2 The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 46, No. 4 From the PLSO Chair MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR Summer-like weather is finally upon us, and so are all the summer activities we look forward to. I hope you and your family will have plenty of opportunities to get out and enjoy all that is available to enjoy. This time of year is also the busier time for us surveyors. People are probably calling to get their boundaries found for their DIY projects (new fence, landscaping, etc.). The call normally starts with, “When can you get out here?” and then “Why does it take so long? I just need the line found for my fence.” All of us have heard this call so many times we can almost repeat it word for word before the caller even starts the conversation. I bring all of this up because in the past few articles I have written along with other materials in The Oregon Surveyor magazine, we have been discussing the matter of needing more people to enter our profession. There will be more interaction with the public during your fieldwork this time of year, and this presents the opportunity to engage, because there will always be those who ask, “What is it you’re doing?” Have you given some thought about how you would answer this question? Some of you probably have heard of the “elevator speech.” This is a short one-minute rehearsed response to the question of “what is it you do?” It’s a way to prepare a to-thepoint and descriptive, engaging answer that you would give to someone if all you had was one minute in an elevator with them. It is also an opportunity to engage the people and market our profession Tim Fassbender, PLS PLSO Board Chair There will be more interaction with the public during your fieldwork this time of year, and this presents the opportunity to engage, because there will always be those who ask, “What is it you’re doing?” and make them aware of the job opportunities we have. I have had many parents stop me when I was out in the field and ask how their kids might learn more about surveying and what it takes to become a land surveyor. I have also had people thinking about changing their professions and asking if it is possible to do so without going back to school or if they can take classes online. The elevator speech is a great way to begin a conversation, and if they show interest in getting more information, be ready to take a few moments and explain our profession and the avenues available to them to enter our profession. I strongly encourage you to talk with your field crew people and office staff, and take some time yourself to come up with your own elevator speech. It doesn’t need to be detailed—keeping it short is important. I know taking time to chat with people when you are trying to get the job done is difficult, but I bet two things will happen if you take the time to chat with them. One, you may make a friend and learn something from them that will help you with your project. Two, you might find a person wanting to enter our profession and just needing a few minutes of your time to learn how to do it. You can explain to them that there are two basic avenues to becoming a land surveyor: a college degree in an ABET-accredited degree in land surveying (which is not required in all cases), or on-the-job training. Both avenues are worthy paths and lead to a career in our profession. With the shortage of help we are experiencing, we all need to become marketing people and educate the public on our profession and the career opportunities we have. Many of us probably choose to become land surveyors or at least work for land surveyors because we enjoyed many aspects of our profession. Where else can you work where you are not going to the same work site every day, where you get to work all over the state, or at least all around your part of the state? For those who wish to work in all types of weather or stay in the office on those terrible weather days and be out in the sun, they even pay us to do that. What about all those tools we get to use that weren’t around just a few years ago? How many of you still carry a plumb bob because you feel lost if it isn’t on your hip? Yes, there are parts of our profession we don’t really care about, but the positive aspects far outweigh the negatives. This is the message you need to convey to those who you talk to about our profession. Think about your elevator speech and be ready when the chance comes up to use it. Keep a smile on your face when approached (at least you will make them wonder why you are smiling). You might be the person who persuaded someone to enter into our profession, and you might even gain an individual who will someday take over your business when you want to go fishing.
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