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     I have been a witness to the frustration that new graduates with their
B.A. or B.S. in Geography feel when it comes to trying to find a job related
their field. Most of the people I have talked with are GIS and Cartography
Interns (all of whom are undergraduate geography students) that volunteer
their time to work for me so they can have something on their resume when
they graduate. I promised them that I would post their frustrations on this
list with the hope of getting some insight from other professionals as to
what the job market is like for them. I am curious why so many corporations
that make GIS software and provide GIS support do not hire people with
Bachelor's degrees in Geography? Not only that, but I have yet to find a GIS
or Enviromental Consulting firm that is willing to hire people with these
qualifications (even the graduates who have 1 to 2 years of GIS internship
experience are not getting hired). I have also found this to be true with
local, state, and federal agencies involved with mapping sciences. Is it
because it is felt that the curriculum of geography is not rigorous enough
to qualify these people for jobs related to geography?  Is it because the
skills learned in geography are not as valuable as the skills learned in a
computer science program, or environmental science program, or an urban
planning program, or a Geology program? Why do the above mentioned
organizations not like to hire people with only a Bachelor's in Geography
plus 0 to 2 years experience? I have never had any difficulty working with
these people (their mapping skills and computer skills are exceptional),
actually these are the exact type of people I have hired in the past for
work on GIS projects. I do understand that some, but very few, people do
find employment related to geography so they can put their new found skills
to good use. I have been involved in the mapping sciences/GIS field for
almost 5 years and I have told them (my interns) all I know about finding a
job in this field.
 
     I hope to get feedback from everyone about this issue. My undergraduate
interns would be very greatful. Thank you.
 
Sincerely,
 
Timothy Hayes, B.A. Geography
Chief Cartographer
Medical GIS Consulting Services
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