Why Land Surveying?

I have commonly been asked the question over the years: "So, how long you been surveying?" Usually I tell folks that I started Wheeler Surveying in 1998 after attending the University of Maine Orono from 1990 to 1994 and completing my apprenticeship and licensing requirements in 1998. Sometimes I also mention that I worked on a survey field crew starting in 1989 and continuing through my college years on breaks from school. I usually don't mention the few times that I held the "dumb end" of the tape when I was 10 years old. Besides, I know the "dumb end" of the tape is only as dumb as you make it, and knowing where zero is on a tape can confuse even your local "rocket surgeon".

For me, Land Surveying was at the perfect intersection of my love for the outdoors, my apparent mathematical apptitude, my sense of family and history and my desire to live and work in my home State of Maine. Some of the most notable Surveyors in American history are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, a group of men that I would be proud to join in the fields and forests of this great country.

Being a self-employed Land Surveyor has its share of challenges and rewards. The phone might ring on a Sunday morning with a nervous client on the other end, glad that I picked up at such a bad time. On the other hand, I'm in charge. I set my own schedule and work load. I can coach my kids baseball or softball team because I make it fit. Overall I wouldn't change a thing.



I do remember that time that Mike and I got up to our waist in icy cold water, well I'll leave that for another post.