Careers for Graduates with a Degree in Geography
Federal Government A variety of departments within the Federal Government of the United States offer careers for graduates with a degree in Geography. Advanced technology and computer science have produced what is known as
“Geographic Information Systems “. This system has made it possible to collect all the information that can be found on traditional maps and to relocate that information on databases for new and varied access possibilities.
Many graduates with a degree in Geography have the advanced training necessary to work with the Geographic Information Systems efficiently. This makes graduates with a degree in Geography valuable employees in any government program where geographic distribution or shifts in distribution are significant factors. Graduates with a degree geography are needed in places like the Census Bureau , Labor Department, Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency. Because their work involves technical training and geographic expertise, working for the Federal Government can provide careers for graduates with a degree in Geography that are challenging, lucrative and packaged with sound benefits. Perhaps the only drawback to federal employment for graduates with a degree in Geography is that such work may require relocation to Washington, D. C. or other regional headquarters.
State and Municipal Government The population of the United States continues to expand and shift. State and city planners are constantly confronted with the need to make the best possible use out of the land and resources available to provide for the needs of the residents and to anticipate future needs. Regional commissions need professional assistance in determining how to best work together so that resources are used to mutually benefit communities and individuals. State and municipal governments also must work to keep the environment safe and healthy as industry and communities expand and develop.
In their continuous planning , government leadership recognizes the need to have graduates with a degree in Geography play a key role. Their degree work has provided graduates with a degree in Geography with the training necessary to bring real problem solving skills and relevant expertise to the table for the benefit of all.
Working for state or municipal government agencies can provide a life long career with reliable benefits and an opportunity to work for the good of one’s own city or state.
International Assistance Programs Possibly your degree in Geography is paired with a commitment to the betterment of mankind universally. Graduates with a degree in Geography will find careers in agencies that work internationally to promote more equitable distribution of water, food, land and other natural resources. Graduates with a degree in Geography are also needed by many international non-profit groups to help them access and improve the quality of air, soil and water. To work efficiently all of these agencies need to gather and process applicable information about the areas in which they are involved. Many need graduates with a degree in Geography to help them create or evaluate regional options for optimizing the use of land and water.
Private Industry Many industries derive their product from the land, natural resources or water. Private industry needs graduates with a degree in Geography to help them select and develop land effectively. They also need graduates with a degree in geography who have some knowledge of the way in which government operates , to work as lobbyists to provide convincing statistically supported arguments for pro-industry legislative and executive decisions. Working for industry may be demanding, pressure filled and require long hours and travel. But for the graduate using a degree in geography to build prove industry can result in considerable financial rewards.
Travel and Tourism Graduates with a degree in Geography often have attained a broad knowledge of the world’s climates, land forms, water bodies, political systems and cultures. – just the factors that play in to encouraging tourism and providing interesting and in some cases mind expanding travel plans. Colleges, universities and academic societies offer trips all over the world. Because these tours are filled predominately by college graduates, they must be staffed by people with serious professional credentials. Graduates with a degree in Geography who have a love of travel and who enjoy being “on the road” may have the opportunity to work at travel careers in which they organize, promote or lead academic tours – maybe some generated by their own alma mater.
Graduates with a degree in Geography who also have some sales experience and or have done extensive traveling on their own can make convincing arguments for and write credible promotional literature about travel destinations. Agencies small and large depend upon spell binding but also believable sales ideas. A graduate with a degree in geography comes equipped to any travel firm with exceptionally strong credentials.
Contractors wishing to develop tourist locations may wish to employ graduates with a degree in Geography as consultants to help them select and develop land that is likely to offer the best return for the least initial investment.
If you are a graduate with a degree in Geography who also has a flair for writing, you may want to review the opportunities available with national or regional travel magazines.
Teaching Every day our world becomes just a little but smaller and a little more interconnected. The effect of this global shrinkage is that nations need to improve their awareness of the rest of the world, now. As the issue of Global Warming has painfully revealed, we really are compelled to be aware of the geography of our entire planet and of what is happening to its air, water and land masses . To address these needs many secondary schools are including more geography based courses in their curriculum. A graduate with a degree in Geography with an interest in teaching and state teaching credentials is considered a real find for many school systems.
A teaching career by itself will not provide a high end salary. But teaching can provide you with a sound benefits package, job security and a summer vacation in which you can continue to use your expertise and make a little extra cash as well.
Sometimes when we think about geography we connect it to people like Marco Polo or Christopher Columbus. But geography is not just a study of the past . Today the knowledge of geography and the skill in using that knowledge can positively effect the lifestyles and well being of people around the globe. Having a degree in geography may not allow you to discover a new continent but it may allow you to work in a job where you can truly make a difference in the lives of others. That’s pretty good return on your four years of study.
