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AAG 2007 Annual Meeting
Jobs in Geography Center April 18 - 20, 2007 (9:30am-4:00pm) |
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A chat with Devonee Harshburger
Senior GIS Analyst - Healthcare, Walgreens AAG: How did you prepare yourself before you come to the 2006 JIG Center? Devonee: I submitted my resume to the JIG Job Fair and reviewed the employers that were going to be there. - Jump to: Resume Builder (Login Required); Resume Resources; AAG: Did you know that Walgreen was hiring geographers? Devonee: I did see that Walgreen's was a company that would be attending. Being that my specialty is Medical Geography, I quickly looked to see what positions they were hiring for. Unfortunately, neither job fit me very well. It was at the conference that I found out they were hiring for another position that was much more suited to me. Tip! Go up and talk to employers about what you are interested in and there might be other positions at the company you make a good fit for. - Jump to: List of committed recruiters; Where do geographers work? |
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AAG: How did you showcases both your geography as well as transferable skills in your resume? Devonee: I didn't leave anything out. I kept it organized and neat and made sure to highlight the important parts. - Jump to: Resume Resources; AAG: Were you nervous about speaking to the recruiters? And how did you calm your nerve? Devonee: There is always apprehension in an interview situation. Honestly! Not very much after sitting down to talk with the interviewers, who are now my supervisors. They were both very relaxed and the interview was extremely conversational. - Jump to: tips on preparing for interview (SFSU Career Center); AAG: Did you do anything to prepare yourself before you meet him/them? Devonee: I read the position announcement they handed me and read up on the company a bit. - Jump to: List of committed recruiters; AAG: Now that you are a “professional geographer”, what career/job-seeking advice can you give an aspiring student hoping to break into the private sector? Devonee: It's definitely not academia. There are strict deadlines and quick turnaround. It's a much faster pace. However, there is so much I've learned since leaving graduate school. This job is as much an education as graduate school was. - Jump to: Where do geographers work? AAG: Have you found other geographers behind the “drug store” counter? Devonee: Yes, the Market Planning and Research department at Walgreen's has ~50 people who use GIS on a daily basis. There are 5 of us who can say we have geography degrees. - Jump to: Meet other geographers; Career Contacts AAG: Any things else you want to say to fellow geographers? Devonee: Never assume. Keep an open mind. An education in geography is important and will give you the background you need to begin a profession with many companies. I found that many students, including myself limit themselves as to what type of position they might be qualified for. I assumed when I finished school I would begin working for a government agency or another nonprofit somewhere. This is obviously not the case. I have found extremely rewarding work in my area of expertise with a private company. - Jump to: Other career advices |
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