Choices

I thought I was working for a Civil/Survey firm, but it turns out its more a civil eng. company with a total station. The PE(and owner) is also a PLS and can stamp his own survey work for his projects. The tech we use is very basic (total station only), and I'm not using any of the skills or knowledge my education provided.  While I know there is profit in my skills beyond my ability to run a total station, I don't know if I should try to learn on my own and add my value to this company or if I be looking for another job with a firm that already uses the more advanced spatial sciences that I want to implement.

So, should I try to make a profit with my unproven knowledge and continue to work for this company or should I seek out another place to work that is already using the methods I want to be a part of?

Andrew-

I was in a similar situation several years ago. I worked for a couple of technically advanced firms, working on high profile projects in the public sector. I worked on geodetic surveys for photo control, design surveys and construction control surveys for large transportation projects. I relocated and found a job working for a small outfit in a rual area. I took a 50% pay reduction. I was working with outdated equipment and outdated software. I felt that the party cheifs I worked with were careless and didn't follow proper field proceedures. I thought I was back in the stone age. But, what I didn't know, that I would be exposed to totally different disiplines of surveying that I had been exposed to in the past. I was now working on boundary surveys, parcel maps, boundary line adjustments, certificate of compliance, corner records, condominium plans, etc. I learned alot and I can attribute most of my real knowlege about surveying to the man who I worked for at that small stone age company from the sticks.

Not sure where you are from, but In my neck of the woods, I would feel pretty good about having a job at all, let alone a job doing what you went to school to do. Bottom line: If the income affords you a living, learn as much as you can from that particular business model (learn from the good as well as the bad) and help out where you can. When you feel that the company has nothing more to offer, or a chance to further you career comes along, then make your move. I have found that the surveying community is a small one and you never want to burn any of the bridges you build, because you never know who you will be working for next summer.....

Good luck Andrew!
  

Choices??? WTF?

1) if you were "educated" then your education should kick you in the ass and tell you that you are lucky to have a job at all.

2) don't leave your job until you have a new one... the job market is bad and there are jobs out there, but there are also more than rookie surveyors competing for those positions ;)   ***I would also keep my mouth shut at my current office... it is nothing to show a rookie the door.*** They can do it without you.

3) You should pursue something else, but take some time to learn what you need where you are.

4) you have A LOT to learn about surveying "with just a total station"... I guarantee that.

don't bitch, suffer in silence

A few months back when you were deciding between two job offers, one from the big firm with the latest equipment, and the other being this small firm, this situation is exactly what many of us told you it would be.

It should come as no shock to you that they are working with older conventional equipment.  It is mildly surprising that they have no GPS, but not shocking.  Almost any small survey job can be done with a total station, not all can be done with GPS.

Like Mr. Christensen said, and as you were advised several months ago, your opportunities in a firm like this are not necessarily less than they would be in the larger firm, but they will be very different.  If you are able to show your employer that you can perform a wide array of tasks relative to the company's projects, not just measuring and calculating, although those are important, then you will likely be given different responsibilities.  That is a wider array of responsibilities.  A couple of the most important things your boss will want to see to entrust you with those other responsibilities are an appreciation for the opportunities you are given, and good judgment.

Whining because you don't have the latest, greatest measuring tools to play with displays neither.  If really think that your education was to prepare you to be a great instrument operator, whether it be a total station, GPS, a scanner, or whatever the next whiz-bang field tool that comes along to make our field work easier, then you wasted your time a college.  You could have sought out a job with one of the big firms right out of high school, begged and pleaded with the boss to put you with the chief that gets the newest and best tools, and learned all you needed to know about running them in 6 months or less.  If you are worried about missing out on using cool gadgets, then you are stuck in a technician's viewpoint and are overeducated for your amibitions and professional aspirations.

One thing I learned early on is that field technology changes pretty fast, but it is all built for one simple task - to make measurements.  Period.  Even if you personally fall behind in technology for several years, it doesn't take very long to get up to speed once the opportunity to obtain or use the latest greatest comes along.  However, the broader set of tasks that go into making a project come together can only be adequately learned with time, lots of it.  And it is these broader set of skills involving research, the law, economics, personnel and project management, client relations, contracts, etc. that you will need to be an effective professional.  Depending upon the culture of the company as set by the owner, you probably have a much better opportunity to learn the professional skills where you are at.

If you really feel they should be using newer equipment, then why don't you try to impress the boss with an economic analysis which identifies current project types performed by the company, provides a realistic comparison of productivity using equipment currently owned by the company vs the equipment you propose they buy or lease.  Show, given a realistic workload projection, whether the benefit outweighs the cost on a monthly basis, and how long it would take to recoup the investment.  Factor in auxilliary purchases required (additional equipment, software, computer upgrades, etc.) and any staff training required.  Factor in a learning curve for other staff who would use the equipment or software.  This would be a great economic lesson for you in terms of making a real world decision in making a capital investment, and if your assumptions and baselines are realistic, regardless of whether your analysis shows that it makes sense to obtain such equipment now, at some point in the foreseeable future, or only under economic conditions which are not currently foreseeable, you are likely to impress your boss with the thoroughness and ability to perform such an analysis. 


