Central Newfoundland man at home on water

Whoever said watching TV will not teach you things has never watched the Discovery Channel.

Growing up in Newfoundland, Chad Downey of Grand Falls-Windsor admitted he was not much of a sailor. The son of a mill worker, he grew up watching television documentaries and credits that for much of his interest in the marine world.

After pursuing the Geomatics Engineering Technology program at the College of the North Atlantic, he discovered his love for marine surveying. A work term with the Coast Guard presented itself and cemented his passion for oceanic exploration.

Geomatics includes land and marine surveying, the creation and updating of maps, among other things, and can use tools such as GPS, remote sensing and photogrammetry.

"I had more interest in the marine surveying than I had with land surveying," Downey said. "I worked land surveying in Labrador for about a year, but I kept trying to get back out on the boats It's harder to get a job out at sea than it is on land."

Although his passion remained, opportunities were scarce in marine surveying.

While Downey was laid off from a construction surveying job, he watched a program on the company Odyssey and their explorations. He decided then that he would send the company a resume.

"I was watching TV at my buddy's house, and I was watching Odyssey's show they have on Discovery Channel, 'Treasure Quest,'" Downey said. "I figured they had techs like me working there, for the surveying process."

He sent in a resume online and hoped that if the stars would align in the right way, he might receive a response.

Months had passed as Downey waited for other opportunities to come to fruition.

After sending out dozens of more resumes to other companies, the Odyssey program was long forgotten, and so was the hope of employment with the company. Roughly three months after sending the resume, they contacted him. They were interested in talking about his schooling and training.

Surprise call

"It was quite a bit of a surprise, and exciting to know the type of work they are into, like shipwreck exploration," Downey said. "Just to walk out of school and into that job, was quite exciting."

After discussing his qualifications, he was shocked when they granted him a 30-day trial contract offshore.

Downey has made the most of the opportunity. That 30-day trial has turned into over a year's worth of work and is still going strong.

Are You Looking for Surveying Jobs | perambulagens.org

There are surveying jobs just waiting for the right person to come along and apply. If you are a surveyor, you can be back to work in no time. If you are already working and just want to change jobs, there are plenty of opportunities available. Even when residential real estate markets and construction are down, there is a steady need for commercial real estate surveyors and government land surveyors. Construction remains steady for government improvements and new commercial ventures even during these tough economic times. That is a good thing for surveyors. If you have the skills, there is an employer who will put them to use. Even if you have been out of the field for years and are interested in getting back in, why not apply for a position? It may be the best decision career wise that you have made in a long time. Don’t let your dream job go to someone else.

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