It's easy to be hard on ourselves, but the important thing is to turn a mistake into a learning experience.

Land surveying has been a positive influence on my life, and I'd encourage anyone who hasn't considered it to give it a chance!

I've met very few professional land surveyors who regret their career path, and even fewer, who are out of work, even during economic slowdowns.

Legal land surveyors are few and far between and can find themselves in demand.

There's a popular misconception that property boundaries are based on coordinates that surveyors can simply "walk to" with our instruments. The reality is that, while physical coordination of monuments is easier than it's ever been, property boundaries often need to be determined based on evidence and plans that are old, decrepit, and done with different technology and expectations than we have today.

I liked the idea of working outside, using my body and my mind together. I haven't been disappointed! Land surveying can be very physical work, but there is a strong intellectual and technological component as well.

Some surveyors live for the work, putting in weeks or months at a time in remote locations. With a young family and hobbies that I'm passionate about, that isn't the path I've chosen. Like in many careers, you need to make your own decisions and follow your own path.