Once you start working I'd recommend registering as a graduate surveyor with SBQ and go along to one of the grad days they run. I've got a couple of guys going through it at the moment. The trick is not to rush the process and submit career episode reports that meet the criteria. I'd say this should be a 3 to 5 year process, but you'll come off your grad program earlier than that and get some decent cash. Endorsement is a bit more of a bitch but if you can get through the CERs and the projects it's worth doing for the money. You're looking at about another 3 to 5 years to knock that out.

People get wound up about knocking out registration and endorsement as quickly as possible, but you're better off just cruising along flying drones and measuring shit while finding little projects to tick off the achievement units. Has been a good career and I'm still enjoying it.

No worries. Just remember a lot of these jobs are remote so you may need to do FIFO or move regional for a while. It's pretty good out here though. Place is what you make it.

Yeah it's a bit light on the details. Everyone has different experiences but hit up any endorsed surveyors for the pro tips and shortcuts.

100% this but not just survey. New AI solutions and digital twinning is taking over roles for engineering and planning as well. There's products out there that can dynamically design a drill pattern based on machine performance from guidance systems and changes in strata.

I've knocked off a computer science degree since doing the surveying degree for this reason, and finding it more and more relevant to the job.

Future of Surveying will not be pegging or flying drones. It will be data validation, machine guidance and GIS.

Supply and demand. Surveyors are rarer than engineers and thus get more money. Don't tell the gingerbeers though.