CAREERS IN GIS

Archive for the ‘Staying Current’ Category

Why do you love GIS?  Do you love GIS?  Why did you choose to study it in school?  If you did not study about GIS in school, why are you interested in it now?  Would you incorporate GIS into your career or into your life even if it was not your primary concern or even if you were not being paid to deal with it?

These questions should answer where your passion lies.  I have seen too many people studying GIS or looking for a job involving GIS who simply have a look of apathy or hopelessness in their eyes.  If you happen to receive a job interview, do not be foolish enough to think that an interviewer will not notice this.  People can usually tell whether someone is excited about an opportunity.  I do not mean “excited” because they are desperate for a job but excited because they love what they do and they want you to know how much they love it.

The key is conveying your passion for GIS to an interviewer without embarrassing yourself.  Do not show up to an interview dressed as a globe or a GPS unit.  Also, as impressive as you may think it is, I would not advise putting the latitude and longitude of your home address on your resume in place of a normal street address.  (You would be surprised how many people in the GIS industry would not have a clue as to what those strange looking numbers may be.)

However, people have forgotten the power of a portfolio either to receive an interview or to present during an interview.  Maps you have produced, analyses you completed, websites you maintained or created, or computer code that you wrote.  All of these are things that can be simplified into a PDF or a web link for display/presentation purposes.

If you plan to have a face-to-face interview with someone, put together a packet of information to present to the person at the time of the interview.  It will give you a chance to discuss things that you have done and/or things that you can do.  Unbelievably, interviewers get bored.  Give them something that sparks a conversation.  Not only will you show them your passion, it will definitely make you stick out in their mind from who knows how many others that may be applying for the same position.

New data capture devices, new data sources, new media, new types of distribution…all of this has a foundation in the realm of GIS development and will not go away anytime soon.  There will always be something new around the corner that will require some sort of technical/computer programming know-how in relation to GIS.

However, what happened to the GIS analyst? I know plenty of developers who can create a mobile device application that collects the geo-location of people who bought coffee this morning and display their location on a map.  And?  What good is that data?  Will it improve society and tell us more about ourselves?  Where is the analysis?  Do not misunderstand.  These new Web 2.0/NeoGeo data collection and display applications are awesome.  They have driven the GIS industry to new and interesting places.  However, how can we have all these great new data and applications and no new analysts?

Unfortunately, the need for “pure” GIS analysts has fallen off.  A single analyst accomplishes more work now than most can imagine due to better software and methods.  Another fact is that many positions have been disguised.  GIS analysts are currently placed in jobs titled Market Research Analyst, Crisis Management Analyst, Property Tax Policy Analyst, etc.  All of these positions and many others utilize GIS in major ways but subject matter and the employer’s focus will dictate the occupation title.

A title change is not necessarily a bad thing but it does make it more difficult to find a GIS analyst position.  (Make note of that when doing keyword searches on jobs.)  It also brings into question what someone may need to know beyond just spatial analysis methods and GIS in order to get a job.  Do you need to have experience in Marketing and GIS or Retail Management and GIS or Medicine and GIS to be qualified for these “disguised” positions?  It definitely will not hurt you to know about a subject outside of your GIS “comfort zone”.  Getting experience is the tricky part.  Getting a dual-degree in Geography/GIS and another subject is one route you could take.  Another is to become familiar with a particular industry’s language and interests.  Look into books and trade magazines that discuss different applications.  Future GIS analysts must become chameleons.  If the position that you want is disguised, fight fire with fire.

As you search around for jobs related to GIS analysis and especially GIS development, you may run across the terms “neogeographer”, “neogeography”, or “neogeo”.  Do not be afraid of these terms.  These terms grew out of the need to describe how people acquire knowledge or how they do their jobs relating to new ways of collecting, distributing, and viewing spatial data.

For those of you wondering what these terms mean or even if they apply to you, the best place to start is by first defining Neogeography.  Wikipedia is a simple first stop to get a decent definition.  In addition, O’Reilly Media actually published an entire textbook a few years back named Introduction to Neogeography.  Some other prominent GIS bloggers like Peter Batty and James Fee have also framed this subject.

