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Survey project manager vs professional surveyor

The differences between survey project managers and professional surveyors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a survey project manager and a professional surveyor. Additionally, a survey project manager has an average salary of $60,193, which is higher than the $51,224 average annual salary of a professional surveyor.

The top three skills for a survey project manager include civil 3d, GPS and project management. The most important skills for a professional surveyor are survey data, legal descriptions, and GPS.

Survey project manager vs professional surveyor overview

Survey Project ManagerProfessional Surveyor
Yearly salary$60,193$51,224
Hourly rate$28.94$24.63
Growth rate1%1%
Number of jobs97,60645,097
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age4444
Years of experience66

Survey project manager vs professional surveyor salary

Survey project managers and professional surveyors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Survey Project ManagerProfessional Surveyor
Average salary$60,193$51,224
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $86,000Between $34,000 And $76,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CA-
Highest paying stateNew Jersey-
Best paying companyBerklee College of Music-
Best paying industryTechnology-

Differences between survey project manager and professional surveyor education

There are a few differences between a survey project manager and a professional surveyor in terms of educational background:

Survey Project ManagerProfessional Surveyor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorSurveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic TechnologiesSurveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic Technologies
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyUniversity of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Survey project manager vs professional surveyor demographics

Here are the differences between survey project managers' and professional surveyors' demographics:

Survey Project ManagerProfessional Surveyor
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 92.2% Female, 7.8%Male, 73.5% Female, 26.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 4.9% White, 75.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between survey project manager and professional surveyor duties and responsibilities

Survey project manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage a variety of construction, boundary, right-of-way and easement surveys.
  • Lead team as point of reference for plat interpretation and schedule requirements for ALTA certify surveys.
  • Manage and direct a team of 10 for a Lidar analysis and 3D spatial modeling contract through FSU.
  • Manage overall SAP/ERP software application development life-cycle and assure completion of ERP readiness tasks.
  • Manage and conduct the development of a SharePoint base system for providing notifications of application and automation releases throughout the enterprise.
  • Perform problem resolution, cost recovery, manage inventory of network components, direct RFP process for procurement of telecommunications services.
  • Show more

Professional surveyor example responsibilities.

  • Implement the use of GPS into the day to day survey operations.
  • Create and utilize geographic information systems (GIS) for various clients.
  • Adjust and operate surveying instruments such as prisms, theodolites, and electronicdistance-measuring equipment.
  • Interface with multiple legal, financial and governmental entities to meet requirements of approvals processes and finalize complex ALTA surveys.
  • Develop new data from photogrammetric records.

Survey project manager vs professional surveyor skills

Common survey project manager skills
  • Civil 3D, 12%
  • GPS, 11%
  • Project Management, 8%
  • Survey Data, 6%
  • Survey Projects, 5%
  • PLS, 5%
Common professional surveyor skills
  • Survey Data, 25%
  • Legal Descriptions, 22%
  • GPS, 21%
  • Civil 3D, 12%
  • CAD, 4%
  • As-Built, 4%

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