What happens when you spend years in the office and then find yourself back in the field behind a total station? A volunteer day at Quake on the Lake, mentioned in Episode 9, becomes an honest conversation about rusty field skills, changing equipment, and being willing to ask for help. Stacey shares her experience monitoring racecourse buoys and helping collect the measurements needed for course certification; a surveying assignment that came with fast boats, some troubleshooting, and a reminder of why she enjoyed fieldwork in the first place.

The conversation explores staying connected to fieldwork as your career moves into the office, stepping outside your comfort zone and finding opportunities through your local surveying chapter. It also looks at how volunteering can introduce the public to surveying beyond construction sites and property lines.

Then, Stewart brings a hot take worth listening to. Check it out today!

Stewart shares what happened when he had a potentially difficult conversation with a former female employee about her experience at Dioptra and whether bias contributed to her departure (throwback to episodes 6 and 7). The hosts then examine what workforce development really means for the surveying profession and why recruiting new people is only a part of the solution. They discuss the need to develop technicians and young surveyors through hands-on mentorship, broader field and office experience, stronger communication and a better understanding of how surveying principles apply to real-world work. They also consider how one-person crews, limited training opportunities and resistance to change can weaken the profession’s future.

Leadership in surveying does not begin when someone receives a title. It begins when they start taking responsibility for people, decisions, and outcomes.

In this episode of Between the Stakes, Stewart, Stacey and Nolan discuss how young professionals can move from field and technical positions into crew leadership, project management, business ownership and executive roles. They compare trial-by-fire leadership development with intentional mentorship, explore the different opportunities available in small and large firms and discuss why aspiring leaders must speak up about their goals, ask questions, seek out mentors and be willing to learn from mistakes.

Stewart also shares his journey from survey technician to owner of Dioptra, including the company’s succession plan, the realities of valuing a surveying business, and how he structured the purchase from the previous owner. The group considers what firm owners should do now to identify, train, and prepare the people who may eventually succeed them.