What are the employment opportunities?

Surveying employment opportunities are available in private surveying, engineering and construction firms. Organizations in the public sector such as state highway departments also hire survey technicians. Generally speaking, a survey technician must have the following skills in order to gain successful employment:

• Computer-Assisted Drafting skills
• Field use of surveying equipment
• Ability to read and interpret drawings and maps
• Ability to prepare maps and plots
• Ability to write simple property descriptions
• Ability to perform complex surveying computations
• GIS, GPS experience

After four years on the job, technicians are eligible to apply to become a Land Surveyor In-Training (LSIT). The average salary for a LSIT is more than $40,000 annually. An experienced land surveyor can earn about $65,000 annually.

Survey technicians can transfer to Oregon Institute of Technology in Wilsonville, Oregon, to earn baccalaureate degrees in geomatics.