Education and Experience for a GIS Job

There are a variety of jobs in the GIS industry.  Maybe you are looking for an entry level job or maybe you are looking for a career upgrade.  Below are some general requirements based up some recent job posts.  Some jobs may require more or less depending upong the employeer.  To see what colleges offer GIS degrees, please visit the GIS Colleges page.

GIS Intern

Education

• Currently majoring in GIS or a related field

Experience

• ArcMap Software such as ArcView, ArcEditor, or ArcInfo

Skills

• Photo interpretation skills
• Data digitization
• Basic GIS Editing

GIS Technician

Education

• Associates degree in a related field; four year degree preferred; or the equivalent combination of education and experience
• Or equivalent education towards a Bachelors Degree in Geography or related field using GIS

Experience

• 2 years directly related GIS experience
• Image processing software such as Photoshop or PhotoImpact a plus
  Experience exporting/importing/converting/projecting/reprojecting data
• ESRI ArcGIS software, version 9.2 or higher

Skills

• Demonstrated photo interpretation and/or data collection skills
• Knowledge in map layout design
  Understanding of GIS data formats
• strong GIS skills with two or more GIS packages one of which being the ESRI suite of products
• Applicants must have a basic understanding of the concepts behind data management in a relational database.

GIS Specialist

Education

• B.S. or B.A. or professional degree in Geography or Computer Science
• Or equivalent combination of training and/or experience that provides the required knowledge and abilities

Experience

• 1-5 years experience with ESRI GIS software products such as ArcGIS. ArcServer, ArcIMS, ArcObjects programming, & ArcInfo GRID
• Two + years with relational database management systems: Access, SQL Server and/or Oracle.
• Experience conducting analysis with remotely sensed data.
  Experience conducting raster based spatial analysis
• Experience in implementing FGDC and ISO metadata standards
• Experience working with geographic data sets
• Data and Information management experience
• Working knowledge of geoscience terminology and standard practices

Skills

• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain mapping services meeting OGC standards
• Working knowledge of Open Source standards and technology including PostGresSQL/PostGIS, GML, WMS/WFS
• Excellent analytical skills
• Proficient with computerized mapping hardware including plotters, scanners, geographic positioning systems and related software

GIS Analyst

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Sciences or Geosciences
• Or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience

• Two years experience with GIS software and producing maps using a GIS
• 0 to 2 yrs of GIS applications development and maintenance experience.
• ESRI ArcGIS technologies such as ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Server, ArcSDE and utilizing ArcGIS Server 9.2 technology,
• Associated application and scripting development technologies including ArcObjects, .NET, Java, SQL, JavaScript and Python.

Skills

GIS Coordinator

Education

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Geographic Information Systems, Geography, Planning, Computer Science, Cartography, or related field.

Experience

• Three years of GIS software and relational database experience.
• Three years of increasingly responsible GIS project management experience.
• Three years of applications programming experience.
• One year of supervisory experience.

Skills

GIS Instructor/College Professor

Education

• Master’s Degree GIS or a related field

Experience

• 2 years of teaching experience
• 3 years of ArcGIS experience
• Experience teaching technical skills
• GIS software experience across multiple fields of study

Skills

GIS Programmer/Developer

Education

• Bachelors Degree in Computer Science or related field
• Or equivalent combination of training and/or experience that provides the required knowledge and abilities

Experience

• 3+ Years using the .Net framework, C#, and ArcGis Engine
• Microsoft VB.NET and/or C# .NET programming languages
• Demonstrated knowledge of one or more of these programming languages: VB.NET, VB, VBA, Java, Python, and C++
• ArcObjects
• RDBMS development and programming experience

Skills

• ESRI ArcGIS Server software (ArcGIS Server, ArcGIS Image Server)
  ESRI ArcGIS Desktop software (ArcView, ArcEditor, ArcInfo)
• ESRI ArcSDE, ArcIMS, and ArcReader
• Detailed analysis and development skills in a technical environment
• Experience developing application with ArcIMS, ArcServer
• Demonstrated knowledge of Geodatabase design
• Experience with software life cycle and globalization a plus

Other General Skills/Qualities to Have

• Demonstrate proficiency with Microsoft Office
• Self-Starter, energetic and motivated contributor
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills
• Excellent PC/IT technical skills
• Enthusiastic and eager to learn and apply new technologies
• Ability to communicate directly to clients
• Ability to work independent and interact with others in the team
• Excellent organizational, multi tasking skills, and problem solving skills
• Sets priorities and deals effectively with shifting priorities