{"id":7883,"date":"2026-04-21T11:48:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T18:48:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.centralcoastclsa.org\/?p=7883"},"modified":"2026-05-14T08:30:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T15:30:38","slug":"young-surveyors-arent-demanding-the-impossible-they-are-asking-for-a-fair-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.centralcoastclsa.org\/index.php\/2026\/04\/21\/young-surveyors-arent-demanding-the-impossible-they-are-asking-for-a-fair-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Surveyors Aren’t Demanding The Impossible: They Are Asking For A Fair Deal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

Prepared By: Trent J. Keenan, PLS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An abstract of Round Table Tuesdays Episode 12: Employment Expectations: Young Surveyors\u2019 Perspective (Part 1) May 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is based on the Round Table Tuesday\u2019s discussion featuring surveyors across all experience levels.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Reprinted with permission from the Nevada Association of Land Surveyors, Nevada Traverse, Issue 53.1 www.NvLandSurveyors.org\/nevada_traverse.html<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

T<\/strong>here\u2019s a line that shows up all across our profession right now: \u201cNobody wants to work anymore.\u201d It gets tossed around when a new hire leaves after six months, when a posting sits open for weeks or months, or when a crew leader can\u2019t find a helper who sticks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that line doesn\u2019t hold up when you actually listen to young surveyors talk. In Episode 12 of Round Table Tuesdays, a mixed panel of seasoned pros and newer folks in the profession sat down and did exactly that. No sugarcoating. No \u201ckids these days.\u201d Just an honest conversation about what people expect from work now, and what the land surveying profession is doing (or not doing) to keep up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tone was respectful, but the message was blunt: young surveyors are not asking for special treatment. They\u2019re asking for a fair deal. Clear training. Safe work. Decent pay. A life outside the job. And a real path forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If that sounds obvious, good. The problem is, we don\u2019t always run our companies like that\u2019s true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What young surveyors are telling employers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Don\u2019t hire me and then disappear. Train me.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Show me what \u201cmoving up\u201d looks like, and how long it usually takes. Don\u2019t tell me: I have to pay my dues!<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Pay me like you need me, not like I should be grateful you called me back.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Don\u2019t make me choose between a career and a life.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Keep me safe. Saving payroll isn\u2019t worth getting someone hurt.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Treat techs and new hires like professionals, not disposable labor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    The Clock is ticking. Retirements, Knowledge Loss, and the Talent Gap<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The roundtable started with a casual chat about scheduling and retirement, but it wasn\u2019t a throwaway topic. That issue sits behind almost everything else we\u2019re dealing with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Many experienced surveyors are retiring or thinking about it. Some are still teaching seminars now and then, but fewer want to run full-time crews forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That matters more than people realize. Surveying relies on judgement that doesn\u2019t live in a textbook: how to read a neighborhood, how to spot a bad deed call, how to know when a monument \u201cfits,\u201d how to explain a decision in a way that holds up in court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If we don\u2019t intentionally pass that judgement down through mentoring, shadowing, and teaching. It doesn\u2019t just walk out the door. It starts to disappear. Then we act shocked when newer staff don\u2019t \u201cjust know\u201d what the old crew chief knew. Surveyors have always learned on crews; knowledge moves person to person.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The problem isn\u2019t \u201cwork ethic.\u201d It\u2019s the deal we\u2019re offering.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One of the clearest themes of the roundtable was this: plenty of people want to work, they just don\u2019t want to get stuck. If the job looks like long weeks, vague expectations, low starting pay, and a \u201cfigure it out\u201d training plan, they\u2019ll keep looking. That isn\u2019t entitlement. That\u2019s basic self-respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Dustin puts words to what a lot of companies feel but don\u2019t always say out loud: it\u2019s hard to attract and keep people when the starting salaries in surveying don\u2019t match the demands of the work. Surveying isn\u2019t an entry-level desk job. It\u2019s early mornings, It\u2019s working in traffic, heat, cold, ticks, thorn bushes, steep slopes, and responsibility that can follow a project for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And the experience gap is real. Many new hires walk in with limited field time. Some are fresh out of school. Some are switching careers. Others are bringing valuable skills from other fields like Amirali, who shared his computer science background, but still needs time to learn the day-to-day reality of boundary work, construction staking, and \u201cwhy it\u2019s done this way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s the hard truth: if we want people to stay, we have to stop treating the early years like a test of survival. A profession that depends on burnout to sort people out will eventually create its own shortage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    School can\u2019t teach the job. Mentorship does.