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6 Ways Young Surveyors Can Thrive in a

Changing Profession An abstract of The Geoholics Podcast – Episode 149

By: Trent J. Keenan, PLS

When Michael Magyar goes on vacation, he does something unusual: he looks
up surveyors in the local phone book wherever he’s traveling.

The owner of Magyar Land Surveying LLC in Oregon, Michael, says it’s become
more and more of a challenge to find surveying offices where professionals
are open for business and answering phones. In fact, the majority of fellow
surveyors in Michael’s Oregon community are sole proprietors headed for
retirement—with no one ready to take over their business when they’re done.

All over the world, the picture is the same. As a result, the number of
surveyors is declining rapidly. That’s why it’s more important than ever to
entice new surveyors to the profession and support them on their journey to
becoming skilled technicians, licensed surveyors, classroom instructors, or any
combination of the above.

Whether you are an aspiring surveyor or an established one, what follows is
advice from four surveying professionals on how young people can enter the
surveying world and succeed.
1. Recognize that Surveying Has Career Potential
Brandon Montero teaches construction surveying at Arizona State University
and is the Program Director at Elevate Construction. Out of the 80 students in
his current class, only one student plans to become a surveyor.

“Most of them are looking at the construction management path. And they’re
thinking, okay, what makes big money?” Brandon says. “They don’t feel that
that’s something that they can earn in the surveying industry.”

College students are often attracted to the high earning potential of a
superintendent position or engineer, but the truth is that there are both
financial and non-financial perks that come with surveying—if you are not
obsessed with instant gratification.

While it’s true that you might earn $2 more per hour if you choose a
construction path versus a surveying path right out of college, from a long-
term career aspect, there are other considerations.

“Be aware of where you go for the quick dollar versus what is actually going to benefit you. Because the benefits of a career and
establishing yourself will in the future outweigh that,” Brandon says.

Important considerations when embarking on a career path include the view of your employer, the mentoring they offer, and their plan
for you in the future. In addition, asking big-picture questions early in your career journey may guide you past the allure of immediate
earnings.

There’s also the fact that surveying can indeed pay a healthy salary that can compete with roles like civil engineering—and it may be
possible to advance faster on the pay scale, particularly in a profession with few bodies and sky-high demand.

2. Learn to and Ask Questions
Success in surveying relies on mastering foundational knowledge. It also depends on learning to think critically and ask the right
questions.

Peta Cox is the National Training & Development Manager at Consulting Surveyors National in Australia. A surveying instructor, Peta’s
students are surveyors early in their careers, typically anywhere from two months to two years into the
profession. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE u

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