Field Notes Archives
National Geodetic Survey Age Discrimination?
Now that I am in my 60s, I have become more aware of potential age discrimination, and the reverse thereof. A few years ago, it bothered me when my purchase total was reduced at the last minute and realized I had received the “Senior Discount” without actually qualifying for it. Now it bothers me when […]
These Boots Were Made for Walking …
It sure seems like there is a lot of talk about feet these days. United States Survey Feet, International Feet, and 6 feet, but nobody is talking about the most important feet. As surveyors, we like to talk about our equipment and tools. Whether it be the old school steel tapes and top mount EDMs […]
Policing Our Profession
Although my professional practice has been limited to California where we have a governing board of registration, I believe that model exists in every state. The mission and vision statements of the California Board of Registration for professional engineers, land surveyors, and geologists are quite succinct: Mission Statement: We protect the public’s safety and property […]
My Final Day in the Field?
We have all heard the phrase “You can take the surveyor our of the field, but you can’t take the field out of the surveyor.”
The Dog Whisperer — Not Me
Surveying in the field exposes all of us to various threats from flora and fauna, not to mention the two-legged threats. It just comes with the job. Depending on location, we learn to identify and respect the diverse threats to our beings while conducting the course of our mission. They are just part of the […]
A Story About an Orchard
It’s a normal progression in the career of a surveyor to move into personnel management, as one becomes more experienced and gets promoted to a management position, or as they operate their own private practice. One of the first and most obvious problems is that not all good surveyors are good at managing people. Give […]