If you took a break from your job search over the summer, September might be the right time to jump back into the fray. Here are some new resources that can help GIS job seekers in their quest.
- The new eBook, titled “Careers in GIS: an Unfiltered Guide to Finding a GIS Job,” was published in April and offers content from the blog of the same name complemented by new material. The $4.99 price tag (Kindle or Kindle software only) makes it quite accessible for job seekers at any point in their career. Author Todd Schuble also offers career advice at @careersingis.
- The Association of American Geographers (AAG) offers a series of books about geography careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and academia.
Practicing Geography: Careers for Enhancing Society and the Environment is a comprehensive new resource from AAG and Pearson designed to prepare students for STEM careers in business, government, and non-profit organizations. Funded by the National Science Foundation, this project brings together members of the geography community to discuss workforce needs, expectations and core competencies in professional geography, profiling the professional applications of, and opportunities in, geography today. Practicing Geography presents dozens of geographers applying their knowledge, skills and perspectives in communities, businesses, government agencies and nonprofit organizations, both domestically and internationally.
Aspiring Academics is a set of essays designed to help graduate students and early career faculty get started in their careers in geography and related social and environmental sciences. Rather than viewing faculty work as a collection of unrelated tasks, Aspiring Academics stresses the interdependence of teaching, research and service and the importance of achieving a healthy balance in professional and personal life. Drawing on several years of research, the chapters provide accessible, forward-looking advice on topics that often cause the most stress in the first years of a college or university appointment...
Whether you are a graduate teaching assistant or the full instructor of a course, Teaching College Geography provides a starting point for becoming an effective geography teacher from the very first day of class.
- Payscale offers salary data for GISPs and GIS professionals based on self-reporting. As with all data from this site, remember the data are self-reported and the sample size for each set of positions varies widely.
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics offers the Occupational Outlook Handbook which includes a page on geographers. The outlook between 2010 and 2020 is good; job growth is expected to be 35%.
- GIS Lounge did a spatial analysis of jobs in the U.S. earlier in the year and while patterns certainly change, I suspect the hotspots will hold for a few more months.
- Justin Holman of TerraSeer offered advice on How to Launch a GIS Career at the Geographical Perspectives blog in February. He followed up with a related post: Spatial Career Guide for Undergrads Currently Studying GIS – Curriculum Suggestions for 6 Geospatial Career Paths. I also recommend the four-part series that begins with Geospatial Career Q&A with Undergraduate and includes:
Geospatial Career Q&A with Undergraduate Part 2 – Summer Suggestions
Geospatial Career Q&A with Undergraduate Part 3 – Hitting the Job Market
Geospatial Career Q&A with Undergraduate Part 4 – Long Term Career Planning
- GIS Stackexchange has some valuable answers on the topic of interview questions for the GIS Analyst position. Searching other terms such as “interview,” “job” and “position” turns up some other valuable answers for job seekers.
- Esri hosts a number of blog posts on careers and related topics and hosts a #esrijobchat (a Twitter chat) twice a month on Thursdays at 1 p.m. Pacific. While there is a focus on positions and information related to Esri, much of it is applicable to other employers.
- My colleague, Joe Francica, and I have written a few articles in the last year that may help job seekers.
Five Ways to Make Your GIS Cover Letter and Resume Stand Out
Should All GIS Users Learn to Code?
The Top Five Skills Needed to Have a Successful GIS Career
Ignite Education: Why I Tossed Your Admission Application
Editor's Note: Don't miss our recent webinar on "Today's Job Market." You can see this now with on-demand viewing.