What do they do?
Perform surveying and mapping duties, usually under the direction of an engineer, surveyor, cartographer, or photogrammetrist, to obtain data used for construction, mapmaking, boundary location, mining, or other purposes. May calculate mapmaking information and create maps from source data, such as surveying notes, aerial photography, satellite data, or other maps to show topographical features, political boundaries, and other features. May verify accuracy and completeness of maps.
Also known as:
Field Surveyor, Land Survey Technician (Land Survey Tech), Land Surveyor, Mapping Editor, Mapping Technician (Mapping Tech), Photogrammetric Technician (Photogrammetric Tech), Rodman, Stereoplotter Operator, Survey Technician (Survey Tech), Surveying Technician (Surveying Tech), Surveyor Helper
No Data Available
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2.6%
Change
Ranks #48 in job growth rate180Job Openings
Ranks #14 in net job growth
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- Some college, no degree (36%)
- High school diploma equivalent (29%)
- Associate's degree (20%)
- Bachelor's degree (7%)
- Less than high school diploma (6%)
- Master's degree (2%)
- Doctorate or Professional Degree (<1%)
Most Popular Majors that prepare Surveying and Mapping Technicians
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#1
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Degrees Granted
333
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Female Students
29
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Male Students
304
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Median Starting Salary
$56,989
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#2
-
Degrees Granted
265
-
Female Students
108
-
Male Students
157
-
Median Starting Salary
$43,800
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#3
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Degrees Granted
140
-
Female Students
52
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Male Students
88
-
Median Starting Salary
$43,800
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People in this career often have these skills:
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
People in this career often know a lot about:
- Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
- Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
- Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
People in this career often have talent in:
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
- Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
People in this career often do these activities:
- Survey land or bodies of water to measure or determine features.
- Determine geographic coordinates.
- Calculate geographic positions from survey data.
- Create graphical representations of structures or landscapes.
- Enter codes or other information into computers.
- Survey land or properties.
- Evaluate designs or specifications to ensure quality.
- Gather physical survey data.
- Create maps.
- Supervise engineering or other technical personnel.
- Monitor processes for compliance with standards.
- Document technical design details.
- Develop software or computer applications.
- Verify mathematical calculations.
- Assist engineers or scientists with research.
- Explain project details to the general public.
- Operate computer systems.
- Estimate costs for projects or productions.
- Prepare maps.
This page includes data from:
Career data:
O*NET 31.0 Database
by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA
Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment Statistics
Videos:
CareerOneStop
, USDOL/ETA and the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development
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