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Jerry made a point that should be printed on every job posting: school is not the finish line. He reminded the group that students may only learn a slice of what they\u2019ll actually need on the job. The bigger skill is learning how to learn, because surveying never stops changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That gap between \u201cwhat school covers\u201d and \u201cwhat the field demands\u201d is exactly where mentorship is supposed to live. And it\u2019s also where a lot of companies are coming up short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Several people came back to the same idea: mentorship isn\u2019t a nice bonus. It\u2019s the bridge that keeps a new hire from feeling lost and embarrassed every day. It\u2019s the thing that turns a paycheck into a career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Connie didn\u2019t pretend it was easy. She pointed out that finding a good mentor can be tough, not everyone who has years in the profession is good at teaching. Her advice was simple: look for companies that don\u2019t leave mentorship to chance. Look for places with a real program and a culture where questions aren\u2019t treated like weakness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re a manager reading this, here\u2019s a good check: are you proud of how your company trains people? Or do you just hope the new hire \u201cfigures it out\u201d before they quit? Precision tools are only half the equation. The other half is training and judgement.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Work-life balance isn\u2019t a perk anymore. It\u2019s the baseline.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A few years ago, \u201cwork-life balance\u201d was treated like something you brought up only if you were brave, or if you didn\u2019t want to get hired. After COVID, that changed. People saw what constant work does to families, mental health, and long-term motivation. The roundtable didn\u2019t dance around it: flexible scheduling is now part of the conversation, not a side note.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I shared a real-world example on how we incorporated work-life balance. Our company moved to a 9\/80 schedule. Staff work nine-hour days and get every other Friday off, while still keeping the week in a reasonable range. It\u2019s not a magic trick. It\u2019s just a decision that says, \u201cWe want you to have a life and still do great work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Connie described similar flexibility at Michael Baker in California, remote options for office staff, flexible hours, and field assignments structured so people can work closer to home when possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    None of this means standards drop. It means leaders are finally admitting what workers already know: if the job eats your whole week, it will eventually eat your motivation too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If an employer says, \u201cWe can\u2019t do any flexibility in surveying,\u201d the roundtable quietly proved that\u2019s not always true. It might be hard. It might take planning. But \u201chard\u201d is not the same as \u201cimpossible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Pay, progression, and respect: the three things you can\u2019t dodge.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s tempting to talk about recruiting like it\u2019s a marketing problem: better ads, better branding, better social media posts. But the roundtable kept circling back to something more basic: people stay when the math makes sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Starting pay matters. So does the pace of raises. So does whether benefits are real or just a paragraph in the handbook. When a new hire is staring at rent, student loans, and a vehicle payment, \u201cyou\u2019ll be a crew chief someday\u201d doesn\u2019t pay the bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is where Tim\u2019s point about wage data tools hits hard. Young professionals are comparing industries. They\u2019re comparing what\u2019s asked of them against what they\u2019ll take home. If surveying wants to compete, it must compete with real numbers, not just good intentions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Progression matters just as much as pay. A vague promise of advancement isn\u2019t a plan. A plan looks like: \u201cHere are the skills we expect in Year 1. Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll learn in Year 2. Here\u2019s what it takes to move to crew chief. Here\u2019s how licensure support works. Here\u2019s what people usually earn at each step.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And respect is the part people feel first. It shows up in the small things: whether someone takes time to explain a boundary call, whether a mistake becomes a lesson or a public shaming, whether a tech is included in the conversation or treated like a warm body holding a rod. Survey decisions last. So should the career paths that produce good judgement.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Safety is part of retention. One-person crews should scare us.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Surveying is already a risky job in the real world! Roadsides, construction sites, remote corners, unpredictable weather. So when the topic of one-person crews came up, Dustin didn\u2019t mince words. The risk isn\u2019t theoretical. If something goes wrong and you\u2019re alone, help can be minutes away\u2026 or even an hour or more away depending on your location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Cost pressure is real. Everyone feels it. But cutting crew size to the bone is one of those \u201csavings\u201d that can come back as tragedy. And young workers notice. People talk. If a company\u2019s reputation is \u201cthey send you out alone,\u201d that becomes a recruiting problem fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Safety also ties back to respect. When someone feels protected, they feel valued. When someone feels like a line item, they act like one. And they leave like one!