All About Surveying Technicians
Career Description Adjust and operate surveying instruments, such as the theodolite and electronic distance-measuring equipment, and compile notes, make sketches and enter data into computers.
Daily Life Of a Surveying Technician
- Provide assistance in the development of methods and procedures for conducting field surveys.
- Maintain equipment and vehicles used by surveying crews.
- Set out and recover stakes, marks, and other monumentation.
- Operate and manage land-information computer systems, performing tasks such as storing data, making inquiries, and producing plots and reports.
- Perform manual labor, such as cutting brush for lines, carrying stakes, rebar, and other heavy items, and stacking rods.
- Compile information necessary to stake projects for construction, using engineering plans.
Qualities of a Surveying Technician
When polled, Surveying Technicians say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Other Surveying Technician Job Titles
- Transit Survey Worker
- River and Harbor Soundings Group Leader
- Survey Party Chief
- Survey CAD Technician (Survey Computer-Aided Design Technician)
- Land Survey Technician
Job Outlook for Surveying Technicians
In the United States, there were 60,200 jobs for Surveying Technician in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 10.6% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 6,400 new jobs for Surveying Technician by 2026. There will be an estimated 7,200 positions for Surveying Technician per year.
The states with the most job growth for Surveying Technician are North Dakota, Utah, and Texas. Watch out if you plan on working in Alaska, Maine, or Washington. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Do Surveying Technicians Make A Lot Of Money?
Surveying Technicians make between $27,360 and $74,110 a year.
Surveying Technicians who work in California, Alaska, or Massachusetts, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Surveying Technicians in different U.S. states.
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $42,850 |
| Alaska | $59,850 |
| Arizona | $53,730 |
| Arkansas | $43,000 |
| California | $69,910 |
| Colorado | $52,360 |
| Connecticut | $58,360 |
| Delaware | $42,010 |
| Florida | $40,900 |
| Georgia | $42,180 |
| Hawaii | $48,300 |
| Idaho | $45,090 |
| Illinois | $55,410 |
| Indiana | $41,030 |
| Iowa | $48,590 |
| Kansas | $43,350 |
| Kentucky | $38,960 |
| Louisiana | $44,540 |
| Maine | $43,640 |
| Maryland | $49,820 |
| Massachusetts | $59,320 |
| Michigan | $38,070 |
| Minnesota | $55,170 |
| Mississippi | $43,030 |
| Missouri | $42,560 |
| Montana | $49,120 |
| Nebraska | $45,530 |
| Nevada | $51,400 |
| New Hampshire | $48,300 |
| New Jersey | $49,800 |
| New Mexico | $47,440 |
| New York | $52,470 |
| North Carolina | $43,800 |
| North Dakota | $51,200 |
| Ohio | $44,280 |
| Oklahoma | $45,870 |
| Oregon | $54,570 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,600 |
| Rhode Island | $53,980 |
| South Carolina | $38,250 |
| South Dakota | $39,180 |
| Tennessee | $46,020 |
| Texas | $42,740 |
| Utah | $51,090 |
| Vermont | $51,840 |
| Virginia | $47,570 |
| Washington | $51,100 |
| West Virginia | $42,750 |
| Wisconsin | $43,500 |
| Wyoming | $47,870 |
What Tools do Surveying Technicians Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Surveying Technicians:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Web browser software
- Microsoft Access
- Email software
- Word processing software
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Spreadsheet software
- Database software
- Geographic information system GIS software
- Computer aided design CAD software
- Bentley MicroStation
- ESRI ArcView
- Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D
- Computer aided design and drafting software CADD
- ESRI ArcInfo
- Geomechanical design analysis GDA software
- ESRI ArcGIS software
How do I Become a Surveying Technician?
Learn what Surveying Technician education requirements there are.
What work experience do I need to become a Surveying Technician?
Where do Surveying Technicians Work?
Below are examples of industries where Surveying Technicians work:
Related Careers
Career changers with experience as a Surveying Technician sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
- Mapping Technicians
- Log Graders and Scalers
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers
- Power Distributors and Dispatchers
- Civil Drafters
- Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Motion Picture
- Civil Engineering Technicians
References:
Image Credit: Mike1979 Russia via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
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