If there is a public perception of them at all, it is of rather quiet men in hard hats, who carry something called a theodolite, purpose unknown. Real-life surveyors, an articulate, diverse body of men and women, view this misperception with weariness and amusement in equal measure. They know the truth - that surveying is a vastly varied field, with several distinct and intellectually stimulating careers within it.
Chartered surveyors come in still more varieties.
Many are managers and experts in the construction industry. Others specialise in environmental appraisal, or even fine arts and antiques. Financial wizards are not excluded from the profession. The guy wrestling with computer programmes and simultaneously phoning his contacts to charm out of them some nugget of statistical information is a surveyor, too. There's another little secret about chartered surveying.