But if your analysis is incomplete in its accounting of various cost and use factors, if it is based upon unrealistic projections and assumptions, if the data is deliberatley skewed to improperly arrive at a decision to obtain expensive equipment, your boss will be able to easily spot those things.  Rather than being impressed with the knowledge required to put the analysis together, he will see it as a poorly considered and half baked attempt to get him to spend his money on an expensive toy for you.  Not unlike a teenager trying to convince his dad that his first car should be a new Mustang instead of a used Corolla.  I hope you paid attention in your business economics class and kept the text book.  It sure would come in handy now.



So decide.  Are you determined to be on the road to becoming a well rounded professional, or a highly skilled and overeducated technician?  If where you are at will not help to fulfill your long term career goals, then start looking for other opportunities.  I suggest that you consider the question carefully, and re-read Brian's post a few times as you do so.

"youngman's disease"

I learned this term about 3 years back.  At the time I was working for a large engineering firm and had just come out of a meeting our company's brass was having with the management of several entities involved in a large project.

One of our regional managers used the term to describe an up and coming player "Jim" involved in the project.  The guy was full of ideas, full of a recent college education. Very confident. Very much on the path to succeed.

However, his lack of life's experiences was telling.  The term "youngman's disease" was in reference to the content of the presentation Jim had provided.  Nothing in specific but it lacked the tact and humility which comes with the wisdom gained from experience.

I see that from your posts.    You have a lot to learn.  Right now you don't know what you don't know.  Be humble and ask questions.

As one who has worked in small firms, large firms, (currently own my own firm), and local, state and federal government, I highly recommend you use the earlier years of your career to move around and try some of each.  If you can, work on a BLM cadastral crew for a couple of years.  Then try a city or county government.  These are experiences you won't get anywhere else. 
Large firms and state governments will usually provide a much more specialized skill set due to their nature of departmentalizing their tasks.  This is good as it comes with high end resources.

One thing I found in working for the multitude of entities and firms is that I not only learned new things at each one, I also learned about misconceptions and ignorances held by those in my earlier employments. 

You will learn from your mistakes.  A true sign of character is how you address those mistakes.  (i.e. solutions and acceptance).

You will profit from learning from other's mistakes. 

Learn from other's character.   Tact is learned.  Value it greatly.

Overall, be a humble student.  The more you learn, the more you will realize what it is you don't know. 

I have a theory, that some stop learning and it shows.  There are those with 30 years of experience, and those with 1 year of experience 30 times.  Be the former, not the latter.

Sorry for the rambling. Take it with a grain of salt. 

Good advice from "Average Joe", I would hang in there, learn what you can, your young and have a long time to develop your skills and to be noticed by others...

Andrew,
You've got a lot of good advice here and I would like add a little of my own...so here it is:

• I have been surveying since 1969 and over the years I have had more trouble with people that developed "Old Man Disease" than I have had with any other diseases including poison ivy.  This disease causes some surveyors, as they age, to stop educating themselves when they reach what they think is "expert' status.  They would rather adapt old traditions and methodology to new technology than they would experiment with new equipment and innovative ideas.  Never be afraid to fail and never stop learning.  Don't worry about "Young Mans Disease" but be very careful of "Old Man Disease".  You can tell who is infected by regularly reading this board.  Those who post here that are not infected "shine" while the infected ones drool.
• I worked for an old timer  who once told me that no one is irreplaceable.  That means you and that means your boss.  Don't be afraid to change jobs, but be smart about it.
• Be cocky.
• The is a definite difference between a PLS and PLS & PE don't let the later get you down.

Remember, you are not alone, everyone of us has a lot to learn.  It's just a matter of who will and who won't. 

Andrew,

The more you know, the more you know the less you know.

Excellent sage advise offered.

You mentioned in your post you were considering the option of seeking other employment. Can I suggest  to you that employers are suspicious when a
resume shows a short employment period. No matter how you dress it up the employer will always be suspicious that you will again get itchy feet  if you are not happy.

For small business to employ  professional staff it is a huge gamble,

1 Financially,  ensuring that there is sufficient work  flow to ensure  you get paid!

2 Employee loyalty. The employer spends time and money to hire and train and does rightfully want a pound of flesh in return by not flying the coop .

Employees do not appreciate what the small business employer does to enhance their training and want a one way street , just like you write about.

Andrew dismount from your spirited steed and make an early appointment with your employer and ask him/her  how  they think you are performing and what do they envisage  for your future. As it is saddening that you have in your eagerness or frustration hung your dirty laundry out on a public line for all to witness  with out consulting the one person who can answer your concerns.


RADU