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Surveyor instrument assistant vs professional land surveyor

The differences between surveyor instrument assistants and professional land 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 surveyor instrument assistant and a professional land surveyor. Additionally, a professional land surveyor has an average salary of $47,097, which is higher than the $43,952 average annual salary of a surveyor instrument assistant.

The top three skills for a surveyor instrument assistant include GPS, survey data and construction sites. The most important skills for a professional land surveyor are GPS, civil 3d, and PLS.

Surveyor instrument assistant vs professional land surveyor overview

Surveyor Instrument AssistantProfessional Land Surveyor
Yearly salary$43,952$47,097
Hourly rate$21.13$22.64
Growth rate1%1%
Number of jobs5,72447,350
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age4444
Years of experience66

Surveyor instrument assistant vs professional land surveyor salary

Surveyor instrument assistants and professional land surveyors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Surveyor Instrument AssistantProfessional Land Surveyor
Average salary$43,952$47,097
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $64,000Between $31,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City-Eureka, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Amd
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between surveyor instrument assistant and professional land surveyor education

There are a few differences between a surveyor instrument assistant and a professional land surveyor in terms of educational background:

Surveyor Instrument AssistantProfessional Land Surveyor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common majorCivil EngineeringSurveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic Technologies
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyPennsylvania State University

Surveyor instrument assistant vs professional land surveyor demographics

Here are the differences between surveyor instrument assistants' and professional land surveyors' demographics:

Surveyor Instrument AssistantProfessional Land Surveyor
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 83.8% Female, 16.2%Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between surveyor instrument assistant and professional land surveyor duties and responsibilities

Surveyor instrument assistant example responsibilities.

  • Set up tripods with GPS equipment clear brush areas to obtain accurate line of site data, stake targets.
  • Assist lead surveyor with surveying instruments theodolites.
  • Use of trimble M3 total station and Topcon level.
  • Prepare drawings using rough sketches, GIS and engineering data.
  • Work with and become skilled with various forms of GIS mapping systems.
  • Perform various traverse, property survey, ALTA, construction staking and mapping duties.
  • Show more

Professional land surveyor example responsibilities.

  • Manage various construction staking projects, as well as manage and oversee field work of various boundary, ALTA/ACSM surveys.
  • Complete field to finish boundary and topographic surveys utilizing conventional and GPS methods.
  • Map leases and contracts using various GIS programs.
  • Record survey measurements and descriptive data using total station and GPS equipment.
  • Formulate custom cad templates and drawing formats for all types of survey applications.
  • Compile satellite imagery, elevation, GIS vector data, and 3D models into terrain databases.
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Surveyor instrument assistant vs professional land surveyor skills

Common surveyor instrument assistant skills
  • GPS, 20%
  • Survey Data, 16%
  • Construction Sites, 15%
  • Boundary Surveys, 5%
  • Data Collection, 5%
  • Survey Equipment, 4%
Common professional land surveyor skills
  • GPS, 18%
  • Civil 3D, 10%
  • PLS, 10%
  • Survey Projects, 7%
  • Trimble Gps, 6%
  • Carlson, 5%

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