ranks. When we were starting out, our analog tools didn't get in the way of learning how to follow in the footsteps of our predecessors. Now it seems to be about battery management, frequency matching, software compatibility and the like.

[mpallamary]

Thank you as always for your insightful comments. It would be great if we can unify the profession. The magazine has just informed me they are going to make this the cover story. It would be great if CLSA were to take up this topic as the clock is ticking.

[David Kendall]

I've been preparing for an upcoming TrigStar presentation and considering some of these issues myself. I would like to relate generally to the high school kids and help them to identify their strengths and interests as they apply to our profession. So far I've come up with: (in no particular order) math, history, art, philosophy, communication (written and oral), customer service, and analytical skills. For the hooks, I will mention the high pay and low stress, current demand (while the economy is hot anyway), diversity of work, ability to work outside and get to know your community (both physically and culturally) and all of the cool technology. That's the way it worked for me anyway.

These days I don't care much whether I'm holding a $50k GPS rover or a $15 pocket tape, the tools are a shallow consideration and the big picture: integrity, commitment and communication are my current priorities.

Outlining these key points and relaying them through mentorship should be our goal in this conversation. Land surveying is complex, it can't be explained accurately in a few minutes. For me that route feels dishonest. We need to develop a longer sales routine and identity our target audience.

[Warren Smith]

I was in a convenience store last night. The clerk had an engineering text and graph paper on the counter. I told him that I was a surveyor and was glad that hand plotting was still part of the curriculum.
He mentioned that he enjoyed his surveying classes, and figured on spending a lot of time in the field when he starts working. I replied that it will make him a much better designer, knowing what it takes to get stuff built.
That is, unless he gets the survey bug!

[Dave Karoly, PLS]

Maybe we should tap the Law Schools for Boundary Surveyors. The demand for Lawyers is only about half the number of graduates they are spitting out. I would think a J.D. graduate would be much better prepared for answering the demands the Courts are placing on us than the average Engineering graduate. A good Surveyor has to have a dual capacity mind; engineering and legal analysis capability.

[LS_8750]

Not grey, but turning grey. I am 43 years old.
The last kid I hired thought he was going to be calling people on the telephone and taking opinion polls. I am fairly confident that succeeding generations are not getting smarter. But sure enough after six months, that kid wants to learn to "survey", the term we are all familiar with.
Mr. Pallamary, and those of his generation, have seen it all with respect to the evolution of technology as applied to the profession of land surveying. Their warning is heard loud and clear.
When the chips are down, only the land surveyor is gonna know what to do (the properly trained land surveyor of course). Nobody is going to encroach on the expertise of the land surveyor. If the recipe calls for eggs, the land surveyor uses a spatula. No other professional is going to know what tools to use for the application at hand.
I don't worry. I mentor. I tell my underlings that the future is swinging from their loins, as long as they stay true to the essence of what it is that the land surveyor does for society.
What is property? Heaven and Earth? Where is the boundary? Yin and Yang? Where is the boundary? It is all about boundaries. The profession of land surveying will be here.
I applaud those warriors out there protecting our profession, you know who they are.

Back to Mr. Pallamary's article, from my perspective the lack of mentoring is killing us. Not from grey hair to greying hair, but from my generation to those younger than me. The business is killing the profession, and we are only to blame. There are a lot of knuckleheads out there, older than me and contemporary to me, that are simply hacks of the worst sort. So bad that I don't care to steal their employees.

I believe strongly in mentorship, the apprentice to journeyman and the journeyman to the master. The relationship. It is all about relationships, not paychecks. Present day surveying has declined in quality. I make an effort to correct things as I see them.

Regards,