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Thank You for Your Interest in Our Research Project

Thank you very much for your interest in our long-term reasearch project to better understand Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha. Our work is only possible because of the generous support and involvement of many partners, donors, volunteers and supporters.

If you’d like to be kept up-to-date with our findings, advise, and future action plans, please use this form to get on the list.

Also, feel free to reach out to Chaplain TIG with any questions or interest in involvement:
Chaplain TIG Heaslet Connect on LinkedIn
[email protected]

 

This is the very beginning of our 10 year research project to better understand Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha, determine the best steps to present top job careers of the future, and take action on our data driven steps. The guiding pupose of this effort is to support our Missing Pixel mission to empower underserved youth demographics to step into top careers in order to bring about generational change.

Below, you will find all the slides for the Bridging the Generational Gap presentation given at INTERGEO 2025 in Germany.

What to Expect

💡
WHY
Why is this worth your time
Understanding how the next generation views surveying careers is critical for addressing the workforce shortage and ensuring the profession's future sustainability.
🔬
HOW
How we did this first stage
Qualitative research methodology with pre-college students to capture authentic perspectives on career decision-making processes and perceptions of the surveying profession.
📊
WHAT
Our findings
Key insights into Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha career priorities, awareness gaps, and the specific factors that influence their consideration of surveying as a viable career path.
🚀
NEXT
Next steps
Actionable recommendations for educational institutions, professional organizations, and industry stakeholders to effectively engage with and recruit the next generation of surveyors.

⚠️ SURVEYING: DASHBOARD OF CONCERN

Critical Performance Indicators Reveal Systemic Challenges

Growth Projection
4%
Only 4% projected growth
vs. 20-50% in tech sectors
Workforce Age Crisis
57+
Average age upper 50s
14.3% workforce decline 2010-2020
Unemployment Risk
7.2%
3.6x higher than office jobs
Versus 2.0% for entry-level office
Automation Pressure
HIGH
AI replacing data processing
& analysis tasks rapidly
Educational Pipeline
1K
Only ~1,000 graduates yearly
Far below replacement needs
Economic Stability
LOW
Tied to construction cycles
Highly interest rate sensitive

Methodology

What we did to accomplish this in such a short time
Research Pool
16-20 year old pre-college students for highest quality data
Target: 15-20 participants for saturation
Gathered: 30 interviews to ensure quality standards and saturation
Interview Structure
Narrative-style questioning across 7 key sections
01
Background & Rapport Building
02
Career Interests & Awareness
03
Influence & Decision-Making
04
Surveying Awareness
05
Technology Integration
06
Values Alignment
07
Barriers & Future Visioning

Interview Questions

Narrative-style questioning across 25 questions in 7 sections
01
Background: Rapport Building
Q1
"Tell me about yourself - what are you most interested in right now?"
Q2
"How would you describe your current thoughts about your future?"
Q3
"What does a typical day look like for you?"
02
Career Interests & Awareness
Q4
"What careers or jobs have you been thinking about lately?"
Q5
"Walk me through how you first became aware of these possibilities"
Q6
"What appeals to you about these options, and what concerns you?"
Q7
"Are there careers you've ruled out? What led to that decision?"
03
Influence & Decision-Making
Q8
"Who are the people who most influence your thinking about careers?"
Q9
"Tell me about recent conversations with family about your future"
Q10
"How do you get information about different careers?"
Q11
"Walk me through how you make decisions about your future"
04
Surveying Awareness
Q12
"What comes to mind when you hear the word 'surveying' or 'surveyor'?"
Q13
"Have you ever noticed surveyors working in your community?"
Q14
"How do you think the maps and location services on your phone work?"
Q15
"What role do you think measuring and mapping play in building cities?"
05
Technology Integration
Q16
"If you could work with drones, 3D scanners, or satellite data, what would you do?"
Q17
"How important is using cutting-edge technology in your ideal career?"
Q18
"What gaming or mapping apps do you use? How might those skills apply?"
06
Values Alignment
Q19
"How important is it that your career helps solve environmental problems?"
Q20
"Would you prefer working indoors, outdoors, or a mix? Why?"
Q21
"How do you feel about careers that combine technology with fieldwork?"
07
Barriers & Future Visioning
Q22
"What obstacles do you see in pursuing your preferred career path?"
Q23
"How do financial considerations affect your career thinking?"
Q24
"Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?"
Q25
"What does career success mean to you personally?"

WHAT - Our Findings Overview

Key Insights from Pre-College Student Research
01
Awareness Gap is Nearly Universal
Consistent and profound lack of awareness about modern surveying careers
02
Technology Expectations vs. Perceived Reality
Participants consistently expressed desire for tech-integrated careers, yet perceived surveying as outdated
03
Values Alignment Opportunities
Strong patterns emerged around values that align perfectly with modern surveying
FINDING #1

Awareness Gap is Nearly Universal

The most striking pattern across all interviews is the profound lack of awareness about modern surveying careers:
"
Those guys with the tripod things on the side of the road
— Annie
⚠️
Most participants had zero unprompted awareness of surveying as a career option
FINDING #2

Technology Expectations vs. Perceived Reality

Participants consistently expressed desire for tech-integrated careers, yet perceived surveying as outdated:
"
I want to do something in tech... combining both interests
— Maya
"
I can't imagine doing a job that uses outdated technology
— Annie
💡
CONTRAST WITH REALITY:
When participants learned about drones, 3D scanning, and GPS technology in surveying, interest increased dramatically
FINDING #3

Values Alignment Opportunities

Strong patterns emerged around values that align perfectly with modern surveying:
🌱
Environmental Concern
Annie, Maya, Isabella
Making a positive impact while also being happy and fulfilled
🎯
Precision and Systems Thinking
Aiden
I like that there are right and wrong answers based on measurements
🛤️
Practical Pathways
Dylan, Carlos, Diego
Need for careers with clear training paths and stable income

NEXT - What's Next

🔬
Additional Research
Better understand Gen Z and Gen-Alpha at different ages
Better understand their major inflection points and influential figures
📊
Define Metrics
Ensures that our efforts are defined by data
Empowers Pass/Fail delineation for our efforts
🚀
Take Action
Driven by research-backed inflection points, influential figures, and other research gleanings
In-School Events
Grade School, High School, Community Colleges
Building scanning and AR/VR walkthroughs
Storytelling through reality capture and digital twinning
Influencer Campaigns
Podcast
Influencer Creation
Influencer Partnerships
Learning Pathway Development
New non-traditional career pathways
Empowerment of traditional pathway augmentation
Scholarships and financial support
🤝
Get Involved - We Need Your Help!
Financial support
Equipment support
Volunteers and mentors
Website and QR code

Purpose

This study is part of a long-term research project focused on understanding the career goals of generation Z and Alpha. When we began developing The Missing Pixel Project, we noticed that certain career paths plotted to be the top jobs of the future, were not receiving interest from students at a rate that would effectively replace it’s ageing workforce. Our belief is that a significant portion of that problem is how the specific carrer field(s) are promoted. With this study, we hope to better understand the dreams and goals of our youth, so we can better educate them regarding career opportunities to that are in the highest demand and can provide the most secure futures.