CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED The California Surveyor ... - CLSA

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I got licensed in 1995 and that same year, started doing work
for the Board, being a part of various committees, grading the LS
Exam nearly every year since then, and serving on the Exam
Committee for the last three years. I think that my work for the
Board has been the most rewarding and interesting of my career.
It makes me feel as if I can “give back” to the profession by being
involved with the exam, trying to maintain its content and quality.
Also, participating like this has allowed me to make friends all
over the state, people I might not have met otherwise. I have also
done some Board enforcement work.
Since I struck out on my own I have been a contractor for several
surveying/engineering firms in Orange County, as well as a
contract map checker for Orange, Ventura, and Santa Barbara
counties. I was able to work with one private company for several
years, and have worked for several others off and on, as dictated
by their “overflow” work needs. I have worked on a huge variety
of projects, everything from one-lot surveys to huge multicounty
landbase mapping, including sectional work, freeways,
lots of easement, right-of-way and title issues, involving thousands
of title documents. Right now I mainly check subdivision
maps, with occasional right-of-way determination, and some map
preparation. Truthfully, map checking can tend to be tedious, yet
if I keep in mind that I am helping to better the profession (that is
my wish and goal, anyway!) then I do not mind some of the repetition.
For detail-oriented, editor-type people like me, map checking
is an ideal aspect of surveying. I also enjoy working on
Certificates of Compliance, taking a piece of property back to
when it was first created and determining its legal status. This, as
well as putting dozens/hundreds of deeds together to form a base
map, is the most interesting aspect of what I have been able to
work on. It is true that from week to week, I often do not know
whether nor not I will be employed, but over the 10 years I have
been self-employed, I have been fortunate in having steady work
almost all of the time (except for the first few months of 2008).
I know that some women in surveying have had problems
related to the fact that it is truly a male-dominated field. I must
confess that I personally have had very few problems in this
regard. I hope it is because as the men came to know me, they
respected my work ethic, my math (and spelling!) skills, and my
willingness to help where I could. I wonder if I had spent more
time in private practice (or in the field!) instead of working for the
Orange County Surveyor, if I would have encountered more problems.
I am much more comfortable in front of a computer than carrying
around heavy instruments, hacking brush, standing on the
freeway or using a star drill (just ask my husband!) and there has
always been a place for me in this profession.
I feel very lucky to be a private contractor/consultant. I think
that for someone who works well independently, and can also be
part of a “team” when needed, land surveying is a fine career
choice. I believe that many people, once licensed, tend to specialize.
Obviously I have specialized into mapping. I love the flexibility
I have, of working at home (for map checking), and I also
enjoy my occasional visits to clients’ offices, visits I need to make
when working on projects for them. And I hope that women realize
that they don’t have to spend all (or much) of their career “in
the field” if that does not suit them. Or, if they love being outdoors,
this is also a fine career choice!
And as for working with MEN, my advice is: “Keep your
sense of humor!” ❖
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