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Geographic Information Systems Specialist- GIS

Being a Geographic Information Systems Specialist may not sound like a very "green" job at first, but when you think about it, this position is crucial to making decisions about the environment.

The career outlook for a geographic information systems specialist is very good. They make on average $35-$63 thousand a year.

This position requires a rather wide knowledge base. A Geographic Information Systems Specialist use special systems and programs to maintain and create maps and data that can be used with geographical references. Along with knowing and using GIS systems, a GIS Specialist needs to know about computer science, information gathering and organizing, mathematics, geography, and systems evaluation.

Geographic Information Systems Specialists assist in making decisions about geographic planning, urban renewal, public safety, and other development issues that face local governments. Working on these projects with GIS Specialists helps avoid social and environmental problems by making sure the right development is done in the right places.

To be good at this job, you must have good communication skills. This includes being skilled at written and oral communication, along with cartographic communication. You must be able to convey information to other people, even if they do not work in your field. You also need to be proficient with technology and be a swift learner. Since new technology comes out every year to make people's job easier, and old technologies are often rendered obsolete, you have to be able to keep up with the latest tool.

To become a Geographic Information Systems Specialist, look into acquiring a Bachelor of Science Degree, emphasizing on Geography. Other recommended areas of study include political science, business, economics, sociology, or any other area that the analyzing of data is emphasized. There are also GIS Certification programs that you can enroll in as well.

There is a lot of information that a Geographic Information Systems Specialist had to deal with and sift through on a daily basis. If you enjoy a job where you are working with lots of computers and technical information, this may be a good one for you. You also get to work with different projects on a regular basis.