Land Surveying Programs

Seeking out land surveying programs or training? If you're looking into finding a new line of work, then you may want to look into land surveyor training.

Land Surveyor Schools

Of course, you're probably wondering what exactly that entails and what sort of money there is in that line of work. So let's get started with this introduction to the field of surveying. A land surveyor's job is to determine the three dimensional shape of a piece of land, to determine the angles, distances and space from one point of land to another. This is done so that a property owner can determine what's theirs and what isn't, more or less. A surveyor determines these lines so that borders can be drawn on a map and exact definitions can be made around a piece of land. Land surveying programs at the associate degree levels prepare graduates for entry-level positions surveying land in construction and zoning projects.

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Land Surveying Education and Licensing

In order to become licensed in land surveying, you'll study a wide range of subjects. These subjects include geometry, trigonometry, engineering, advanced mathematics, physics and even law. One of the interesting things about surveying is that it's one of the few fields where natural science and law have equal say in what happens at the end of the day.

Not only do you really need a license, but you actually do need training. It's not the sort of job you can simply learn as you go or that you can pick up on your own. You need to learn how to use the equipment and how to draw the lines that need to be drawn. Surveying courses may include:

• Surveying Computations
• Mapping
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Photogrammetry
• Geodesy
• Remote Sensing
• Calculus
• Technical Writing
• Surveying Fundamentals

Careers in Surveying

The money that can be made with land surveyor jobs is quite substantial. It's relatively easy work in comparison to much of what goes on in the construction industry, as you're being paid not for your hard work but for your expertise. As for the kind of work that's out there: plenty. Whenever someone starts building a new property, they first have to determine what land they can build on and what land they can't build on. So, work is pretty steady if you're a surveyor.

Expected Salary and Projected Career Growth

If you're wondering how surveyors are making out during this recession: Just fine. People are still building and property is still being bought and sold, so surveyors will always have work, even during a recession. So no matter what happens to the economy, whether it picks up or slows down, there's a pretty good chance that, as long as you're a skilled surveyor, you'll be able to pay the bills on this skill set.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, architectural and engineering firms employ a majority of land surveyors, while government and local agencies employ about 15%. The rate of job growth for surveyors is expected to grow 19% between 2008 and 2018. The land surveyor salary is around $52,980 annually. Median annual wages of surveying and mapping technicians were $35,120 in 2008 and the annual wages of cartographers and photogrammetrists were $51,180. Land surveying programs will therefore prepare you to work in this field.