5 Reasons You DON'T Want a Career as a GIS Analyst

Do you want a career in Geographic Information Systems? If the answer is yes I'm sure you are considering a GIS Analyst position. While there are many jobs out there that are called GIS analyst, I am talking about a traditional GIS Analyst that works in the public sector with an Esri Enterprise Agreement. In this video, I go through 5 reasons you may not want this career and 1 bonus reason you do. Now don't get me wrong, I love working in GIS and I have spent most of that time in the public sector. It's not all bad. But you need to be prepared.

Project Spatial is a community where I lead discussions about GIS strategy and how to plan out a successful geographic information system which increases effective decisions in your company and help further your GIS career. I use affiliate links which means when you purchase from my link I get a small portion of that purchase to help support my channel.

[aaronrodriquez]

Just found this video...lol. Its great! I'm a GIS analyst in the "traditional sense". The bonus tip, is spot on! I've stayed in the public sector for 10 years because I want to make a difference in my community and feel that I'm positioned to do just that. Thanks for your videos Katie!

[nkrte]

Hi Katie. Thank you for the wonderful information in this video. I have been considering a career as a GIS Analyst in the military and any insights/advice wouldbe greatlyappreciated. Thank you 😊

[jacobp]

As someone who has worked for the public sector as a GIS Tech to Analyst to now Manager, you have some very valid points.

[Mark-krgo]

Thanks for this video! I feel like most people who have studied geography at the post-secondary level wouldn't be looking to go into the field with the imperative of maximising income or slaving away for corporate overlords but are rather in it to make a positive difference for humanity and the Earth.

[timnolan]

I liked the “bonus” tip.

My concern with some of the GIS community is that we have become complacent. We have accepted that we are just GIS’ers. We should embrace our spatial skills. We can do things other cannot. It is our job to show others. Many still do not know what you can do. This means that you may have to take on additional work to reveal your value. People will not ask you to do purposeful things if they are unsure of your capabilities.

In other words - don’t wait on the cavalry to save you - you are the cavalry.

[EdoNational]

Thank you for this breakdown! Very helpful.

[SlowHandism]

I've been working in gis for over 17 years and what you are saying is very true. Job stability is valuable, however growth is often up to the individual which means that some people are not suited for this job. It's an important job but in my experience it is very undervalued in the majority of positions.

[KFordmusic]

To be honest I used it as a start and put myself into a position to advance by learning a company. Also learn CAD

[melr]

I’m currently a college student studying GIS and one reason I can think of is the pain of dealing with ArcGIS

[woodant]

GIS professionals (or students) don't accept low pay jobs in GIS. I see companies offering less than $20 bucks an hour for GIS position - come on, one can make more than $20 waiting on tables.

[Hughe_Janus]

Studying geospacial science here at Cal Poly Humboldt. lots of opportunity and a very high turnover rate for students that graduate here end up getting a job offer out of college from leading firms. I am deciding whether to specialize in remote sensing or something of the like.

[ethanmcghee]

Thanks Katie! One question I don't think you covered was job availability. Compared to the private sector or startups, are there more job oppertunities in the Public sector? Thank you!

[velosaurus]

I briefly worked for a government contractor (so not directly public sector, but working on a contract for a Federal government agency). One thing I noticed compared to my GIS experience for a completely private company is how much SLOWER things move in the public sector/government contracting. Everything was slowed down by red tape (it seemed like I couldn't even do the simplest thing without needing to have it be approved by the client), which I found personally very frustrating because I thrive better in a fast paced environment. So, that might not be a big deal to other people, but I learned that it just wasn't the right fit for me and I moved back to working for a private company where things seem to move a mile-a-minute at times (which I love) and I have much more creative freedom.

Do you think this aspect is a more widespread trend of government contracting work in general? Or is it more specific to my experience and maybe I just had some bad luck working on that particular contract?

[LStine]

Hi guys, I’m currently a soon to be graduate with a meteorology degree and a bit of experience with GIS software. Where should I be looking for jobs? I’m not a traditional meteorology student (ie someone who wants to go into forecasting/on tv), and I’m trying to get a job in a GIS driven field but I’m unsure of where to look exactly.. any help would be appreciated! Thank you guys!

[fredwooten]

For a retired person its a perfect profession. No more standing around in walmart or custodial jobs. Make sure you get a masters degree.

[balubalu-gsjo]

Good video valuable information thnk q

[Dusk_Daze]

Hello, Katie. I have a question for you..

I'm Active Duty and retiring in about three years. I have an undergrad in geography and took some classes in remote sensing. During my AD career, I've had a lot of experience w/ remote sensing and space based technology in general. I realize that this doesn't translate 1:1 with GIS, but it's something. Anyway, I'm mulling over whether or not to tackle a masters in GIS with the intent of being able to work from home in retirement. I may still rely on military experience to land a job in the first few years after I get out, but the end game is to get out of the military/contracting business

Is working from home something that is doable/normal in the field. I have no frame of reference besides looking at the local GIS job listings (they're mostly for utility companies)

TL;DR Is GIS as a career something you recommend for someone wanting to work from home/abroad?

[xsw]

FINALLY!!! someone distinguishing PUBLIC sector jobs from the rest 🙏🙏🙏

[mai.vancon]

I'm thinking of studying GIS in uni, but I'm quite shy. Will there be alot of interactions, or will I be mostly confined to the computer?

[WarfieldVinylProject]

I've been a GIS Analyst in the private sector for 26 years and have received maybe 3-4 year-end bonuses over that entire time, despite a high level of performance, reliability, responsiveness, productivity, and consistent glowing performance evaluations and peer feedback. Bonuses in the private sector mostly go to management and executive types. But you're more likely to get one working for a company that is not publicly traded. And there isn't much room for advancement; you're either a GIS Analyst or a GIS Manager. I also have not witnessed much willingness on the part of employers to invest in employees in terms of training, professional development, etc. You're practically on your own in that regard. Again -- because it cuts into the almighty "shareholder value". Maybe I'm just in the wrong industry: environmental consulting for the last 16 of those years.