Geography Jobs -- Sooner and Later

Matt Rosenberg, our friend at Geography.about.com, has two posted two new articles about working as a geographer. Geographer is a Hot Job reports on the growth in jobs with the actual title of geographer, many of which are federal-government jobs. As students in our senior seminar know, most geographers work under other titles, as Rosenberg also discusses. The AAG Careers page provides more information about what is available for geographers.

Geographers do have to work a bit harder at finding their niche, as reflected in slightly above-average unemployment rates compared to other disciplines. It is partly for this reason that the faculty in BSU's geography department work so hard at promoting the identity of geographers -- the best-kept secret in the job market.

When I worked in the private sector I asked my managers to use the Geographer title in combination with the established titles, so that I was once known as "Geographer and Assistant Regulatory Analyst."

Matt Rosenberg also offers a short-term proposition to employ geographers. Unpaid internships with geography.about.com can earn academic credit while helping a geographer to hone skills very important to our discipline: writing, being part of a team, and integrative thinking. More over, this job can be done at home in one's jammies, with no need to buy gas for the commute! Contact Matt for the position and me (Dr. Hayes-Boh) regarding the credit.

Minutes after I posted this, Patric Anjos shared a photo he took at the end of our seminar class last week. It shows the results of our brainstorming about jobs for which a geographic education would be good preparation.