Employers

Geospatial analytics specialists are employed by the U.S. military, defense companies, and national intelligence agencies such as the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and Central Intelligence Agency. They also work for companies and organizations in the health care, engineering, education, and emergency services sectors, as well as for government agencies such as the National Geodetic Survey, National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Reclamation.

Starting Out

Those who are seeking to pursue careers in the intelligence sector should visit the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s career Web site, https://www.intelligencecareers.gov/nga. The site serves as a portal for employment in the U.S. intelligence community and features information on scholarships and internships, a job exploration tool (i.e., a quiz that helps you match your skills with potential jobs), information on career paths, and much more.

Job leads can also be found by networking (online and via in-person events), using the resources of your school’s career service office, and by contacting employers directly about potential openings.

At some employers, GASs advance up an established tier (e.g., specialist I, specialist II, etc.) until they reach the top tier for their occupation. At that point, they can be promoted to supervisory or managerial positions. Some specialists transition to careers in sales and marketing, while others start their own geospatial analytics consulting firms. Others choose to become college teachers or write books and articles about the field.

Get certified. It will give you an edge over other applicants.

Read the following publications to learn more about the field:

• Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing: https://www.asprs.org/asprs-publications/pers
• Cartography and Geographic Information Science: https://cartogis.org/journal
• Journal of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association: https://www.urisa.org/resources/urisa-journal
• Directions Magazine: http://www.directionsmag.com

Check out the following Web sites for job listings:

• http://www.gjc.org
• http://www.gisjobs.com
• http://www.mapps.org
• https://jobs.aag.org
• https://www.urisa.org/jobs-board