If you’re not a surveyor or are looking to become a surveyor, it can be difficult to imagine what a typical day “in the office” looks like. So we decided to ask graduate surveyor, Chris Lowres, about what a day in the life of a surveyor looks like for him.
What does a typical day as a surveyor look like?
It’s always varied! One day I will be measuring office plans, and the next day I will be surveying in a quarry or green fields. It requires a wide skill set to accomplish the varied challenges in the job. However, it’s great to be working in different locations and in different environments.
What challenges do you face on the job?
Every job presents unique challenges. For example, surveying sites where development is contentious and members of public are not happy, it can be difficult to go in knowing people don’t want the survey to happen but you have ensure the survey is still accurate and meets the needs of the client. Very small sites where accuracies can be crucial are also tricky as attention to detail is key. Planning the jobs to ensure a survey is carried out efficiently and accurately is also a challenge as once we get to the site, circumstances can change. Understanding clients’ needs on a wide variety of jobs is one of the most important things to get right, though one of the most difficult as all clients will have different needs and communicate differently.
What is your favourite kind of survey to conduct?
My favourite kinds of surveys are large schemes where there is a large amount of planning & co-ordinating and there’s a responsibility to complete the survey on time and managing other staff to complete the survey. I get a lot of satisfaction in delivering a completed survey and being involved from the planning to the final deliverable product.
What do you like about surveying?
The things I like about working as a surveyor are it offers a good balance between office and fieldwork, the variation in type of surveys, and getting to work in all the interesting locations.
What is something about surveying that people would be surprised to know?
That the survey instrument isn’t a speed camera! It’s a question I’ve been asked countless times!
Thanks for taking the time to speak to us Chris and walking us through a day in the life of a surveyor.