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Job hopping isn\u2019t betrayal. It\u2019s feedback.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Jerry and Jarrod talked about something older generations sometimes struggle with: job hopping is normal now. Not because people don\u2019t care, but because they\u2019ve learned that staying loyal to a bad deal rarely pays off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A young surveyor who switches companies after a year might not be \u201cungrateful.\u201d They might be doing the math. If the pay is flat, the training is random, the schedule is chaos, and nobody can explain what\u2019s next, moving on starts to look like the only way forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s the part that hits hardest for employers: job hopping is often a mirror. It shows where the gaps are, unclear advancement, weak supervision, or a culture where people feel stuck in the field forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you want people to stay, don\u2019t ask for loyalty first. Earn it. Put the path on paper. Talk about wages like adults. Give feedback often. And don\u2019t punish someone for wanting to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Veterans: a pipeline sitting right in front of us.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tim brought up a practical solution that deserves more attention: apprenticeship. Not the vague \u201cwe\u2019ll teach you as you go\u201d kind, a real program with structure, wages, and a reason for someone to commit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    He also pointed to a group the profession should be chasing harder: military veterans. Not because they\u2019re \u201ccheap labor,\u201d but because they often bring leadership habits, discipline, teamwork, and comfort working outdoors and in tough conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tim mentioned using federal tools that break down occupations and wage data, the kind of information that helps people map a career. That matters. When a young person is choosing between surveying and another field, they\u2019re not guessing anymore. They\u2019re looking up the numbers. If we don\u2019t like what those numbers say, that\u2019s on us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This isn\u2019t just recruiting. It\u2019s retention in disguise. It tells someone, \u201cWe\u2019re investing in you,\u201d and people tend to stay where they feel invested in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Profession vs. trade: stop arguing and build a ladder.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The \u201cprofession versus trade\u201d discussion can get touchy, and the roundtable didn\u2019t avoid it. Jarrod suggested that entry-level field work could be viewed as a trade, skilled, hands-on, and learned through doing. Connie pushed back, saying surveyors should be treated as professionals at every stage, including technicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I chimed in and added perspective from the past. In the 1970s, crews were larger. Work was slower and more physical. The job has always been a blend of sweat and science. And today it includes even more technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Jerry offered a clean way to think about it: training and education aren\u2019t the same thing. Technicians and technologists are essential. But the professional side of surveying can also branch into research, teaching, specialization, and leadership, especially as tools evolve with drones and GPS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s the point: we don\u2019t need to \u201cpick one.\u201d We need a ladder that respects every rung.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A healthy surveying workforce has:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Entry-level roles that teach real skills without chewing people up.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Technical paths for people who love the craft and want to master it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Professional licensure paths for people who want to carry legal responsibility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Clear bridges between the two for anyone who wants to move.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      When a company treats technicians like second-class workers, it creates a ceiling, and people don\u2019t stay under ceilings. When a company treats licensure like the only form of success, it misses the fact that strong technicians keep projects alive. Build the ladder. Pay each rung fairly. Then stop acting surprised when people climb it. Surveying keeps changing, and the workforce has to keep up with it.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      What employers can do in the next 90 days<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      If you\u2019re reading this and thinking, \u201cOkay, but what does this look like on Monday morning?\u201d Here are moves you can make without rewriting your whole company manual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Put the training plan on paper. One page is better than none. Define what a new hire should learn in their first 30, 60, and 90 days. There is a resource available for this already \u2013 Reach out to me and I can provide you with the documentation!<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Assign a real mentor and protect their time. If mentoring is \u201cextra,\u201d it will always lose to production.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Schedule short check-ins. Ten minutes weekly beats a big annual review that comes too late.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Show the pay bands. If you don\u2019t want to share them, ask yourself why. People can handle the truth better than mystery.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Offer one flexibility option, even if it\u2019s small (9\/80, staggered start times, occasional remote work for office roles).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Stop the unsafe shortcuts. If one-person crews are the norm, build a policy that limits where and when they\u2019re used, and why.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Treat technicians like the backbone they are. Give credit, share context, and stop talking about tech work like it\u2019s \u201cless than.