Michael Baker
Student and Survey Assistant
Employer
SDG Land and Development Solutions
Length of time working in surveying
Six months
Current level of study
Diploma at Ultimo TAFE
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Michael Baker, I’m 18 years old, about to turn 19 in February. I work at a company called SDG Land Development Solutions and I am just about to start my diploma at Ultimo TAFE this year in Sydney. With my spare time I like to play the piano, have a few drinks with the lads and go to the gym.
Why did you choose surveying for your work experience placement?
I rarely heard anything about surveying during school. My dad suggested that I look for work experience in that department because I couldn’t find anything else, but after that first week I realised this would be one of my main interests as I went through high school.
What did your work experience placement involve, and what did you enjoy most about it?
Mainly I was completing detail surveys and then, if we had the time, I would see what we picked up during the survey back at the office.
I was about 15 at the time so I thought it was cool just to have casual conversations with adults and learn some of the many things they were doing. All the people I worked with were welcoming and happy to answer any questions I had.
Out of all the other people that did work experience in my year, I was sure that I had the most fun and interesting week learning about surveying.
How would you describe your transition from surveying work experience to studying and working in surveying?
Transitioning from work experience to working full time was daunting at first because I was only 17 when I started in December 2016. The first week was
tough as there was so much I didn’t know, but I guess that’s what it’s like when you first start working full time anywhere. Luckily for me I had some work experience prior and the people I was working with were patient and happy to help out in any way.
When TAFE began for the year, the transition from working full-time to working while studying was easy thanks to my company as I got to work part-time, which I’m grateful for.
What does a typical day at work involve?
I mainly work on construction sites and mark out things like edge board, bathrooms, and how close buildings are to their boundaries.
Describe the most interesting project you have worked on?
By far the most interesting project would have been at Ultimo TAFE where we conducted a traverse over 1.2km and had a day to complete the task.
What locations have you worked in?
I’ve worked in Parramatta, Waitara, Cremorne, Penrith and more. We work all around the place.
What do you love the most about your work and study? What do you find most challenging about it?
The thing I love the most about studying is the application of mathematical equations to the real world. The best thing about the work is seeing the importance of what we do and increasing the speed a building can be built while maintaining pin-point accuracy.
What’s most challenging about studying is having a high level of sustained accuracy and trusting the work you’ve done to be correct.
How would you describe surveying as a job opportunity to other young people?
Surveying is in high demand for assistants and graduate surveyors. If you are studying at TAFE or at uni you will easily get a job and it is much better to get a part-time or full-time job which will contribute to your future career. Whether it’s working in the mines, on the water, in the outback or on construction sites, there will always be work.
Something to consider is that mathematics is a big part of surveying, although it is a lot more interesting and practical then some of the questions you got in high school, like “if the man had 20 apples and sold eight of them, how many apples did he have left?”.
Furthermore, many survey companies are pretty flexible for the days you go to study and the days you can work, which gives you a high chance of having full-time work when you finish studying.
What sort of skills or attributes do you think are important for a person working in surveying?
Things like confidence, competence, the ability to work well with others and a willingness to learn.
What are your career goals?
I’m only young so I haven’t planned out too much, I know that I want to finish my diploma and am still deciding whether I want to go to uni or not. But, I know one thing for sure, I’m going to stick with surveying.