Geography is a growing field that offers a wide range of career options. Geographers study both natural science and social science. Natural science topics include spatial patterns of rocks, soils, animals, plants, climate and weather. Social science topics include spatial patterns of culture, policy, conflict, demographics, economics, resources and waste, with an emphasis on investigating the intersection of human activity and environmental processes. We use a variety of geospatial technologies to map the world in different ways from the global to the local. Geographers use data (environmental and social statistics, interviews, textual and landscape analysis, and archival documents) to describe the natural and social patterns we see and then we apply our knowledge of human and environmental processes to analyze why these patterns exist. We ask “Where?” and then we ask “Why?” We work at the intersection of multiple disciplines: geology, ecology, climate science, urban planning, economics, sociology, computer science and the humanities, using this knowledge to examine spatial processes. We use GIS software and remote sensing for spatial analysis and cartography. Geography offers a unique way of seeing and understanding the world, combined with the ability to communicate this understanding to others. As a geography major, you’ll have a vast array of career options available to you. While you will not see many positions advertised for a “geographer,” an understanding of human and environmental processes from a spatial perspective is essential in many careers. We work in environmental, social and GIS fields, where we implement our spatial skill sets to analyze problems and recommend solutions. Environmental geographers work as conservation or parks managers, surveyors, remote sensing technicians, ecologists, hydrologists, water resource managers, national park rangers, climatologists, meteorologists, hazards analysts, epidemiologists, and climate change analysts.

Geographers can find work in the government or private sector. All levels of government hire geographers as development or planning officers, researchers, mappers, and GIS or satellite image analysts. The private sector hires geographers to apply their ideas, skills and technologies to complex real-world systems. This can include conducting marketing studies, planning transportation routes, understanding international markets, and determining environmental risks associated with landuse change. Currently geospatial technology is the third fastest growing industry in the USA. Surveyors, cartographers, photogrammetrists, and surveying technicians held about 147,000 jobs in 2008. Employment was distributed by occupational specialty as follows: Surveying and mapping technicians 77,000 Surveyors 57,600 Cartographers and photogrammetrists 12,300