I just graduated college with a certificate in GIS. I want to continue my career as a GISer, but do not have the funds to purchase ARCmap or any of the other software to continue my skill set. Currently unemployed, I do not want to stay stagnant in my development, but rather want to tone my skills and learn new applications. Is there any way to continue a toward progression? Recommendations for books, free software, forums?
Much appreciated,
Max
Hi Max,
FYI, some GIS job postings:
You can purchase ArcGIS Home use which is $100, Esri Store
Suggest you checkout the Esri Training site: https://www.esri.com/training/ which offers many training modules for free.
Another place to continue learning about ArcGIS: Learn ArcGIS
2 other great resources,
Hope this helps and good luck with the job search,
Hi Max,
I appreciate your enthusiasm.
Apart from the wonderful suggestions from Derek Law, I would suggest you also explore other platforms/freewares.
A few pointers given below.
You could also work on free GIS softwares like QGIS, statistical software like R, and scripting language like Python.
For a database, you could check PostgreSQL
You can choose the topics based on your interest and career goal. Follow the rule of "One step at a time".
Check
Maps and Data Visualisations with R
Lesson 1: Introduction to GIS modeling and Python | GEOG 485: GIS Programming and Automation
Spatial Database Concepts with PostGIS
Alos look at getting a free license ArcGIS for Developers and 60-day trial https://www.arcgis.com/features/free-trial.html With the trial, I recommend planning you 60 days so you can make the most of the time, or as Derek suggested, the personal use which is $100 /year ....but as the name suggests, not to be used for profit.
You can also watch many of the recorded tech sessions for the Esri User Conferences and Developers Summit at Esri Videos | E360 Videos: GIS, Events, ArcGIS Products & Industries And thru their YouTube channel. These cover all levels and topics.
On top of what everyone else said, there ways you can volunteer with various GIS groups in order to get more experience and potentially get to use the software for free. Take a look at some of these sites:
Volunteer Opportunities - Emerging GIS Leaders
CrisisMappers - THE HUMANITARIAN TECHNOLOGY NETWORK
and some listed here: More Than Wishful Thinking
All great suggestions. Nothing however beats hands-on experience. One great way to do this is to offer your GIS services in the form of an internship, accepting the experience in lieu of financial compensation will often seal the deal especially for a company that wasn't even in the market for an intern.