Popular Careers

Career Development

Career development resources for aspiring professionals.

Career Change Center

Career change guides, tutorials and resources for professionals in transition.

Job Search Resources


Career and Education Opportunities for Surveying Technicians in Elgin, Illinois

There are many career and education opportunities for surveying technicians in the Elgin, Illinois area. Currently, 1,810 people work as surveying technicians in Illinois. This is expected to grow by 17% to 2,130 people by 2016. This is not quite as good as the national trend for surveying technicians, which sees this job pool growing by about 20.4% over the next eight years. In general, surveying technicians calculate mapmaking information from field notes, and draw and verify accuracy of topographical maps.

The income of a surveying technician is about $19 per hour or $40,560 annually on average in Illinois. In the U.S. as a whole, their income is about $16 hourly or $35,120 per year on average. Surveying technicians earn less than people working in the category of Surveying generally in Illinois and less than people in the Surveying category nationally. Surveying technicians work in a variety of jobs, including: topographic computator, aerial photograph interpreter, and plane tableman.

There are sixty-one schools of higher education in the Elgin area, including one within twenty-five miles of Elgin where you can get a degree to start your career as a surveying technician. Surveying technicians usually hold an Associate's, or other 2-year degree, so you can expect to spend about two years studying to be a surveying technician if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Surveying Technician


Surveying technicians trace contours and topographic details to generate maps that denote specific land and property locations and geographic attributes. They also produce and update overlay maps to show data boundaries and topographic features on various base maps and at different scales. Finally, surveying technicians compare topographical features and contour lines with images from aerial photographs and other reference materials to confirm the precision of their identification.

Every day, surveying technicians are expected to be able to see details at a very fine level of focus. They need to prioritize information for further consideration.

It is important for surveying technicians to monitor mapping work and the updating of maps to insure accuracy, the inclusion of new or changed data, and adherence to rules and regulations. They are often called upon to identify and compile database data to generate maps in response to requests. They also check all layers of maps to insure accuracy, identifying and marking errors and making corrections. They are sometimes expected to decide on scales and colors to be used for hard copies of computerized maps, using plotters. Somewhat less frequently, surveying technicians are also expected to redraw and correct maps.

They also have to be able to form three-dimensional images of aerial photographs taken from different locations, using mathematical techniques and plotting instruments and identify and resolve anomalies in legal land descriptions, referring issues to title and survey experts as appropriate. And finally, they sometimes have to supervise and direct efforts of staff working on plotting data or producing blueprints, photostats, and photographs.

Like many other jobs, surveying technicians must be thorough and dependable and be reliable.

Similar jobs with educational opportunities in Elgin include:

  • Surveyor. Make exact measurements and determine property boundaries. Provide data relevant to the shape, contour, or dimension of land or land features on or near the earth's surface for engineering, mapmaking, and other purposes.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Surveying Technician Training

Waubonsee Community College - Sugar Grove, IL





Certified Survey Technician: This four-level certification program for surveying technicians throughout the United States indicates official recognition by NSPS-ACSM that a person has demonstrated that he or she is minimally competent to perform surveying tasks at a specified technical level.









Elgin, Illinois
Elgin, Illinois photo by James Jordan




