CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED The California Surveyor ... - CLSA

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Being in an environment with more men than women was not
new to me when I entered this profession; I actually had two high
school classes in which I was the only female. While surveying
and mapping are male-dominated fields, the ratio is not as lopsided
in photogrammetry. There are also significantly more
women in our surveying department now than when I started at
Towill eighteen years ago. In fact, the only time I’ve really felt
that my gender was a “problem” was on a summer job I had during
college. We were in a remote area on the last day of our trip.
The day stretched to fourteen hours in an area with no “facilities”
available. Suffice it to say, women are not as well designed to
“take care of business” in the woods.
The reasons I feel that surveying and mapping are good
careers for women are the same reasons I feel that they are good
careers for men. There is just so much variety in the type of work
that falls within those categories. In photogrammetry I’ve always
enjoyed the diversity in the types of projects we do. One of the
most satisfying aspects of my work in photogrammetry continues
to be the preparation of a mapping product. Though it is not quite
as satisfying now that most of the deliverables are only electronic,
I still enjoy the sense of helping to “create” something. It is
also exciting to be “in the know” on some of the transit and other
public works projects that are happening in the region. Even
though land surveying and photogrammetry where not the stuff of
my childhood dreams, I’m glad my path lead me here. ❖
Rendered View
Topo Map
Fall 2008
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