Develop a core expertise in some aspect of geography, such as geology, hydrology, or biogeography before becoming a generalist in environmental sciences or "geography." This is especially true if you are interested in GIS applications. Your core expertise will help you ask the right questions of a GIS. Become fluent in a foreign language if interested in international activities. Get a foot in the door of an organization by acepting an internship. Be curious. Be enthusiastic. Persevere.

Learn the fundamentals of geographic knowledge, then pursue your education in other areas of interest, bringing your geographic perspective into your work. Don't isolate yourself in 'geography' studies.

The growing need to incorporate location into everything we do makes geography indispensable. My advice is to study the science associated with georeferenced information. Being expert in space-time measurement and analysis will prepare you, as a geographer, for just about any field of study in the social, physical, biological, mathematical and medical sciences.

If you're interested in the earth and biological sciences especially, then build a solid undergraduate background by avoiding survey courses in math and science; take the same basic science courses as the science and math majors to establish a firm understanding of basic principles. Don't miss the broad liberal experience, however. Improve your writing and communication skills. Make sure you understand the basics of computers and programming languages, but don't use C++ as a substitute for Spanish or Chinese; become proficient in a language. Make sure some field and laboratory work is part of your undergraduate experience. Consider taking geography at the graduate level after you've acquired a different undergraduate degree in your field of interest; e.g., biology/ecology, geology, hydrology, computer science, etc. Whether you know early on that you want to pursue geography or you become interested after doing something else, always challenge yourself intellectually and keep as many options open as you can.

Studying geography gives you a toolbox of approaches that can be very useful in private industry, government, or education. Geographic Information Systems, GPS, and remote sensing in particular are huge exploding fields that will need your efforts for years to come. Being a geographer means being a generalist, but with skills that make you marketable to a number of different professions. Check us out!

Pay attention to what you are good at and what you like to do. There is a job/career for you in Geography. Geography is a great field because you aren't stuck in one job forever. Geographers are extremely versatile and can work just about any where doing what they love to do.

Geography is not a career path, but a philosophy - a way to think about the world. The geographer's perspective of integrating place with a myriad of other things has a place in most professions. The challenge is finding out what interests the geographer most and then having identified the areas to pursue articulating the advantages of geographical thinking to the prospective employer. Once done, a geographer should find a very successful career path, as they apply their geographical skills. Specifically in my profession of commercial real estate research, geography provides a base line set of skills of interpreting urban morphology, economic networks, and the dynamic nature of metropolitan area.

I advise high school students to go to college, undergraduates to consider graduate school, and graduate students to take a course or two in geographic information science (geographic information systems, remote sensing, image processing).

Geography is the only subject that invites you to make sense of the whole world, and to make a difference in it. It is imperative to study geography for the future of our planet and its people. Now more than ever, we need people who want to understand the patterns, relationships, and trends of the relevant issues of our time: migration, crime, ecosystems, water quality, energy, climate, urban sprawl, and much more. Be a Geographer and Make A Positive Difference!

I always say that you can't have too much technical expertise (programming, mathematics, statistics) and that foreign experience is always a plus!

Geography is a very broad discipline that encompasses just about any industry in the working world. Teaching is not your only option when you have a degree in geography. The study of geography is as diverse as the world in which we live. When coupled with other disciplines, geographic knowledge can bring some interesting viewpoints "to the table." For example, if you couple sales/marketing with geography and you have an understanding of people-patterns, you can effectively work as a siting expert for store marketing efforts. If you combine geography with history, you might have a better understanding of why it took our forefathers so long to cross the Appalachians on the westward migration. If you combine biology with geography, you may gain additional insight on species diversities. Geography provides a more interesting way of looking at issues in the world. MY ADVISE: Study a variety of disciplines and diversify your geographical education.

Think about graduate school. The more education you have in any specific field, the more likely that you can get a good job in that specific area. This is very true for geography. Learn as much as possible about computers. Combining computer knowledge and another discipline makes for a good resume. This is true for geography too. The hottest job markets are in geography are computer related, like Geographic Information Systems and Science.

In this Information Age we inhabit, being a geographer and proving your relevance to a supposedly “globalized” world can be a challenge. However, with all the geopolitical, resource and socio-economic challenges the world faces, geography still has critical relevance. So my initial advice is to discern your geographic passion. What about the world grabs your interest? What factor initially called your attention to geography as a career (for myself, it was a childhood fascination with maps)? A true strength of geography is that it’s a very broad discipline, but you should narrow down your areas of geographic interest and gather information in order to discern where your specific passion within geography lies. After you reach that point, follow your passion: research the education path, the potential job market and the current demand. Above all, seek out and talk to those who work in your area of interest – they can provide you with invaluable insights. Lastly, don’t be afraid to change course; geography offers many opportunities and most geographers have a diverse background, representing their wide range of interests. If your true passion lies somewhere between the typical geographic subdivisions, consider forging a new academic/career path to make it a reality.

Regarding work in Cultural Resource Management (CRM): My best advice to recent graduates is to gain field experience as a intern or "grunt" for a few years while you grow and begin to understand how little you really know, seek and learn from good teachers, make mistakes and have fun with the work. Only then, go back to graduate school, but in a traditional discipline rather than in historic preservation or some form of CRM. Historic preservation and CRM are things that we do rather than ways of understanding the world, and in spite of the virtues of such programs (especially for undergraduates), I believe that producing a thesis in a traditional discipline is the best way to prepare for advanced CRM work. To be a serious CRM professional is to accept a lifestyle of constant learning, compromise, conflict and curiosity. As Sauer noted, "the intellectual satisfactions of such inquiries are inexhaustible" but it is a lifestyle that is not for everyone. For the lucky few, it is surely much more than a job.

Regarding work in Cultural Resource Management (CRM): My best advice to recent graduates is to gain field experience as a intern or "grunt" for a few years while you grow and begin to understand how little you really know, seek and learn from good teachers, make mistakes and have fun with the work. Only then, go back to graduate school, but in a traditional discipline rather than in historic preservation or some form of CRM. Historic preservation and CRM are things that we do rather than ways of understanding the world, and in spite of the virtues of such programs (especially for undergraduates), I believe that producing a thesis in a traditional discipline is the best way to prepare for advanced CRM work. To be a serious CRM professional is to accept a lifestyle of constant learning, compromise, conflict and curiosity. As Sauer noted, "the intellectual satisfactions of such inquiries are inexhaustible" but it is a lifestyle that is not for everyone. For the lucky few, it is surely much more than a job.

Advice upcoming!

Advice upcoming!

Advice upcoming!

Advice upcoming!

Take advantage of opportunities to network: attend seminars and meet the participants, participate in your regional AAG chapter, and keep in touch with professors and classmates. It may be cliché, but it’s true that who you know is sometime more important than what you know! Get a marketable skill. Although you may not want to be confined to performing a specific task your whole career, having a practical skill (like making maps, producing charts, or using a GPS) will often give you the chance to get your foot in the door. Then you can gain experience and contacts which can help you take your career to the next level.

Advice upcoming!