topic Re: GIS Career with no college degree in GIS Life Discussions

GIS Career with no college degree

JenniferOgle — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 20:40:43 GMT

I am interested in a career in GIS. I am getting conflicting information through my online research. I am wanting to know the proper steps & schooling I need to take to do without a college degree.

Re: GIS Career with no college degree

JenniferOgle — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 21:18:35 GMT

Would this be a good route to get started? Would these courses help me to be able to apply for a job within GIS careers?

Esri Free Web Courses | Learning Plan

Re: GIS Career with no college degree

KevinMitchell1 — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 00:12:17 GMT

Most employers require a Bachelors degree, with a Masters preferred. Entry-level positions seem to be super competitive. I'm sure there are some small organizations out there that would drop the requirement. Perhaps small water utilities, county government, non-profits?

If you can learn how to build geodatabases, set up feature classes, edit features, create static maps, use Field Maps, etc., you could apply for GIS Technician roles.

Re: GIS Career with no college degree

archDisk — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 02:21:43 GMT

I would say that the main benefit of college other than ticking off that Bachelor's degree box in the hiring process is to get an internship and get real-world experience somewhere. If you aren't getting a degree and trying to just get a job, you may want to start working on a portfolio of sorts. Come up with something local to you and create something for it. You can likely even request specific GIS data right from your local government and they might even be happy to help. Might even offer you an internship!

Re: GIS Career with no college degree

TimBohn — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 16:04:11 GMT

Your best bet is to just get into an org and grow your learning there vs just various courses. Many of our openings don't require a college degree.

Re: GIS Career with no college degree

JesseCloutier — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 14:05:48 GMT

Hi @JenniferOgle, traditional education can be a good route for many but it's not the only path into a GIS career. Feel encouraged to check out the post How many of you have fallen into a GIS career without a degree? from @EllieHakariAK in which a number of Esri Community members joined in to share how they found their way into GIS via other—sometimes unexpected—ways. You'll see in the comments that we've also linked to a Member Spotlight story we put together about Ellie Hakari (EH_Alaska) in which she goes into some additional detail about her learning journey. You can also find that story here: Esri Community Member Spotlight: Ellie Hakari Best of luck with your own journey!

Re: GIS Career with no college degree

EllieHakariAK — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 16:01:09 GMT

Thanks for tagging me on this! @JenniferOgle please feel free to reach out to me for more details. Both myself and my brother were able to move into positions that typically require a degree. If you are motivated and willing to start small, you can definitely make it happen. 🙂

Re: GIS Career with no college degree

JenniferOgle — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 17:28:39 GMT

Thank you to all that have responded. I started taking the free courses through ESRI and I'm enjoying it so far.

Re: GIS Career with no college degree

lal-sabbagh — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 16:40:40 GMT

Hi @JenniferOgle ,

I recently completed a postgraduate certificate in GIS from Fanshawe College and am currently developing my skills further. Along the way, I discovered that Esri’s MOOCs and their Esri Training Academy offer excellent resources that closely align with what I learned in school.

You can enroll in a learning plan tailored to your goals and earn certificates to demonstrate your skills. While taking these courses, start building a portfolio by working on small GIS projects. This will not only enhance your resume but also showcase your practical experience.

For more information about Esri’s training and certification options, check out this link: Esri Training and Certification.

Good luck on your GIS journey!

Re: GIS Career with no college degree

EvvettJohnson — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 17:39:26 GMT

Good luck and happy learning!

Re: GIS Career with no college degree

DougBrowning — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 15:46:13 GMT

May consider the Esri certifications also.

Re: GIS Career with no college degree

SYOCSan — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 18:28:59 GMT

When I first went back to school to get more GIS experience I went to a community college where they offered vocational GIS certificates. It was a lot cheaper which allowed me to get 3 different specialties within GIS. Also, most of my classes were filed with people who were working at police stations. They didn't need GIS degrees, they just needed to know how to use the system. So when looking for jobs just think about how GIS can be used so also keep an eye out for the non "GIS POSITION" type jobs where it would further get your hands on the program.

Re: GIS Career with no college degree

TracyMoy — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 15:56:37 GMT

Jennifer, I commend you for thinking about a GIS Career!

Here are some suggestions:

I encourage you to seek out any professional organizations in your area. Many have no fee memberships. Most states have regional or state GIS user groups.
URISA is a good resources for training and collaboration, but does require a fee to join; this organization does have a mentoring program.
Some community colleges are beginning to offer GIS courses, but the ESRI Training is a great introduction.
Volunteer (if you have time) for an organization's GIS department. I've accepted volunteers before a few hours a week. In exchange for data entry work or something like that, I have in returned spent time mentoring and teaching them what I know.
Reach out directly to an organization's GIS manager, many like myself are quite happy to take an hour and coach you.

Good Luck!

Re: GIS Career with no college degree

OscarGaleas — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 18:58:48 GMT

Hey,

Jennifer if you are interested in a career then go for it. I am a non traditional GIS professional with now 5 years of experience i have always enjoyed data and visuals and was lucky to find an opportunity at my work place where they wanted to hire within. Most of my first year was trying to learn the fundamentals and apply my skillset to GIS related task. Most of what i know has been self taught through the courses and MOOCs ESRI provides as well as many, many, many hours of YouTube university and GIS forums. So it is very possible.

Re: GIS Career with no college degree

ShannonMurphyAZ — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 00:42:28 GMT

Hi Jennifer!

Welcome to the world of GIS. Volunteering was my first thought, but I see that someone already posted about that. So, I would suggest becoming a member of a GIS organizations such as Women in GIS (https://womeningis.wildapricot.org/) and others. They often have competitions, networking events, mentorships, and other opportunities to become involved and to meet other people in the industry.

I also recommend reading books about GIS, cartography, geography, etc. You can check them out from the library for free (including digital resources). Some low hanging fruit / fun books: There's a Map on My Lap by Tish Rabe (The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library) is a fun summary of the basics that you can share with the young people in your life, Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel, the newly published GIS for dummies by Jami Dennis, and How to Lie With Maps by Mark Monmonier (an often referenced book).

I wish you success!

Re: GIS Career with no college degree

raysonza — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 16:36:17 GMT

Hi Jen. Please contact Mr. Wing Cheung, A GIS professor at Palomar College in San Diego, CA for more information on GIS career/s.