The Green Timberwolf

Career Paths in the Field of Geography

Blogged by: Josh

Have a love for geography, or a passion for the environment? Ever considered a career in the Geography field? With global warming, pollution, and other environmental issues starting to effect the human population, the broad field of geography is starting to expand. Ecological annalists predict that jobs in the environmental category will increase significantly in the next 10-25 years.

The geography field is much broader then just trees or people; there are many different categories of geography, and many jobs within each. Some of these categories include:  Human (social, economic, historical and cultural studies), Physical geography, Computational and analytical methods, and Environmental geography. Below is a closer look at each of these categories and specific careers in their field.

Human Geography (social, economic, historical and cultural studies)

Cultural and human geography: aspects of geography that relate to different cultures (ie: cultural origins and movement). Historical geography: recreating the geography of past times and protecting historical landscapes and structures. Economic geography: location and distribution of economic activity.

Location analyst Market researcher Medical geographer Map librarian Historic preservationist Political analyst

Urban planner Real estate developer Demographer Travel/tourism planning Community developer Municipal advisor

Physical Geography

Examine distribution of the Earth’s surface features and analyze the processes that create and shape landforms. May include working with environmental concerns and/or studying the impact of natural hazards such as hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes

Hydrologist Resource management specialist Outdoor guide Soil conservationist Pollution control consultant

Ecologist Geologist Climatologist Habitat researcher Atmospheric data technician

Computational and analytical methods in Geography

Use computers to generate maps and store map-related information. May be applied to problem solving in industry, agriculture, weather, military, government, land use and other related areas.

Cartographer Remote-sensing analyst Map curator GIS/GPS analyst Field surveyor

Computer mapping and software developer Map interpreter Aerial photo analyst Spatial data analyst

Environmental Geography

Concerned with how human beings use the earth. Focus on human impact on the environment (population growth, food supply, water quality)

Conservationist Outdoor recreation management Waste management Forestry technician Hazardous waste planner

Ecotourism planner Wetlands conservation supervisor Conservation education coordinator Environmental impact assessment Recycling coordinator

More careers in the field of geography can be found by visiting the following links:

• http://geography.about.com/od/careersingeography/a/jobsgeography.htm
• http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/Careers+and+Further+Study/Careers+with+geography/Careers+with+geography.htm
• https://www.southampton.ac.uk/geography/undergraduate/careers/career_opportunities.page

Getting the right education

Before heading into the exciting geography workforce, getting the right type of education is vital. With so many different Career opportunities, there is no shortage of courses, diplomas, or degrees leading to jobs in the geography field. If any of the above careers are of any interest, it is easy to find the schooling and training requirements in the above links, or just by searching the career name and “required education”.

With so many career opportunities all having a positive impact on our earth, why not go into a job in Geography?