Many surveyors who graduate from survey school are dumbfounded when they first enter the field. It can quickly occur to them that everything they learned about surveying - surveying history, theory and best practices - only partially prepared them for becoming a Land Surveyor. For this reason, Land Surveying Internships are a terrific opportunity for preparing new land surveyors for when "the rubber meets the road." Internships are a fantastic way of getting real industry experience no matter what career path you are choosing to go down. Not only do land survey internships better prepare a surveyor for the field, they also provide insight into how the dynamics of collaboration with a surveying crew actually works. Let's learn a bit more about Land Surveying Internships.
Benefit of Land Survey Internships
Becoming a land surveyor is a lot of hard work. Land surveyors have very intense jobs that require a lot of skill and knowledge to be able to succeed in their career.
In most cases, to become a land surveyor you must first complete a four year college degree in surveying or geomatics. From there you then have to become licensed in whichever state you want to work in.
There is a strong demand for land surveyors and the more experience you have the better your chances are at securing a good job. Land survey internships are not only a great way to gain extra hands-on experience, but for many college courses it is a requirement that you complete a land survey internship prior to being able to become a licensed land surveyor.
In most states you are required to undertake a land survey internship after passing the initial land surveying exam after college - the Fundamentals of Surveying examination. Only once you have completed a land survey internship are you eligible to sit the second examination. The regulations in each state do vary, however. So always check up what the requirements are in your state regarding land survey internships.
While a college education is very important in starting a career in land surveying, a land survey internship (whether required or not) gives you an extra edge above the rest by providing you with priceless experience outside of the classroom. Land survey internships give you the opportunity to put theory into practice.
Who Offers Land Survey Internships
There are a wide range of companies and industries that offer land survey internships. As land surveying is such a broad area, many students choose a land survey internship that is most suited to the specific field they are interested in getting into.
Many different industries require land surveyors including architect firms, engineering firms, government agencies, real estate, mining companies and more. There are a huge number of types of land surveys that are best suited to different purposes. For example, real estate surveys may simply want a land survey that details the land boundaries for a property, whereas other surveys may require much more detail and advanced techniques.
Not all land surveyors choose to specialize, however if you are interested in gaining very specific knowledge then you should choose your land survey internship accordingly.
What is Involved in a Land Survey Internship
The type of work that you will be involved in during a land survey internship will depending on the company that you are working for.
You will often be given a significant amount of responsibility during your land survey internship and you will spend a lot of time assisting the land surveyor in collecting data in the field, then collating that data and creating the final product at the end of the day.
As with most internships, you will no doubt have to do the 'boring' jobs during your land survey internship - but most land surveyors will allow you to get quite hands on and really gain something from your experience that will assist you in your future career once you are qualified.
Where to Find Land Survey Internships
Of course, there are always Land Surveying Internship opportunities inside our Jobs Board for Surveyors, but there are several other ways to find an internship in Land Surveying. Most land survey internships can be organized through your college as they have lots of contacts with local businesses and government agencies that offer land survey internships.
Alternatively you can contact local businesses independently. Put together your resume and a cover letter and approach any companies that interest you. If you have a specific area of interest then do some research into the best companies in your town that hires land surveyors in this area. By contacting them yourself you are showing initiative and ambition which are always a good start when looking for a land survey internship.
Always plan ahead when looking for a land survey internship. Internships are limited - particularly in small towns - so you don't want to miss out. You can plan as early as a year or more ahead of when you want to start your land survey internship and secure the best spot possible.
Thoughts
Fantastic article... thanks for sharing Mark!