Why should I study Geography at university?
Is Geography a valuable degree? #university #degree #geography
5 answers
Sara’s Answer
There are many job opportunities for geographers who specialize in geographic information systems (GIS). This is a computer program that allow you to analyze information spatially. I work in water resources and we use GIS to track data like rain gauges, tidal changes, algae blooms, and water main breaks. I also work with many professionals who earned their undergraduate degrees in geography, and then received Masters Degrees in Urban Planning as a way to increase marketability. If you're interested in exploring urban planning as a career you can find out more information at https://www.planning.org/ .
Charlie’s Answer
Depends what you want to do. Studying geography solely may limit your career possibilities. But if cartography or political science interests you then absolutely. As people in politics have to have understanding of various cultures and where natural resources are. Including for military strategy. Which poor understanding of geography has failed many armies for millennia.
I would view this subject as a supplement to something with a broader scope that gives you more career possibilities once finished with college.
Ken’s Answer
Hi Anaka!
You asked a very good question.
Here are some things that you can do with a geography degree:
https://www.thoughtco.com/geography-jobs-and-careers-1434398
http://www.hofstra.edu/pdf/studentaffairs/studentservices/career/what%20can%20i%20do%20...%20geography.pdf
Best of luck! Be true to yourself. The feeling and concept of success is yours - and is very personal. Let me know if this is of help.
Joe’s Answer
I graduated from Syracuse University in 2017 with a BA in Geography. Admittedly, I didn't really know what I wanted to major in when attending college and my sophomore year at school I took a 100 level Geography course and fell in love with not only the field, but the teaching staff at the school. The cool thing about Geography is it's interdisciplinary, it can be applied in many different fields in many different ways.
My school offered a few courses in what's college Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This computer software essentially allows you to view tabular data on a map by including an x coordinate and a y coordinate. GIS is a very powerful tool which is deeply ingrained within our government (federal, state and local) as well as our education system. For example, I currently work at an insurance company where I'm working with Natural Hazard Models to help identify parcels that will be at risk during a catastrophe (wildfire, tornado, hurricane, lightning/hail).
If this sounds like something that interests you, Esri is the company that makes the most widely used GIS software. Their software can be used on the desktop level (installed on your PC) or it can be used at the Web Level (via your browser). Granted, there are other companies such as MapBox and QGIS which are open source and more readily available.
All in all, looking back at my experience in college, I'm glad I got my BA in Geography because it's opened doors for me that I didn't think would be possible.
