GIS4944 - GIS Job Search

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In this weeks assignment for my GIS course, I explored the real-world opportunities that align with my passion for marine biology and spatial science. I have always been interested by the ocean and conservation, and my goal is to pursue a career as a Marine GIS Technician, ideally with NOAA or a similar marine-focused organization, and that was what our assignment was to look in to. Either we could look into our dream GIS job, or look at different job sites for jobs we might be interested in. While researching, I found out how essential GIS has become in the field of marine science in the past few decades. Studies in mapping coral reefs, tracking seagrass beds, or showing coastal erosion over time, GIS is now one of the most important tools in understanding and protecting underwater ecosystems. I noticed that positions like Habitat Mapping Analyst or Marine GIS Specialist are often available through government agencies such as NOAA, as well as through environmental contractors like Lynker and CSS. Another part of the assignment was to look into our current skills and what we need to add on to, and while I feel I currently have strong skills in ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, and experience in ecological data interpretation, I want to dive deeper into remote sensing, Python scripting, Photogrammetry, LiDAR and bathymetric data analysis. These skills are what I will be working on while finishing up my final semester in college so I can be fully qualified for roles that contribute to marine conservation. Even though I didn’t find an open NOAA posting at the moment, I’m actively monitoring job boards like USAJobs.gov, Conservation Job Board, and NOAA Fisheries Careers. Ultimately, this assignment helped me refine my job search strategy and also gave me clarity and motivation to pursue the type of work I care about and want to work towards.

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