It no wonder that unemployed surveyors are discouraged, afraid and frustrated with the job hunt. In forums like the Indeed forum, for example, it seems like everyone is trying to blame robots and newbies for the current state of the job market. Today I had enough of it. Here is a copy of my reply to this forum and below it I will show you some visual representations and graphs depicting th exact state of the current Job search trends in land surveying industry.
yes, surveying in todays world is practiced by a mixed breed of professional. And yes, not all of the "surveyors" out there really deserve the title as much as the many who have worked all of their lives perfecting what ultimately becomes both an art and a science. What we are finding in todays surveying industry is both a crescendo of a set of traditional skills and a merging of a new type of surveyor with hybrid skills. The way to stay in the game, is simply to play it. If you want to survive (and continue surveying to do so) you have to network with other surveyors. Its that simple. Of course I may be a tad bit biased, as I am the creator of Land Surveyors United but my experience is just that...an administrator of the largest social support network anywhere on the planet for the past 4 years. I talk to surveyors everyday and help bridge the communication gap which keeps some surveyors out of work and others trying to work with a busted gun. The fact of the matter is Surveyors need each other to survive and learn from. Here are a couple of things that I know to be fact:
An experienced land surveyor is the absolute best tech support for another surveyor.
- The surveyors grapevine exists off the grid....and is discussed off the grid
- Very few surveyors have the money to upgrade their equipment every year
- Companies that have robots aren't replacing surveyors with them, they are cutting overhead to buy robots so they can try to do the work in a different way with less overhead
- Jobs can be found, but you must ask your surveying buddies to put a good word in or tip you off to available positions.
Just because you were laid off doesn't mean the world has stopped spinning. Track down your old co-workers and do a bit of networking..or jump on LSU and find surveyors anywhere in the world. You can do it! landsurveyorsunited.com
Job Search Trends Absolutely related to Land Surveying
Job Search Trends Relative to Land Surveying
How does this make you feel?
Replies
not much better now, unfortunately