Employers
Approximately 53,030 surveying and mapping technicians are employed in the United States. About 60 percent of technicians find work with engineering or architectural service firms. The federal government also employs technicians to work for the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and the Forest Service. State and local governments also hire surveying and mapping technicians to work for highway departments and urban planning agencies. Construction firms and oil, gas, and mining companies also hire technicians.
Starting Out
Those entering surveying straight from high school may first work as an apprentice. Through on-the-job training and some classroom work, apprentices build up their skills and knowledge of the trade to eventually become surveying and mapping technicians.
If you plan to attend a technical institute or four-year college, check out your school's career services office for help in arranging examinations or interviews. Employers of surveying technicians often send recruiters to schools before graduation and arrange to employ promising graduates. Some community or technical colleges have work-study programs that provide cooperative part-time or summer work for pay. Employers involved with these programs often hire students full time after graduation.
Many cities have employment agencies that specialize in placing technical workers in positions in surveying, mapping, construction, mining, and related fields. Find these services through an online search as well as through local newspaper postings.
- Agricultural Scientists
- Arborists
- Architects
- Asbestos Abatement Technicians
- Assessors and Appraisers
- Astrogeologists
- Biofuels Processing Technicians
- Biofuels Production Managers
- Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers
- Biomass Plant Technicians
- Biomass Power Plant Managers
- Boilermakers and Mechanics
- Botanists
- Bricklayers and Stonemasons
- Building Automation Systems Engineers
- Building Automation Systems Technicians
- Building Performance Diagnosticians
- Carpenters
- Cartographers
- Cement Masons
- Chemical Engineers
- Chemical Technicians
- Chemists
- Civil Engineering Technicians
- Civil Engineers
- Climate Scientists
- Coal Miners
- Computer-Aided Design Drafters and Technicians
- Construction Inspectors
- Construction Laborers
- Construction Managers
- Corporate Climate Strategists
- Cost Estimators
- Divers and Diving Technicians
- Drafters
- Drywall Installers and Finishers
- Ecologists
- Electricians
- Elevator Installers and Repairers
- Energy Brokers
- Energy Conservation Technicians
- Energy Consultants
- Energy Efficiency Engineers
- Energy Transmission and Distribution Workers
- Engineering Technicians
- Engineers
- Environmental Engineers
- Environmental Planners
- Environmental Restoration Planners
- Environmental Scientists
- Environmental Technicians
- Ethical Sourcing Officer
- Floor Covering Installers
- Fluid Power Technicians
- Forensic Meteorologists
- Fuel Cell Engineers
- Fuel Cell Technicians
- Futurists
- General Maintenance Mechanics
- Geodetic Surveyors
- Geographers
- Geographic Information Systems Specialists
- Geological Technicians
- Geologists
- Geophysicists
- Geospatial Analytics Specialists
- Geotechnical Engineers
- Geothermal Energy Industry Workers
- Geothermal Production Managers
- Geothermal Technicians
- Glaziers
- Green Builders
- Groundwater Professionals
- Hazardous Waste Management Specialists
- Hazardous Waste Management Technicians
- Heating and Cooling Technicians
- Horticultural Technicians
- Hydroelectric Plant Technicians
- Hydroelectric Production Managers
- Indoor Environmental Health Specialists
- Industrial Ecologists
- Industrial Engineering Technicians
- Insulators/Insulation Workers
- Laboratory Testing Technicians
- Landmen
- Landscape Architects
- Lathers
- Line Installers and Cable Splicers
- Marble Setters, Tile Setters, and Terrazzo Workers
- Materials Engineers
- Metallurgical Engineers
- Metallurgical Technicians
- Meteorologists
- Meter Readers, Utilities
- Methane/Landfill Gas Collection System Operators
- Methane/Landfill Gas Generation System Technicians
- Millwrights
- Mining Engineers
- Naturalists
- Non-Destructive Testing Specialists
- Nuclear Engineers
- Nuclear Reactor Operators and Technicians
- Occupational Safety and Health Workers
- Oceanographers
- Operating Engineers
- Painters and Paperhangers
- Paleontologists
- Petroleum Engineers
- Petroleum Technicians
- Plasterers
- Plumbers and Pipefitters
- Power Plant Workers
- Radiation Protection Technicians
- Range Managers
- Real Estate Developers
- Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists
- Remote Sensing Technicians
- Renewable Energy Careers
- Renewable Energy Engineers
- Renewable Energy Site Assessors
- Rewilders
- Roofers
- Roustabouts
- Sheet Metal Workers
- Smart Building Systems Designers
- Soil Conservationists and Technicians
- Soil Scientists
- Solar Energy Sales Representatives
- Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians
- Space Meteorologist
- Stationary Engineers
- Surveyors
- Swimming Pool Designers
- Truck Drivers
- Welders and Welding Technicians
- Wind Energy Engineers
- Wind Energy Operations Managers
- Wind Energy Project Managers