So is a neogeographer a good thing to be?  This is usually a self-applied label with no real certificate or degree program associated with it yet.  Therefore, I would probably say that if you like the label, then go with it.  Or I can even do one better.  Go to the Ogle Earth NeoGeo jobs board and see if you are qualified for any of the jobs listed.  If you are, go ahead and proclaim yourself as a neogeographer.  However, you can just as easily label yourself a GIS Developer or GIS software engineer or GIS database guru and people will still likely understand what your speciality is.

Personally, I like to identify with a term coined by Don Meltz on his blog…“geoagnostic”.  Therefore, before you get nervous about whether or not you need to add one more description or label to your resume, I will encourage you to calm your fears.  Neogeographer is a cool, flashy title to associate with but only time will tell if it is here to stay.  My question with this type of label is what the next generation of neogeographers will call themselves…superneogeographers, perhaps?

Anyhow, if you deal with GIS or geography on a regular basis, you should already know that there are all types of applications and users out there.  There are GIS applications that are geared towards such things as criminology, archeology, real estate, or mining.  In the same vein, there are cartographers, biogeographers, cultural geographers, economic geographers, and medical geographers.  There are also software designers, media specialists, and database admins that deal with spatial applications.  The list goes on and on but in the end, we all love maps/space and how they relate to our particular interests, no matter what we call each other.

There are many FREE GIS related newsletters and/or e-magazines out there that can you can feed to your email account on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.  Many of these newsletters contain not only GIS industry information but also GIS job information.

Now it can get a bit annoying having all these feeds crowding your inbox along with information flowing in from GIS blogs.  However, here are the facts:  if you are not reading these, someone else is.  And guess what?  They are your competition!  If you really want to land that great job opportunity, you will need to spend 30-60 minutes per day doing research. The early bird does not get the worm anymore.  The bird who gets the worm is the one who never went to sleep in the first place.

Anyhow, below are the major email GIS newsletters/e-magazines that you can subscribe to for free.  They are in no particular order.

ESRI Publications

GISuser.com Newsletters

Directions Magazine

Geocommunity Spatial Newswire

GPS World and Geospatial Solutions (GPS World and Geospatial Solutions are separate but have been combined temporarily while site reconstruction occurs for Geospatial Solutions)

Geoplace.com’s GeoReport

GISCafe Daily Newsletter

GITA (Geospatial Information and Technology Association)Be Ready Bulletin

Point of Beginning eNewsletter

It should be noted that there are other more local GIS publications that you can subscribe to also.  Below are a few examples of what you may find.  There are hundreds of others.  Do a Google search on GIS groups/affiliations/associations in your region and you may find something similar.

City of Atlanta GIS Newsletter

Westchester County New York GIS Newsletter

Forth Valley UK GIS Newsletters

Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium Newsletter

Databases are the backbone of any GIS system.  They are the “I” in GIS.  This means that a knowledge of databases (particularly the software used to manage them) should be somewhere in your repertoire.  By knowledge, I mean the basics of a database system…how to access a table, how to make a query, how to log in is even a basic skill.  When you finally get the job you have been looking for, you will likely either need to link map files on your desktop or from the Internet to records stored in a database or need to store all of your data records, including map files, in a database management system.

Unfortunately, knowing how to operate one database platform does not mean that you automatically are familiar with all.  Regardless, knowing even one DBMS gives you two advantages.  1) It shows an employer that you are familiar with the concepts of a DBMS and that 2) you can possibly learn how to work with different database platforms.

Now the important question is “Which database system should I become familiar with?”  The question that should be asked is “Which database system CAN I become familiar with?” The reason for this is that the most heavily used database platforms out there are too expensive for an ordinary person to afford and train themselves on.  For instance, if you are not already working in an job environment utilizing “the big three” DBMS’s like Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, or IBM DB2, I doubt you will be able to afford the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars required to purchase a software license.  Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and IBM DB2 are usually only utilized in enterprise wide environments with numerous users.  Nevertheless, if you have the means and/or access, try to learn as much as possible.

Two other very popular database platforms that you may likely run into are MySQL and/or PostgreSQL.  What is nice about these two are that they are both open source database platforms.  Yes, free and open source!  All you need is access to a computer and the Internet in order to download and install either of these systems.  Teaching yourself is a different story.  Do a nice Google search on learning resources.  I am sure you will find plenty.

