The Sunburned Surveyor's Bio

A reader of this blog had asked me to add a bio. I generally frown on speaking a great deal about my self and prefer the shadowy cloak of anonymity. However, I thought it was important that the readers of this blog know something of me as both a professional, and an individual. This knowledge is an important element in an objective judgment of this blog's contents and the opinions I state in the articles posted on it.

Note To The Reader: I strongly believe that this world puts too much emphasis, and faith, on credentials. I think that as a society, we to often "disqualify" truly qualified individuals because they don't have the correct certificate or degree. I think we should place more emphasis on what someone can do, not on their title or credintials. This does not mean that I think professional licensure is unnecessary. I think that professional licensure is very important. (That is, when it is based on what an individual can do, not on his title, degrees, or certificates.) All of this being said, I realize there are many people, including many Land Surveyors, that would disagree with me. Those types of people will be interested in the next section of this bio, "Titles, Degrees, and Other Pretentious Nonsense". Those that feel as I do will be more interested in the "What I Can Do" Section. There is a difference between a person’s titles, what they really can do, and who they are as a person. The final section of this bio is entitled "Who I Am", and takes care of that last item.

Titles Degrees and Other Pretentious Nonsense

I earned my A.A.S. Degree in Land Surveying from Flathead Community College under the excellent instruction and mentorship of Dave Dorsett. In the process I learned what it meant to be a surveyor, and I made some friends with future Foresters, who joined the Land Surveyors at FVCC for some GIS courses.

I obtained my California L.S.I.T. Certificate in 2002. A grueling experience I hope to repeat only one more time, when I take my PLS exam. If all goes according to plan, that will be in the spring of 2007.
(I find my life rarely goes according to plan.)

I currently work as a "Project Surveyor" for a Civil Engineering and Land Surveying company located in California's Central Valley.

What I Can Do

I'll just stick to the Land Surveying stuff in this section. I can operate various types of survey instruments, including conventional, hydrographic, and GPS. I have experience working on many different types of surveys, including boundary surveys, ALTA surveys, control surveys, topographic surveys, route surveys, and construction staking surveys. In the office I typically work on boundary problem resolution and historical boundary research. This includes extensive records research and analysis of property descriptions. I can utilize many types of CAD, Surveying, and GIS software.

Who I Am

My dad worked as a heavy equipment operator, and I spent my first years living in many of the States west of the Mississippi River. My family finally settled down in the Flathead Valley, near the Canadian Border in Montana. I spent all of my teenage years in this beautiful place. I worked my first couple of jobs as a dishwasher, and finally landed a job at one of the local grocery stores. I started there as a bag boy, and 6 years later was closing up shop as a night manager. I also worked a second job at The Big Mountain, an area ski resort, and pursued my education at Flathead Community College during this time.

After graduation from college, I accepted a job in the California Central Valley, where I could be close to some of my family. I have been there for the past four years, with the same Civil Engineering and Land Surveying Company. It is a very different place from the Flathead Valley, but I have found beauty here in places I didn't expect. Like beauty in the Almond Orchards that shield a person from the summer heat, the reedy islands of the San Joaquin/Sacramento Delta, and the green spring grass that covers the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

I am married to a beautiful and intelligent woman, who works as a preschool teacher and fills my rather mundane life with joy and excitement. We have no children, but I married into a large family, and now have many nieces and nephews to look after. I am a deeply religious man, and volunteer much of my time in an effort to help my neighbors spiritually and morally. I strive to remain neutral in political affairs at all times, although this can be a challenge.

I enjoy backpacking and snowboarding. I prefer the Northern Rockies for these good times, but I have found that the peaks of the Sierra Nevada are a good substitute. I don't get the chance to enjoy their solitude nearly as much as I'd like, but relish the moments when they come.