Book excerpt: Pulling from his 30+ years of experience running his own engineering and surveying services firm, Ed Bergeron gathers, in concise, practical, and often amusing writing, all the information an engineer or surveyor needs to know to grow their career, expand their business, manage staff and projects, understand the financial and legal aspects of their work, and conduct themselves in a professional and ethical manner when dealing with clients and colleagues. Both the fields of surveying and engineering are making strides towards advancing their stature by increasingly requiring licensure, expanding continuing education offerings, and adding elements of professional practice into all levels of education. This book presents the skills that differentiate the technician from the professional, and will serve as a tool for the advancement of the profession.