Good Evening Everyone!
My name is Andrew Yount and I have been in the GIS community for sometime now. I am looking to broaden my knowledge, experience and start reaching out and making connections. I have come to this community looking for some mentorship and advice.
I am currently an serving in the United States Air Force. I am a Geospatial Intelligence Targeteer and have used various different GIS programs to tackle difficult intelligence problems all over the world. I have been on several projects with NGA and have worked mission sets in South America, Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa.
I am currently a senior at Arizona State University studying GIS and should be graduating next fall. I currently have a 3.95 GPA and have already started looking into masters programs for GIS. I heard Penn State had a really solid program. In addition to obtaining my BS in GIS, I have been taking python programming courses and am on my way to my Python programming certificate. I have been doing all of this while serving on active duty.
My goal is to obtain a PhD in GIS and lead a small team of GIS analysts who problem solve and use GIS to solve complex intelligence questions. That is the dream. I currently have a little over 2 years left on my military contract but I would like to set myself up for success in the GIS community. I am only 22 years old, but I have a good head on my shoulders and would love some mentorship from some of the people who have been around the field for a while.
The major questions I have for the forum are as follows:
What is the next step in my path to becoming a project lead on a GIS team?
Any recommendations for certifications or masters programs? I graduate in a year so its time for me to start researching some graduate programs.
When submitting resumes for GIS positions what do agencies look for? What will really catch someone's attention on a GIS resume?
I would love to start getting out in the field and networking. Maybe find a mentor or two to help guide me through the early stages of my academic and professional career. No one in my family has ever graduated college. I feel like I am fighting an uphill battle searching for guidance.
Feel free to contact me or introduce yourself on this thread. I look forward to hearing from everyone!
