Career Profile: Surveyor	Home	Español
		Informal perspective of what an occupation might be like.

What I Do: Did you know that George Washington was a surveyor? I think it's neat that our first President did the same type of work that I do! As a surveyor, I work with a team to measure and establish land boundaries. We use various instruments to calculate distances and to denote exact locations of landmarks. We record our data and prepare official reports for legal documents such as property deeds and leases.

Best and Hardest Parts of My Job: I'm an outdoors kind of person, so this job suits me perfectly. I don't mind hiking over unfamiliar territory or hauling my instruments up steep hills! It's nice being outside in the summertime when the days are long and the weather is clear. But we also work in the wind and rain, and that's not as much fun! Apart from the physical demands of the job, surveyors must also be very precise and avoid making costly mistakes.

How I Got Started: If this sounds like the job for you, you should take lots of math classes in high school, as well as drafting and computer science. Traditionally surveyors did not need a college degree, but that is changing as technology becomes more sophisticated. You can take surveying courses at some colleges and vocational schools, and some universities now offer degrees in engineering technologies. Also, surveyors must be licensed by the state.