Surveying and geospatial fields face a well-documented mentorship and education gap, where experienced professionals are retiring faster than new talent is being trained, and traditional pathways (four-year programs, in-house apprenticeship) haven’t scaled to meet demand. This talk traces how online education and community-driven learning are stepping into that gap: from YouTube channels and virtual workshops to membership-based communities that pair structured coursework with peer mentorship and real-time feedback.
Drawing on several years building and running one such platform for surveying and geospatial professionals, this session looks at what’s actually working and what isn’t in online technical education for a hands-on, field-based professions. Expect real examples of how members have used these tools to change their career trajectory or grow their businesses, alongside a candid look at the format’s limits: what online learning can’t replace, and where hybrid approaches make more sense. Attendees will leave with a clearer picture of how the profession’s education model is shifting, and practical ideas for how firms, associations, and individual surveyors can plug into (or build) these newer learning pathways.