Surveyor

Briefly explain what you do for a living.

I work as a surveyor and team leader in the urban and environmental services of the City of Oulu. Our team is responsible for preparing the city's land lease agreements, monitoring the terms of the agreements and invoicing. My duties also include handing over plots to construction companies. I am also involved in steering groups related to local detailed planning.

How have you ended up in the profession of your choice?

I have always been interested in construction and urban planning. Although I was familiar with land survey work through my parents, I feel that I have ended up in the field by chance rather than through determined choices.

Describe your typical working day or week.

One third of my working week is spent in meetings with colleagues and customers, such as construction companies. The second third goes to the preparation of lease agreements and various decision texts. I use the rest of my working time to interact with municipal residents, i.e. write e-mails and answer calls.

What kind of work environment or working hours do you have?

I mainly work at the office, but sometimes I also do “fieldwork” in the city. This happens, for example, when a resident of the municipality asks me to come and look at the vegetation that has spread from the resident's plot to the street.

I work regular office hours, from 8 am to 4 pm.  Sometimes I work in the evenings when information sessions and workshops are organised for municipal residents.

What kind of competence or qualities are required in the profession?

Although many Excel tables must be prepared in the work of a surveyor, all working days also include discussions and negotiations with various people. In other words, this profession requires good interaction skills and the ability to get along with different kinds of people. It is also important to be able to fluently produce clear and comprehensible text.

What is the best thing about your profession?

The best part of my work is working with different people, such as representatives of construction companies, residents, consultants and colleagues, as well as brainstorming. It is inspiring to participate in influencing how Oulu is built and what kind of services are created here.

What are the downsides of the profession or what seems challenging?

Sometimes it is hard to make decisions that are unpleasant for an individual resident. For example, a rent increase may seem unreasonable if your financial situation is already tight. Decisions that are perceived as wrong often lead to negative feedback and, in the worst case, even threats.

What would you tell a person considering the profession of a surveyor?

Surveyor’s training qualifies you to various types of work. At the moment, my work mainly consists of preparing land use agreements, but I could equally well work as a cadastral surveyor on the terrain or in the development of spatial data applications. There are plenty of options.

How do you see the future of your profession?

There will certainly be work for surveyors in the future, but with technological development, the tasks will change. Even though automation and robotics are developing, people are also needed. Major legislative changes are currently under way which have a significant impact on the rights and obligations of different parties.