I love Geographic information systems. It is so versatile and applicable across many industries.
So why do so many people find it so hard to find a GIS Job?
I see people every day on LinkedIn or Twitter, who are frustrated with the job prospects in GIS. Many times the jobs are either basic, or seem out of reach.
Today I am going to teach you about a system I am developing I like to call “Engineering your Success”. This system will increase your hire-ability in GIS by a factor of 10.
I am going to show you what you need to start doing today to set up your life so that you can win in GIS.
GIS can be found in everyday activities that we take for granted. For instance, Google Maps!
Every time I get in the car to go somewhere I let Google Maps shows me the way. I can trust that it will route me around traffic, and more recently, show me locations of user identified speed cameras.
Perhaps there is moral dilemma (helping people avoid tickets!) but I think the Google Maps system brings more awareness and safety to commutes.
GIS is also used in urban planning, agriculture, geoscience, disaster management, environmental analysis, space exploration and the list goes on.
However, there is a HUGE problem with GIS:
GIS can be very easy and a TON of people are doing it.
GIS is drawing lines on a screen. GIS is “click-here-do-that”. GIS is making maps.
There is a low entry price to GIS (free in the case of QGIS), this means, it is not necessarily a career for most people. Yes… people can and do make careers of it… what I am saying is that you need to be mindful about your career.
A partial solution I like to talk about is “Harness AI and Code Everything”. I will leave this to a future post because I am going to give you a full solution here… “Engineer your Success”.
NOTE! I am working on this, so consider this 1.0, I will have more information to come!
Step 1 – Build the Skills
No matter how you look at it, you will need the “Click-here-do-that” knowledge of geographic information systems.
You need to understand the software, you need to understand what datum’s, projections, data types, tables, features, etc. are.
You can do this through formal education at university or college, but if you are really keen, you can learn online.
Protip: You will be doing this skill-building… forever, you must learn to love it.
Step 2 – Build the Mindsets (version 1.0)
Mindsets will dictate your success. People who have irrational beliefs in themselves, somehow come out on top. Guess what… you have to do this.
The following are my top 3 mindsets for success in GIS.
Learning and Growth mindset.
Technology changes, algorithms change, and you must learn and grow as fast as you possibly can. If you do not learn and grow, you will be left behind.
There is no failure.
People get wrapped up in worrying about making mistakes. Most mistakes aren’t catastrophic, sometimes they are just funny. The sooner you recover from “failure”, the sooner you win.
Find the Need, Fill the Need.
People get generalized skill sets because they don’t know exactly what other people need. Generalized skills are good… to start. If you want to win at GIS, you ASK what people need.
You can start by asking your Boss exactly what they want… and then giving them exactly what they want. Because you are learning and growing, you will be able to take the requests to the next level, and because you do not believe in failure, you keep pushing forward with new technology and new ways of thinking. Once you fill a need, move on to the next… as fast as possible.
Step 3 – Build the reputation.
Two words. Social media.
Get on LinkedIn, Twitter, FB, or whatever new platform may arise.
Learn out loud. Show your journey. Celebrate your successes, and help people with their failures.
Work out loud (if you can). Show results, and celebrate victories.
Help out loud. Have a GIS solution you know people will love… SHARE it.
Become social media savvy.
Thanks for reading and be sure to check out my other links!
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Thanks for reading and see you next time!
Geographic Information Success 