Latest Mark Mason Quotes from Interviews

Quotes about:

• Land surveying has been a positive influence on my life, and I'd encourage anyone who hasn't considered it to give it a chance!

  Mark Mason

  Land, Giving, Chance

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• I'm required to do every job well enough that I'd use it as evidence in court - that doesn't come cheaply! Property is a critical asset for individuals. Maintaining the cadastre (legal survey fabric) is an important job and a valuable service.

  Mark Mason

  Jobs, Important, Fabric

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• If you're looking for an adventure, an intellectual challenge, and a close-knit community of professionals, consider land surveying! It's not for everyone, and I'd recommend working as a surveyor's assistant or office staff before committing to the necessary schooling.

  Mark Mason

  Adventure, Land, Office

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• I've met very few professional land surveyors who regret their career path, and even fewer, who are out of work, even during economic slowdowns.

  Mark Mason

  Regret, Land, Careers

• People sometimes are under the impression that finding their property corners should cost as much as changing their oil or blowing out their sprinklers. What they don't realize is that land surveyors are required to stand behind their work for the rest of their lives.

  Mark Mason

  Land, Oil, People

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• Legal land surveyors are few and far between and can find themselves in demand.

  Mark Mason

  Land, Demand, Surveyors

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• Land surveyors start as employees, and move up to partnership in a firm or to ownership of their own enterprise if they wish. Some wind up working for government, private corporations, or public enterprise.

  Mark Mason

  Moving, Government, Wind

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• In general, salary for land surveyors is often similar to that of a professional engineer or lawyer - surveyors are often "comfortable" but not "wealthy."

  Mark Mason

  Land, Salary, Lawyer

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• Completing a large or difficult survey can be a very satisfying thing, especially if there have been hurdles or setbacks along the way. In our work, we get to "tick" off jobs quite often, so the sense of completion can also be rewarding.

  Mark Mason

  Jobs, Way, Tick

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• Professional land surveyors take on a lot of responsibility, and should be compensated appropriately.

  Mark Mason

  Responsibility, Land, Should

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• Sometimes I imagine a surveyor 100 years from now reading my plan, retracing my boundaries, and finding the monuments that I set. It's an honor to make a mark in history like that.

  Mark Mason

  Reading, Years, Honor

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• The most difficult days have been the ones I've had to spend correcting a mistake. We're all human, and we make errors in spite of the pains we take not to. It's important to take ownership of the situation and to work to make it right.

  Mark Mason

  Pain, Mistake, Errors

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• It's easy to be hard on ourselves, but the important thing is to turn a mistake into a learning experience.

  Mark Mason

  Mistake, Important, Easy

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• Some land surveyors delve into land development advocacy, working with local government on behalf of clients in order to facilitate progress on a project. Others stick to strictly surveying. The approach depends on the individual firm and the needs of the local area.

  Mark Mason

  Order, Land, Government

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• Some field days can be tough. I've worked inside fuel tanks with 3 foot ceilings, in -42 to +42 Celsius temperatures, in snow and smoke and hail, and I've dug through snow and ice and pavement to find legal evidence. I've worked clear through the night by headlamp, and I've flown in a rickety long-islander with propane tanks strapped into the other seats. I've jury-rigged missing equipment, broken into my own truck, and cut out an emergency helicopter pad with a machete. I've been hungry, cold, tired, lost, injured, and downright hopeless!

  Mark Mason

  Tired, Cutting, Night

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• Conversation can be a learning experience for everyone. I never hesitate to reach out when I'm in over my head, and I'll never hesitate to return the favor.

  Mark Mason

  Favors, Return, Conversation

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• There are lots of ways to design a workflow - for instance, some land surveyors book their notes by hand, and some use electronic data collectors. Every firm has its own unique way of arriving at the end product. However, from a licensed land surveyor, the product should always be of the same high quality.

  Mark Mason

  Book, Unique, Hands

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• Building smart processes to streamline the workflow can make the work easier and the results more reliable, which keeps my head above water and my clients happy.

  Mark Mason

  Smart, Water, Clients

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• When I got my commission, other land surveyors told me to ask for advice from my peers when I was struggling with something.

  Mark Mason

  Struggle, Land, Advice

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• I automate some tasks and delegate many others. Doing research, job organization, data processing, field surveys, and plan preparation can be tedious, detailed work.

  Mark Mason

  Jobs, Data, Organization

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• It's important to know that, unlike lawyers, land surveyors put the public interest first. That means we're not biased by our client - this means that the property line will be drawn in the most equitable position, regardless of which neighbor is paying the bill.

  Mark Mason

  Mean, Land, Important

• Some surveyors live for the work, putting in weeks or months at a time in remote locations. With a young family and hobbies that I'm passionate about, that isn't the path I've chosen. Like in many careers, you need to make your own decisions and follow your own path.

  Mark Mason

  Careers, Decision, Hobbies

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• I'm lucky enough to split my time between the field and the office. Some land surveyors in larger outfits can work mostly from behind a desk, managing many field crews at once.

  Mark Mason

  Land, Office, Lucky

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• I think that people can get caught up in the "gee-whiz" technology of surveying, which is constantly changing, and forget about the legal aspects and the professional responsibility that surveyors bear - something that hasn't changed much at all in hundreds of years.

  Mark Mason

  Responsibility, Technology, Thinking

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.

• Land surveyors can spend as much time reading legislation, bylaws, and engineering documents as we spend in front of an instrument in the field or calculating coordinates for a subdivision. We are mathematicians, historians, project managers, advocates, engineers, and even chainsaw operators!

  Mark Mason

  Reading, Engineering, Land

  "Career Spotlight: What I Do as a Land Surveyor". Interview with Andy Orin, lifehacker.com. December 10, 2015.