A career within the land and building surveying sector can be quite lucrative. As a surveyor your role will be to oversee the development and design of land and new buildings. You will also be called in to maintain and restore existing developments. The role of a Land and building surveyor means you will need to be able to cover a wide range of properties and developments at various stages of construction and development.
Qualifications required
To embark on a career in land and building surveying, you will need to undertake a four year degree program in surveying technology, or on site surveying. Prior to starting the degree, or during the degree, you will normally choose if you wish to work within the land surveying sector, or the building surveying sector. The degree program will cover areas such as applied mathematics, physics, science, computing, engineering, management and law. You will most likely also cover areas such as surveying and information systems, cadastral studies, and geodesy. You will also be expected to attend field excursions and survey camps, where you will record data using a variety of devices. On your return from the excursions and camps, you will be required to accurately log the data into a computer software program. The computer can then map out the area in two and three dimensions. Following graduation you will generally be expected to undertake an internship program, in order to gain more experience, after which you can apply for better paid positions.
The role of a land surveyor
If you choose to become a land surveyor then your role will be to check an area of land prior to development work being carried out upon it. You will need to insure that the area of land has the correct infrastructure required to support the proposed construction. You will spend a great deal of time recording data in an outdoors environment, but will also be expected to return to an office setting to log the recorded data. You will be expected to have excellent knowledge of the satellite and GPS data recording devices, as well as knowing how to transfer that data into a computer program which accurately maps out the area digitally. Once the area has been mapped, you will be required to work with architects and engineers to assess the next development stage.
The role of a building surveyor
As a building surveyor you will be expected to interpret building laws, and check if building plans comply with local building regulations. Your job role will include interacting with architects, builders (including cranetechs) and engineers, in order to ensure buildings are designed and constructed within building legislation law and technical codes. You should be able to accurately diagnose any possible design issues, or problematic construction materials or techniques, such as cranes (including truck mounted & marine cranes). You will also be expected to survey the building at various stages during its development, from its foundation stage through to its completion.
