Any street with a lot of buildings, especially houses, is likely to have many fences marking the edge of each property. Before people can build those fences, they need to know where one property ends and another begins, and they need help in finding that information. Surveyors research property lines and boundaries to help determine the ownership of different pieces of land and settle any disputes that people might have.

Suppose that your parents planted a bush just at the edge of your yard. In the future, the people living in the two houses might not know who owned the bush. A surveyor could research the property to find out where the boundary lines were. This work might involve working outside with special equipment to record the locations of the boundaries. Often, however, surveyors work in offices and archives to search for information on the property lines. Computers and other electronic equipment are an important part of this work.

Making electronic or paper drawings of features of the landscape, such as hills and streams, is an important part of the work. People in this career should have a good sense of distance and proportions to be able to see how to make the most accurate drawings possible. Maintaining records and updating them whenever necessary is important. In high school, courses in mathematics and English are useful, and even art courses can be helpful. Getting practice in looking for details and then drawing them can be useful, as well.

Construction is a common source of work for surveyors. Before builders can begin construction on a house or office, they need to be sure that they are not putting up the building in the wrong place. Surveyors learn how to record the necessary information and to make it available to people who need it. Being organized and detail-oriented is important for people in this field.

Most people in this job work regular days, although they might have longer days during the peak season for construction. Besides construction companies, governments and land surveying companies often hire people. Depending on the size of the company, surveyors might work alone or with a team of several others.

Salaries for surveyors start at about $50,600 per year and can rise to about $78,900 with experience. The job is normally not very physically difficult, and people can continue in the field until retirement. However, it may become tiring and stressful, especially during the busy season. Later in their careers, surveyors might want to move into supervisory positions.

Surveyors should be able to work either alone or with others. They might have several projects to work on at once, or they might concentrate on one at a time. Being flexible but also organized can help surveyors to get the job done properly so that others can do their work.

The work that surveyors do can seem invisible, but it is very important in keeping cities and towns in good repair. If you are accurate and detail-oriented, working in this area could be a very good choice for you.

Bibliography:

Careers in Construction. “Surveyors.” https://www.careersinconstruction.ca/en/career/surveyor

Job Bank. “Land Surveyor in Canada.” https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/marketreport/jobs/24419/CA

Salary Explorer. “Land Surveyor Average Salary in Canada.” http://www.salaryexplorer.com/salary-survey.php?loc=38&loctype=1&job=183&jobtype=3.

University of Manitoba. “Land Surveyor.” https://umanitoba.ca/career-services/career-planning/explore-occupations/land-surveyor.