What are the rewards of improved surveying and salvaging? Unskilled, it seems viable targets are very limited. I suppose in the full game, a good survey could let you find an ideal planet to build your base (and eventual war machine to take over the sector). But, in 0.8, what is the ultimate benefit? Merely more cash only? If so, then that is not much different than the crew XP skill from pre-0.8, which the mean reason for me to get it would be to train more crew from green to elite quickly and sell for cash (although Making Do perk was good, but not as good as zipping around and killing everything with combat skills).
If I need salvaging to capture unusual Domain/alien ships or weapons, or even merely stupidly rare items like more Hyperions and Light Needlers, then I probably want to max the skill so I can get more goodies. But, if all I get is more unusual but useless commodities or junk like metal to sell for more cash, then I may just pass on them so I can focus more on combat-related skills instead of convenient grind-less-in-the-campaign skills. Same thing with surveying. If all I get is datapads to sell, then it is just easier-way-to-get-cash at the expense of maximum combat potential.
If we get more skills to fill out the remaining aptitudes, I hope the level cap gets raised. Currently, it looks like a tight fit to get everything I want, and if I can ignore Surveying and Salvage because it only means more easy money instead of access to unique combat resources I cannot get any other way, then might I can treat surveying and salvaging from must max to nice-but-grind-more-to-get-cash and get better fighting skills instead.
One more thing. I read the Neutrino ability in the sensor skill and thought "nice" until I saw it required volatiles, then I thought "ewww, another fuel to manage? pass". Then I think I saw it prevents Sustained Burn. Another no from me. I am now addicted to Sustained Burn; it is so good, I use it almost all of the time!