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Support licensure and continuing education. Pay for study materials, give study time, and celebrate progress, not just the stamp.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Recruit like you mean it. Partner with schools, talk to career changers, and tap veterans programs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        None of this is soft. It\u2019s operational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        A company that trains people well, pays them clearly, and protects them will win in a tight labor market. A company that runs on burnout will keep hiring the same position over and over, and calling it \u201ca people problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        What young surveyors should ask before they accept an offer.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The roundtable also carried a quiet message for younger folks: you don\u2019t have to gamble your first years on hope. You can ask direct questions, and you should.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Who will train me day to day? Is that person expecting to mentor, or is it \u201cwhenever they have time\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • What does a normal week look like in busy season and slow season<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • How do raises work here, time-based, skill-based, performance-based, or \u201cwhenever we can\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • What\u2019s the path from where I start to the next step? How long does that usually take<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Do you help with CST\/LSIT\/PS prep, classes, or continuing education<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • What\u2019s your policy on one-person crews and roadside work<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • How often do supervisors check in, and how do you handle mistakes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • What keeps people here for five years<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          If those questions make a company uncomfortable, that tells you something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          And if you\u2019re struggling to find a mentor, take Connie\u2019s advice: keep looking. Be persistent. Good mentors exist, but you usually find them in places that value teaching, not just billing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Where does this conversation goes next.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Round Table Tuesdays didn\u2019t wrap this up with a neat bow, and that\u2019s the point. This was Part One: the young surveyors\u2019 perspective. The next article coming out in the next edition is set to flip the view and hear the employer side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          The group also pointed to something the profession needs more of: Community. Mentorship doesn\u2019t have to live only inside one company. Programs like Young Surveyors Network chapters, and regional meetups give people a place to ask questions, share job leads, and realize they aren\u2019t the only one figuring it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          If you want a \u201cpowerful statement\u201d to take away from this roundtable, it might be this: the talent gap isn\u2019t coming. It\u2019s already here. The next generation is willing to step up, but they\u2019re not going to beg to be treated well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          We can keep blaming young workers. Or we can build workplaces that make them want to stay. Surveying has adapted to every major technology shift it has faced. It can adapt to this one too. But only if leaders decide it matters!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          There\u2019s a line that shows up all across our profession right now: \u201cNobody wants to work anymore.\u201d It gets tossed around when a new hire leaves after six months, when a posting sits open for weeks or months, or when a crew leader can\u2019t find a helper who sticks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":7884,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"everybody","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_ppma_block_editor_authors":""},"categories":[8,208],"tags":[177,220],"ppma_author":[242],"class_list":["post-7883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-guest-opinion","tag-education","tag-employment"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7abWA-239","authors":[{"term_id":242,"user_id":26,"is_guest":0,"slug":"trent-j-keenan-pls-wrs-cfeds","display_name":"Trent J. Keenan, PLS, WRS, CFedS","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5869992265bc61fb97548aa310abc70dc3bbecf8d8984cb19701c24f835cb601?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"","last_name":"","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.centralcoastclsa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/YoungSurveyors.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centralcoastclsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centralcoastclsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centralcoastclsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centralcoastclsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centralcoastclsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7883"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.centralcoastclsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7885,"href":"https:\/\/www.centralcoastclsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7883\/revisions\/7885"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centralcoastclsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centralcoastclsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centralcoastclsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centralcoastclsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7883"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centralcoastclsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=7883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}