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Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon | www.plso.org
Can Experience Help?
Dick Bryant, LS 920
G
reg Crites’ article in the last
Oregon Surveyor
[Vol.38, No. 3] hit home in many respects. I am
one of those over 50 people that he mentioned.
Actually, I’m way over 50 and that’s all I’m going to say
about that. I agree with his idea of the elders passing on
some of their experiences to the youngers. With that
thought in mind, I’d like to share a few things I have
learned over the years that may be helpful to those now
practicing, or hope to be in the future.
I started my surveying career nearly 50 years ago. At the
time our field equipment was a 20" Gurley Hellgate transit,
a 200 or 300 foot steel tape (chain) that had to be thrown
(an old survey term for coiling the chain and we always
carried matches and tape menders), plumb bobs with those
little plastic targets, chaining clamps, etc. We worked our
way into a 1" Zeiss and 1" (that’s seconds, not inches) Kern
theodolites.
Then came the Hewlett Packard (HP) 3800 electronic
distance meter (EDM). With the EDM we thought we had
died and gone to heaven. Also self-leveling levels were a
Godsend. Office calculations were done using trigono
metric tables and an old Monroe desk calculator. We
thought we were breaking the bank when we bought our
first electronic calculator, costing upwards of $200. Now
they will give them away if you open a new bank account.
In the 70s, HP started coming out with their hand held
calculators that had all the functions hard wired in. Our
first computer (if you could call it that) was an Olivetti P101.
Weighed a ton and cost us $2,500 after being discounted
from $3,500.
All drafting was performed by hand. A skilled drafts
person was coveted, especially if they knew how to use a
Leroy set. It’s obvious that the equipment used by
surveyors today has made tremendous gains since the mid
60s. It’s allowed projects to be completed more efficiently
and accurately. The learning curve to master the new
technology is a lot more challenging, but be thankful you
have the equipment you have.
So what is it that I have learned over the years that
might be of value to those working their way up in the
profession? Here are some thoughts you might keep in
mind. I am couching these remarks more for those
working in the private sector, rather than the public,
but some apply to all.
Letter to the Editor
1.
Always do the best that you can.
Never cut corners
even if it means you might not make the profit you
expected on a particular job. I heard of a local surveyor
that lost his license because he fudged the rules.
2.
Never stop learning
whether it be in the profession or
other endeavors that might be of interest. Now that I am
a person of leisure, I read at least a book a week. Most are
no-brainer mysteries, but occasionally I actually read
something that expands my base of knowledge. History
and old engineering/construction projects are a passion.
3.
Be involved
, whether in the surveying profession
through PLSO, or community activities. Never forget
the opportunities that this country has offered you.
Give back some of your time and talent.
4.
Make your voice heard.
Stay abreast of what is
happening politically in local, country, and world events.
5.
Strike a balance.
Don’t get so involved in professional
or other activities that if effects your family life.
6.
Treat clients with respect.
If they don’t reciprocate
then discard them. It will pay off in repeat business
from clients that you enjoy working with, and trying
to work with bad ones won’t keep you awake at night.
7.
Always treat other surveyors with respect.
Don’t be
afraid to share information. What goes around comes
around. In the past I have contacted surveyors asking
for information and they wouldn’t give me the time
of day (do I detect some insecurity here?). Others were
so helpful that they would almost come out and do the
job for you.
8.
Accept responsibility for any mistakes you may make.
Suck up and make whatever corrections are necessary,
learn from them and then move on.
9.
Share your knowledge.
There are people in associated
fields we deal with that need to be better educated about
our profession. Realtors, title companies, and lending
institutions come to mind.
Greg shared an attorney story so I will do likewise.
Lawyers always seem to be put upon, but in my case I dealt
with one who was really a nice person, just a little naive as
to the ways of surveyors and their duties. The attorney said
he needed an ingress and egress easement description
prepared. His client (Mr. A) had unknowingly lived for
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
