Surveying Technicians
Did You Know:
- About seven out of 10 jobs were in architectural, engineering and related services.
- Employment is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations.
- Surveyors, cartographers and photogrammetrists who have a bachelor's degree and strong technical skills should have favorable job prospects.
Industry Areas
- Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services
- Local Government (OES Designation)
- Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution
Day-to-Day Tasks
- Adjust and operate surveying instruments such as prisms, theodolites, and electronic distance-measuring equipment.
- Perform calculations to determine earth curvature corrections, atmospheric impacts on measurements, traverse closures and adjustments, azimuths, level runs, and placement of markers.
- Record survey measurements and descriptive data using notes, drawings, sketches, and inked tracings.
Overall Kind of Work
Surveyors, cartographers, photogrammetrists, and surveying and mapping technicians are responsible for measuring and mapping the Earth's surface. Surveyors establish official land, airspace and wa...
Work Environment
Military
Surveying, mapping, and drafting technicians work both indoors and outdoors in all climates and weather conditions. Those assigned to engineering units sometimes work outdoors with survey teams. Those assigned to intelligence units may work on ships as well as on land.
Status
What is the difference between enlisted and officer?
Enlisted:Enlisted members enter the Military with a high school diploma (in some cases a GED), at a minimum. They are employed in almost every type of military career, often in hands-on roles.
Officers: Officers either enter the Military with a four-year college degree or greater or served previously as enlisted members, and are generally employed in management roles or highly specialized fields that require intensive training.
Officer
Enlisted
Military Breakdown
The number of people who currently hold this career in the Military.
605 Surveying Technicians in the military
Service Branches
Surveying Mapping and Drafting Technicians work in the following services:
Type of Work
The level of day-to-day involvement with data, people or things.
Data: 
People:
Things: 
Skills at a Glance
The levels of different skills helpful in this career.
Verbal skills:
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving:
Equipment Operation & Maintenance:
Math & Science Skills:
Technology Design & Control:
Leadership:
Workplace at a Glance
The level of different environmental factors you would experience on the job.
Responsibility:
Exposure to Job Hazards:
Physical Activity:
Decision Making:
Repetitiveness:
Level of Competition:
Time Pressure: