This month we’re celebrating Zoe Wallace who has reached her one year anniversary as a Trainee Land Surveyor. Over the last 12 months, Zoe has developed new skills, taken on exciting challenges and become a valued member of the Adaptive team. We caught up with Zoe to reflect on her journey so far.
What made you choose a career in land surveying?
I liked the idea of having a career that combined technology, problem solving and working outdoors. I didn’t want to be sat inside an office all day, and it’s a job that feels like you’re constantly learning. There’s always new projects and a range of projects as well from topographic to drone, even sometimes utilities. I would say it’s a rewarding job.
What interested you about the industry?
I think more of the GIS side of it in terms of real world problems. So how we can survey a building site and create something new. I think being part of a process of seeing how survey data can contribute to real world development is what interested me. Being a part of so many different projects is great as there is always something new to learn allowing me to continue to develop new skills and experience.
What has your role involved over the past year?
No two days are the same in this job. I’ve been involved in a lot of on-site work between setting up equipment, collecting data and learning different survey methods. And then in the office, I’ve learned a lot of new software like CAD and TBC and continuing to develop my understanding of what a surveyor is actually doing and how important the process of it all actually is.
What has been your biggest learning experience?
I would say adapting to the technical knowledge behind it all. Obviously I came in from not really having a background in surveying. There’s also a lot of new equipment to use, terminology and site procedures as well, making sure safety on site is correct. I think I’ve gained a lot of experience within the year that I’ve been here, and feel a lot more confident in being able to set up equipment and take part in the survey process.
What has been the best part of the job so far?
There’s a lot of good parts to be fair. I feel like getting to go to new places, that’s a big one. Obviously I’ve been to the Falkland Islands, I was in Thurso, just new places that you probably wouldn’t get to experience or see in any other job. It’s really rewarding looking back and seeing how much progress that I’ve made or you can make when you’re surveying.
How has the team supported your development?
Really well I would say. Any questions that I have, they’re there to answer, even if it’s the same one over and over. Especially the boys in the Glasgow office, they’re probably sick of me but they’re great at explaining the processes! Having confidence in me to go out and do some surveys independently as well has been a great thing. They just go over and above to make sure that I’m confident in myself to do the surveys.
What advice would you give someone thinking about becoming a land surveyor?
I’d say be open to learning. It’s a job where you are constantly learning and don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you are starting out new to the profession, then there’s nothing worse than sitting there and being stuck or having a question that you don’t know the answer to. There’s a lot to take in in terms of terminology and technology but again, like what I’ve learned is that experience comes with time. The more you do something, the better you’re going to be at it. If you enjoy the outdoors, combining technology and problem solving then I would say this is a career that is highly interesting.
What are your goals for the next year?
Doing my GVC is a big one. I’d also say just become more confident with myself and my abilities. That’s something that I would say I kind of struggle with is just having the confidence to say this is right or that’s wrong. I’d also like to get more experience of working independently. I’ve done a few surveys myself but I would like to have the confidence again, just to go out and do a survey myself as well as working on my CAD skills or TBC. Just building on what I’ve done this past year, I came into this job not really knowing anything so it’s crazy to see how far I’ve come in the last 12 months.
What was your favourite project to work on?
I would say the Falkland Islands, that was a large topo and it gave me experience of working on a more complex site. It wasn’t just your straightforward topo, there was a lot of issues in terms of working in a different coordinate system using Base and Rover as well. And again, because it was such a large site I was working independently. Although we were there together, Chris was working on one side and I was on the other, so I gained. It made me feel so much more confident in my abilities of surveying as well, which is great.
What is your favourite piece of survey equipment?
I would say the drone. I like how quickly it can capture large areas of data. And that’s something when I started, I’d never seen before. I hadn’t flown a drone before or seen its capabilities and what it can actually produce. I think as well when you process the data and you can see the large scale of data that you’ve captured, it’s quite rewarding. Definitely a highlight.
And finally, what do you prefer: office or site work?
I think both come with their own benefits in terms of learning different skill sets. They come hand in hand. But I would say on site, it is really rewarding when you’re processing the data and you look back and think wow that’s what I picked up on site. So I’d say definitely site work but they are both as beneficial as each other.
Zoe finished by saying “I just want to say thank you to the Adaptive team and how supportive they’ve been over the past year and trusting me to be a part of a fabulous team. It is a great company to work for. Nothings ever too big or too small.”
We also sat down with Jamie Watt, Founder, who said: “It’s been fantastic to see Zoe grow over the past year and we’re excited to support her continued development as she progresses in her career. Congratulations on your first Adaptive anniversary, we’re looking forward to celebrating many more milestones ahead!”
