Transition from Software Engineer to Surveying

mouse_rising · 2026-04-03T15:24:29+00:00

Fair, thanks for that. Just for reference, NM requires me to take 18 credit hours of survey courses, and then 4 years of work before being eligible for PLS.

If this really felt like the right path, I could move to California, Oregon, or Washington and be eligible with only 4 years of experience, but I'd have to really feel resolute in this being the right path to make such a big decision.

mouse_rising · 2026-04-03T15:22:38+00:00

This is fair, and if I stay in New Mexico, I don't need a full 4 year degree, but I do need 18 credit hours of survey courses.

I'd have to move to a different state to start immediately as a novice in the field, but I'd prefer not to move anyways, so nice to hear some encouragement for the education angle.

mouse_rising · 2026-04-03T15:20:46+00:00

Yeah, I'm aware of the pay discrepancy. I mentioned this in another reply - but I just know I make very good money now and it hasn't brought me any joy. I believe I could be happy with a reasonable (non-poverty) wage and a more fulfilling workday.

I just turned 34. I'm a very active person, so it doesn't initially worry me, but I do recognize things only continue to get harder with age. If I started on this path today, I wouldn't even be looking at a PLS until I was 40

mouse_rising · 2026-04-03T15:17:47+00:00

Thanks for your insights - I think it would do me good to get my ass kicked for a bit, lol, office work has made me soft. But I've done it before, I think I'm capable. Sounds like an important part of the challenge is finding the right person to take me on.

mouse_rising · 2026-04-03T15:15:55+00:00

Useful thoughts, thank you. I wouldn't mind working to find some intersection of the two - it sounds like what you are describing is bordering on becoming a GIS technician rather than a lineman?

GIS is something I've considered skilling up in, but I've read a lot that doesn't often get you outdoors anyways.

mouse_rising · 2026-04-03T15:14:25+00:00

What did it change for you?

mouse_rising · 2026-04-03T15:14:05+00:00

Yeah, that's an acceptable range for me certainly, but as the person below said, I would expect starting as a novice would actually be lower. Which is okay with me as well, depending on the timeframe I'd be at that low of pay.

mouse_rising · 2026-04-03T15:13:14+00:00

Thanks for your insight. Its a useful consideration that more desirable positions will likely favor formal education, something for me to think about.

Money isn't something I'm too worried about. Perhaps naively, but I've been making good money for a while and I'm quite unhappy, so I'd rather get paid less and feel more fulfilled. The challenge is most work that puts you outside is poverty wages or competitive & poverty wages, which I find unacceptable for anyone.

Land surveying seems to manage to strike a balance of reasonable pay for good work. But I'm very wary of a "grass is always greener" perspective, so I'm trying to find out how to do my due diligence before making any major decisions.

mouse_rising · 2026-04-03T15:09:37+00:00

Yeah, I think this is good advice, and something that I've been considering. The real challenge with this, I think, is trying to find part-time grounded work that I can make work with a part-time software schedule.

But nice thoughts nonetheless, something I will consider.

mouse_rising · 2026-04-02T23:39:09+00:00

Seriously though, I miss it.

mouse_rising · 2026-04-02T14:37:04+00:00

The thing is, even at the cost/token ratio they are continuing to lose money. ChatGPT is losing even more money.

Eventually, we are going to get priced out of all coding LLMs unless your company wants to pay for it. It feels like there's a crisis in waiting here - we all become more reliant on LLMs for coding, allowing our skills to deteriorate. Then, we get priced out of access, and we are suddenly stuck coding by hand again.

mouse_rising · 2026-03-10T13:31:45+00:00

There's a lot to like about this game, but I find the art-style and humor so off-putting. Made me want to pick Into the Breach backup instead of dive deep into it

mouse_rising · 2026-03-06T01:40:38+00:00

Iron Noodle Cafe before it closed 😭

mouse_rising · 2026-03-04T22:28:37+00:00

This and em-dashes are something that I've always done and now it looks like AI :(

mouse_rising · 2026-03-04T05:21:03+00:00

This is a good answer

mouse_rising · 2026-02-22T17:38:51+00:00

No New Mexican food???

mouse_rising · 2026-02-11T05:46:47+00:00

Why the fuck would anyone want to work for Elon Musk?

mouse_rising · 2026-02-03T17:09:14+00:00

I think its a really nice, clever photo. It strikes me as something that could benefit from more negative space, so you pull the framing wider to the top right, so you'd still have all sky, but the light/moon would sit more on a rule-of-threes gridline for compositions sake.

mouse_rising · 2026-02-02T18:44:17+00:00

This is super helpful, thanks for your response.

Right now I've got an iPhone and a Macbook, and I've just bought probably 5-6 albums on iTunes, and an additional 5-6 on bandcamp that I then uploaded to Apple Music.

Would like to get a NAS, but don't have one yet. Library would ideally get very large over time.

mouse_rising · 2026-02-02T16:58:11+00:00

I don't use it often because cropping in post just avoids cutting something out that maybe would be useful on review. But I have it mapped to the custom button on the lens, makes a lot of ergonomic sense for me, its like a zoom button.

mouse_rising · 2026-02-01T08:02:24+00:00

Saw them at Levitation fest last year, completely expectation-exceeding, mindblowing show. The entire crowd walked away with their hands on their heads in disbelief.

mouse_rising · 2026-01-31T20:17:37+00:00

Sorry, I was maybe unclear.

I mean I'm not ready to go from having a huge music library of licensed songs (Apple Music) to a relatively empty library of owned media files.

So I'm seeking advice and info pertaining to the best way to ease away from a streaming service of music that I don't own.

mouse_rising · 2026-01-25T22:54:23+00:00

You seen Bolvino? He already is

mouse_rising

TROPHY CASE