When I was in college; I chose to become a member of fraternity. It was not an Animal House type fraternity; but none the less a fraternity. Anyway with every new semester came a new pledges. It was the regular members job to haze the pledges to see if they had what it took to belong. Then law and order came. Hazing was made illegal and the schools cracked down hard. Basically killing the initiation process altogether.
This profession has a time honored hazing system. Or at least it did. In the days before GPS the survey crew consisted of 2-3 crew members. A party-chief, an instrument person, and a rodman. Generally the rodman was charged with showing up to work 30-45 minutes early to make sure the truck had all the supplies for the survey day. Then every night he was charged with gassing up the truck and taking out all the trash, washing the windshield etc. Then of course the rodman was charged with sharpening tools, oiling equipment, basically all the chores no else wanted.
Then as time passed they worked there way to party chief. This was the time honored tradition and a good way to determine if someone had what it took to become a surveyor. Very few entrants whom started as rodman made it to party chief or even RLS. Those who made it were proud. They had attained something. They had endured the brow-beating and hazing and they were now in a position to dish it out.
I am of the opinion that this system has led to our own demise. First, today's youth are convinced that they need to go to college to attain the american dream. Well, friends you are not going to get a college graduate with a surveying degree to submit themselves to this type of treatment. Second, today's younger people have spent most of their adolesense posting their lives on myspace, youtube, and facebook. So they can't be shamed into submission. Third and perhaps the biggest; technology has completely changed the dymanic of the Land Survey Business. We don't really have crews anymore. The data collector handles most of the calculation so many crews lack the same level of expertise they had 25 years ago.
Yet with all of this we the surveying community has this idea that admittance is by invitation only. Then we sit back and wonder why no one wants to join our profession? Why join it and deal with this type on mentality? I can see why the younger, educated land surveyors steer clear. Why deal with the nonsense when you don't have to.
Only we can change it.....
Great post!!
ReplyDeleteYou're right. times have changed and in order to attract the youngsters we have to lose the old abusive edge.
We did have a lot of fun back then and yes it did determine the men from the boys.
Today we can no longer assume that they are all boys until they prove they are a man. To an extent anyway.
We must be the utmost as a leader in the profession at all times.
Now if we could only convince them that instant gratification is non-existant and you are somebody even though you don't own a Bentley, we would have some real enthusiasm.