Geographic Information System as a Career: What I Wish I Knew

Sometimes I have problems explaining to myself what I do, let alone anyone else! I've just accepted "You're a wizard" as the truth 😂

When I went through my GIS Bachelors program it was right when ArcGIS Online was released and the school I went to viewed and taught it as "This will not go anywhere and it will fail so don't worry about learning it"... 7 years later and after working for Esri for 3 of those years... Look where GIS is... so my advice is pay attention to and learn how to utilize the emerging trends!

I wish there was a vid like this when I was in school. I definitely agree having another expertise alongside GIS (utilities, urban planing, engineering, etc) or having a buttload of computer science skill really would have helped.

I like your hot take on the data issue.. biggest issue with GIS (locating, processing, and building the data).

I'm coming to the end of my Geography degree and kind of realizing that my passion for cartography will lead me into GIS work. I am so excited to find your channel!

I worked at my University's IT Help Desk as a student worker while I was in the process of obtaining my degree. The IT experience I got has come in handy countless times in the GIS job field. It is true that you will be the go to IT person in the office.

My elevator pitch: Geography isn’t about what you do but how you do it. As a GIScientist I specialize in how to turn anything into something analysable

GIS is a total mistery for most people even though every part of their lives is in contact with it in some way or another

You may not know everything, but knowing all that you can gives you an edge.

I’ve wanted to do gis since I was 13, and I’m starting college in September to work towards it. I’m really excited!

The closing point is just spot on. And if I may say, that applies generally to the field of Geography. Sometimes, you just sit and wonder how to explain how relevant Geography and by extension GIS are to people. It could be a big deal, you know... Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Couldn't agree more about the importance of Computer Science/Programming fundamentals (along with Web Development)!

Every GIS person should check out the video "GIS Definition - What we do in the Shadows" . We can all relate 🤣😂

Hey Katie, I just found your channel and I couldn’t be happier. I just got out of University doing a CS degree, but I’ve been super interested in GIS for years, I’m thinking about the switch now and I’m happy to have found your channel! :)

I.... Also have a geology degree!!! I have been trying very hard to find a degree in the geology/Geography field with little luck post graduation. This was so refreshing to hear... I have an interview next week for a public sector gig for a small city in the Midwest. :)

The ending is so accurate lol, when I had to explain to my parents about what I was going to college for i would just keep it simple and say it’s for making digital maps.

I found his really interesting, but I quickly found out it's not as easy as j thought it would be. Maps have to meet certain criteria and how layers work.

Thank you for the information! I am relatively new to gis ( 6 months in my current role) but absolutely love it and want to make sure I navigate the career field in a way that benefits me the best. Keep up the great work :)

Hi Katie. Nice video there. In my case it is the reverse, I am a former IT engineer (specialised in hardware and networking) and now I want to do something related to Geography. Since school, History and Geography were my favourite subjects and I am still inclined towards those areas. I would say my interest at the core might be in Historical Geography. So when you talked about the "pavement" example for data collection, I instantly got it. Anyway, I am looking at career options in GIS and your videos do give very useful tips. I have subscribed to your channel and signed up for your newsletter. Thank you.

Thanks for having such an approachable spin on this. I'm hooked! I hope that the GIS space is as small as you say it is - cause I sure would love to meet you at a conference! I'm getting into the space after being a Software Engineer for quite awhile. I became a ESRI fan after attended a couple ESRI Moocs, and attended a conference at the start of this year. Now I'm soaking up all I can in the GIS space to prepare for starting a job with NGA!