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| GeoCommunity Mailing List |
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| Mailing List Archives |
| Subject: | [gislist] Education and experience |
| Date: |
02/14/2005 02:10:01 PM |
| From: |
Elizabeth Martinez |
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I think that GIS is a tool.
If it is part of your professional kit you may have an advantage in getting
a job or shaping a career. If it is your specialty, it helps if you can find
a niche and become expert in the requirements for that sector to deliver a
better product or assist with problem solving.
Not so long ago any GIS job required about 80% data entry just to get the
geographic data, base layers, down. Now there is a tremendous amount of data
and the efficient and correct use of it in application is the pattern of the
job market (at least around here).
There is room for motivated people with all sorts of educational levels. The
disadvantages will be more keenly felt by the individuals without a degree (
it does not have to be GIS), in terms of the pay they will receive in the
long run ( and that would be true whether we were talking GIS or lab
assistant).
That all being said I think that if you can obtain professional
certification without a degree ( which I think you can from what I have
read) ( much like an architect apprenticeship) or gain certificates of
competency, you can work your way up professionally. There seems to be room
for a variety of ways to be a GIS professional.
My two cents
Elizabeth
*-----Original Message-----
*From: gislist-bounces@lists.geocomm.com [mailto:gislist-
*bounces@lists.geocomm.com] On Behalf Of Robert Oblinsky
*Sent: Monday, February 14, 2005 1:53 PM
*To: gislist@lists.geocomm.com
*Subject: [gislist] Re: gislist Digest, Vol 19, Issue 13
*
*Barb,
*
*Here is my take on this topic. Yes, a person who does not have a
*degree from a two year/four year degree granting institution can perform
*very well in many capacities with the GIS community. There are many of
*these people contributing a large amount of time, effort and quality to
*the field. I know of many cases where Local Government employees have
*been in a position for 25-30 years before GIS came along, and were
*"absorbed" into the GIS department. Even without a degree of any kind,
*let alone a degree that has recently led into the GIS field, these
*people have embraced the GIS technology and are advancing the use of the
*technology in many ways.
*
*However, I also believe that these people are severly limited in their
*ability to obtain staff positions that will direct and guide the
*development of any GIS project/program. Without the credentials that a
*conferred degree affords, employers are not going to task these people
*with making decisions that determine functionality, design and utility
*of what amounts to a major capital investment. The people that are
*entrusted with making these investment decisions are going to be
*required to have a certain level of education.
*
*If your concern boils down to asking "Can a person work in the GIS
*field without a degree?", the answer is yes they can. If you are asking
*"Can a person with a degree advance in the GIS field to a point that
*they are no longer simply maintaining geometry and attribution?", the
*answer is probably not. WIthout the degree, the advancement within what
*is perceived to be a technical field is severly limited.
*
*Hope it helps!
*
*
*
*
*
*
*Message: 1
*Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2005 09:58:06 -0000
*From: "Tim Smith" <tsmith@micromill.com>
*Subject: RE: [gislist] RE: GIS education/degree
*To: "Barb Wallner" <wallnebj@mail.milwaukee.k12.wi.us>,
* <gislist@lists.thinkburst.com>
*Message-ID:
* <AFA1234E560CA8408A941B0C97BC55BCB1480F@mm-dcmx01.micromill.local>
*Content-Type: text/plain: charset="us-ascii"
*
*I am a university graduate, majoring in 'Software Engineering with
*Image
*and Multimedia Systems'.
*I was taken on by my current employer in the UK for the position of
*'GIS
*Software Engineer'. I had absolutely no GIS experience when I applied
*for my position. Strangely, the advert did not allude to the nature of
*the position (I found out when I got the job), they were just looking
*for a science or engineering graduate with some software experience,
*thus not giving an experienced non-graduate GIS person a chance.
*
*I guess this supports the notion that some employers will first vet
*applicants based purely on their education.
*
*-----Original Message-----
*From: gislist-bounces@lists.geocomm.com
*[mailto:gislist-bounces@lists.geocomm.com] On Behalf Of Barb Wallner
*Sent: 11 February 2005 17:18
*To: gislist@lists.thinkburst.com
*Subject: [gislist] RE: GIS education/degree
*
*
*I'm sure there are enough people on this listserv who are working in
*some compacity in GIS without a university degree, and who do not have
*the time or the money to pursue a 4-year degree to move into the
*graduate program were it seems that universities like to offer it.
*I'm
*sure there are 2 reasons for this. The "official" reason is to have
*students who already have a discipline "
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