Land Surveyors Perform Many Duties and Command Good Salaries

If you're good at math - specifically geometry and trigonometry - and you enjoy working outside, maybe you could become a Land Surveyor. Land surveying, according to Wikipedia.com is "the technique and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them." In layman's terms, it's the science of measuring and mapping land.

Land surveyors are much in demand these days, so if you have the talent for it and the necessary educational background (which varies by state), you can command anywhere from $40,000 to $60,000 a year, according to payscale.com. Different states have different educational requirements, so if you happen to live in a state that requires only a high school diploma, you're in a better position, naturally, than if you live in a state that requires more education. Even so, you still have to pass a couple of exams in order to become a licensed professional land surveyor. The first exam is called the Fundamentals of Surveying exam. Once you pass it, you must work under the supervision of a professional surveyor for usually four years, as an apprentice of sorts, before being allowed to take the Principles and Practice of Surveyors exam. Once you've passed that exam, known as the PS exam, you are then licensed as a professional land surveyor.

Surveyors' map and measure land for a variety of reasons. Many times, it's in order to establish boundaries between properties. This is often required in the process of buying or selling property. Other reasons for surveying land, however, are to establish elevations, map river bottoms for dredging, or layout corridors for tunnels, roads, pipelines, or other construction projects. Sometimes surveyors are used in order to split up lots in new housing divisions, a surveyor maps even caves. If topographical maps are needed for any reason, a surveyor is usually required.

How do they do it? Land surveyors use several tools of the trade. One is called a Global Positioning System, or GPS. Based on satellite tracking, it sends a signal to a receiver, which is located at the spot in which the surveyor is doing his fieldwork. This receiver transmits data to a data collector, which then determines (through various calculations) the exact coordinates of the area. Other tools use beams of light and rulers to measure angles and determine elevations.

A land surveyor's work is usually varied and most surveyors find it to be interesting. They do, however, spend the majority of their time working outside, so if you don't enjoy the outdoors, this isn't a good career path for you. If you like the great outdoors, enjoy meeting new people, and have an interest in topography, as well as the necessary math skills, it's a good career with a burgeoning future.