Geospatial jobs cover a lot of mini positions—there are geospatial analysts, consultants, support supervisor positions, project managers, GIS technicians, system developers—and many more. The salaries on all of these jobs vary greatly, and so choosing the perfect aspect of this field is very important. Some of these jobs start around $30,000 yearly, while others are $70,000, or even $90,000.
All GIS jobs are in high demand, because while the military and government have especially been using this new technology, new facets of this work are just barely being discovered. New day to day uses are being developed, and it is an exciting atmosphere to be in. If you are looking for a career that will be both challenging and rewarding, then looking into the geospatial field would not be a bad idea on your part.
A lot of research goes into this work, and your biggest tool in researching is definitely the computer. So skills with the computer are vitally important to your job success. You will be using many different programs to help you with this field of work, and becoming familiar with it will be imperative. A geospatial worker analyzes information and then evaluates it. And obviously you don’t spend every waking moment of your work day looking over maps and drawing lines all over them—you also will participate in many different board meetings, and you will work closely with business clients. You will need good communication skills, because your people-personality will be pivotal to your success. You will be serving often as a consultant for your company’s clients, and that takes some inter-personal skills.
Not only will you be finding and evaluating information, you will also document it, and often you will be called upon to present it to peers, competitors, and employers. You will definitely need some masterful speaking skills, and be able to handle yourself—and pressure—well.
Educational requirements are virtually the same, no matter who your potential employer will be. A Bachelor of Science degree in geography, GIS, engineering, computer science, or some closely related field will be necessary for all geospatial jobs. (There may be a few positions that will require a different degree, but at least a bachelor’s will be needed, no matter what.) For most positions, your employer will want you to have at least two years of experience in some related field—computer work, analytical practice, cartography, or something similar.
As stated before, it is practically impossible to pin down a certain salary, because geospatial work varies so much. But it is an exciting field that needs motivated, hardworking people.
