Starting Your Career in Geographic Information Science
by Eric S. West, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Geography
Southern Connecticut State University
Visit the Geospatial Information and Technology Association (GITA) homepage at http://www.gita.org/. This is a primary national umbrella organization for events, resources, jobs, industry profiles, etc.
Visit the website of the State of Connecticut Geospatial Council at http://www.ct.gov/gis/site/default.asp/
Whether you want to continue your education at the graduate level or go straight into a job after Southern, in order to prepare yourself for a career in Geographic Information Science (GI Science), you must:
I. know the market;
II. network;
III. identify potential areas for specialization; and,
IV. develop related technical skills.
I. A. Academic track
- Read the Guide to Geography Departments in North America and Canada to identify departments you are interested in and professors you would like to work with.
- Visit the web pages and contact those departments. Find out what you need to do in order to maximize your chances. Do it.
I. B. Job track
- Read publications like ArcNews, ArcUser, GPS World, etc.
- See what jobs are on the market by visiting websites such as
http://www.skillsusa.org/collegecontests.html
- Take advantage of all resources that the campus Career Center has to offer.
- Occasionally peruse the job ads in the Hartford Currant.
I. C. Either way…
- Register for all regional and national listservs, in addition to ones in regions where you may be interested in working, including:
The Connecticut GIS User to User Network
The Northeast Arc Users Group
The New York State GIS List (Other listservs are listed here)
http://www.nysgis.state.ny.us/
- Build your portfolio!
II. - Attend regional GI Science and Systems conferences, including
ESRI Open House (www.esri.com)
New England GIS Day (http://gisday.sr.unh.edu/)
- Attend the annual conference of the AAG. Dress professionally and do interviews. Visit the expo hall. Attend sessions.
III. - Visit the ESRI website and explore it, particularly the industries tab.
- Talk to professors in geography and other fields to see how GIS is being used.
- Again, attend conferences and workshops!
- Find websites at other universities that have information about GIS. One example is the site at New Mexico State. http://www.nmsu.edu/~geoweb/gisrc.html
IV. A. For the academic track, consider building your skills in mathematics, particularly statistics. University admissions committees will regard high grades in statistics quite favorably. Success in calculus or linear algebra will also distinguish you.
IV. B. For the job track, it is a basic fact that students who learn how to program have more opportunities in careers in GI Science than those who don’t. This is not to say that you cannot succeed without programming, but there will be more options available to you if you can program. Networking and knowing the market are important to understanding what courses you should take. As of 2006, skills in .net, visual basic, java, and even HTML were highly requested by potential employers. Additionally, database management skills in for instance Oracle could help. You should be familiar with what skills job postings ask for and train yourself in those skills that seem to be more frequently requested.
The most important thing for you to do is to plan ahead. The reason that Southern is here is so that you will have a successful and happy life after you leave Southern. This means using every minute of your time wisely in preparing yourself for a smooth, confident transition away from Southern into a professional position, whatever and wherever that position may be. Just having a bachelor’s degree is by no means a guarantee of success in today’s world. College should be fun for you, but it is also a critical opportunity to think and act strategically. Take the initiative, and take advantage of it!