Chain boy Job role 1

[blue82]

Hi, apologies if this is in the wrong place i wasn't sure where to post!

I'm about to graduate BEng Civil Engineering and have heard a few things about the role of a 'chain boy'

is this actually a job that can be applied for etc as so far i haven't been able to find much even though i've heard it mentioned a fair amount!

Any information is much appreciated!

 

[cvg]

typically chain "man" not "boy" and is the low man on a survey crew. typically I would not expect this position to be offered to an engineering college graduate

http://www.sccollege.edu/Departments/CareerEd/Apprenticeship/Pages/Surveying-SurveyChainman.aspx

 

[chicopee]

But it's great way to be outside "rain or shine" or a step to learn about surveying and eventually become a registered surveyor.

 

[civilman72]

If you can't find any engineering work right now, it might be smart for you to get a better understanding of what a surveyor does.

Assuming you eventually get involved in land development engineering, it will be helpful to have some background in surveying.

 

[blue82]

The placement i had lined up fell through annoyingly, and i graduate in just under a month which is no time at all to try and find work or any kind of placement.

 

[JedClampett]

Wear a lot of sunscreen!

 

[dhengr]

And, remember you can pull chain, but you can’t push it worth a damn.

 

[JedClampett]

Old story, hopefully true:
Back until the 60's, University of Illinois used to require all Civil Engineering students to attend a six week surveying camp in Wisconsin. So Joe engineering student was surveying a level line along a railway. It was summer and hot, so when he (no she's in engineering back then) encountered a bar, he thought he'd enjoy a frosty libation, leaving the instrument set up on the tracks. I'm sure he didn't put two and two together when he heard a train whistle. And that was the end for that level.

 

[dhengr]

Jed.... is this story on the level, or are you just pulling our chain?

 

[blue82]

Are these in jokes? I'll remember that in case i'm ever asked to set a point on a traintrack!

 

[dhengr]

Blue:
As a graduate C.E. you should aspire to something more than a chainman, if you can find it. But, that is a starting point, keep your eyes and ears open and soak in all you can, as quickly as you can. You will likely have a chance to learn a lot of ‘how they do that and why,’ very quickly, and that’s what shows you are aspiring to be more.

There is nothing funny about train tracks. Always look and be able to see both ways. Never work to close to the end of a line of standing cars, unless you can see the other end and keep track of it. An engine pushing those cars back happens very quickly and without warning. On multiple tracks never step out from behind a line of cars without looking first. A fast train along side that line of cars happens very quickly and can not always be heard.

 

[chicopee]

In Montana State College, Bozeman, back in the early 60' you had a year of surveying in addition to plotting the campus as well verifying elevations, angles and distances under 3' of snow and below zero dF; those days, I don't miss so I tranfered to ME.

 

[dhengr]

chicopee:
Ya... And now look what you’ve become. (-:
Didn’t your mother never learn you no better?

 

[blue82]

During a field trip i was thrown in at the deep end with the setting out... the main foundation was out by about 300mm, the guy in charge casually walked over and handed me a spade as the excavator had gone home. That was definitely not a fun time.

 

[brandonbw]

"Assuming you eventually get involved in land development engineering, it will be helpful to have some background in surveying."

This is an understatement.

At my first job the younger guys which was almost everyone besides the owners would joke and ask how to survey using horses and chains. Same guy could calculate a structure by hand, did some grading, but really liked the survey part of the job. He also built houses for the poor on his spare time. My point is that knowing more about the whole field will make you that much better in the future. And there is nothing wrong with starting out in that position while times are tough.

B+W Engineering and Design
Los Angeles Civil Engineer and Structural Engineer

http://bwengr.com

|

http://bwstructuralengineer.com

|

http://bwcivilengineer.com

 

[fistandantilus]

Back in my surveying days, we didn't call it "chain-boy" but "bucket-b*tch" (i.e. the guy who carries the supplies, holds the dumb-end of the tape, runs back to the truck, etc... I preferred a stake bag when I ran my own crew, but my crotchety old boss was set on his tried & true plastic bucket... thus where the term came from)
Nevertheless, apologies for the vulgarity, but you had better get used to it if you spend any time in the field! And, yes, I believe that working in the field for a minimum of 1 year should be required for all design professionals! There has always been a huge disconnect between how things get built and how they are designed, and it is only getting worse. All my bosses since my time in the field have commented that my field experience is what set me apart from other candidates.

 

[blue82]

Exactly i figure it can't hurt, it's a foot in the door if anything!

 

[Denial]

Nostalgia. I spent one student summer as a chain man, back in the late 1960s. It was a job blasting narrow tunnels for the laying of sewerage pipes. Fairly soon after each blast of gelignite, I had to crawl up to the new blast face, taking the dumb end of the measuring tape with me, through the smoke, dust and gelignite fumes. I finished each day with ragged knees and a thumping headache.

 

[DaMeRy]

good thread but i don't think this position to be offered to an engineering college graduate