Staying ahead of the curve is necessary when trying to attain a job in GIS.  Better yet, knowing what is possible is often even more necessary when trying to attain a job in GIS.  Your experience and educational background in GIS may relegate you to very narrow exposure of what can or should be done with GIS.  You may not be aware how to best apply your skills or in what directions you can travel with the knowledge that you have attained.  Teachers and professors may be presenting you information that is crucial to your education but does not expand your horizons or allow you to push the envelope.  What can enlighten you?  Blogs.

Off the Map, a blog site related to GIS, mapping, spatial applications, the “geoweb”, etc. posted an article, about a year ago listing the Top 25 Blogs in GIS, GeoWeb, and Cartography.  I must say that I could not have made a better list.  The list comprises other blogs that provide news, information, innovation, insight, curiousity and general “That’s awesome!” articles about anything and everything dealing with GIS and what you can do with it.  I am not saying that you should subscribe to every blog’s RSS feed on the list but you should pick your 5 favorites that you want to follow regularly.

Once again we return to the question of how will these blogs help you find a job.  The answer is that you never know where a good idea may come from.  Who is to say that you will not see something that is so cool that you cannot get it out of your head?  Furthermore, what is stopping you from commenting on a post or contacting the person who is working on what is keeping you awake at night?  Do not be afraid of dropping someone an email and saying, “I want to help.”  Do not fall into the negative mindset of “why would they want my me”.  You would be completely surprised how many innovative ideas out there are getting very little support.  You may find a new partner to do business with.  It does not matter if they live 1000 miles away.  The Internet makes the world a lot smaller than you think.  Take a look out there and see what exists.  Find a person, company, group, etc. that shares the same passions as you.  Combine that with the promise of making some money as well and you have the recipe for something great.

Subscribing to various social media conduits can help you in many ways when it comes to staying relevant in the world of GIS and/or searching for jobs.  Better yet, all you have to do in many cases is sign up for an account.

One professional networking site that you may or may not be aware of is LinkedIn.  LinkedIn allows you to build a profile showcasing your experience and lets you connect with other professionals in your field.  Once you create an account on LinkedIn, I highly suggest subscribing to a few groups.  “GIS” and “GIS and GeoTechnology Professionals” are two groups that I recommend.   “GIS and GeoTechnology Professionals” even has subgroups related to local government, careers and professional development and mobile mapping/field GIS.  Within these groups you can become part of various discussions along with receiving interesting news about what other users may be doing or better yet, who may have jobs available.

Twitter is another networking conduit that is extremely useful.  Sign up for a Twitter account and just do a simple search on “GIS”.  You will return quite a few hits for all sorts of information related to GIS…jobs, data, classes, user group meetings, etc.  TheGISForum and GetGISJobs are two Twitter feeds that you will definitely want to subscribe to.  There are many others though that may or may not be worth your time.  Exploring these avenues leaves nothing to lose and everything to gain.

A good way to find a job in the GIS industry is to stay on top of what new innovations may be out there in terms of software, technology, or analysis methods.  Attending conferences and meetings will give you exposure to new things and possibly give you new creative ideas on how you can apply your talents.

So which conferences should you attend?  Where do I begin?  Most major GIS software companies offer conferences that highlight their own software.  ESRI (ArcGIS), Intergraph (GeoMedia), Pitney Bowes (MapInfo), GE (Smallworld), Autodesk (AutoCAD Map), etc. all have major conferences in the United States and around the world that can or should be attended if it is within your means.  Then there are related industry/research conferences….AAG, Where 2.0, FOSS4G, URISA, GIScience, GITA, NACIS, SCGIS, etc.  Beyond that there are regional conferences held by specific city or state organizations.  (I’m not listing all of those or the list will just keep going.)  These are usually your best best since the conferences are usually smaller and give you a chance to network.

You need to be aware of not only what is current but what are others doing.  This gives you a strategic advantage when you apply for a job.  You need to bring something new and fresh to a position otherwise you are just like everyone else who is applying.

You may say that these larger conferences are great but I cannot afford or do not have the time to attend them.  That does not mean that you need to be shut out of the conferences completely.  Many conferences post a good number of their presentations and proceedings on the Internet.  Click here to see a huge number of presentations given at the Where 2.0 conference.  If you go here, you can see the presentation lineup from the FOSS4G 2008 conference.  You can get some of the presentations from the 2009 ESRI International User conference through this link.  A little digging on the Internet can go a long way.