About | Contact | SUBMIT PRESS | Advertise | FAQ
Spatial Newsletters | Twitter |
HomeNewsArticlesExpertsDataJobsEDULBSSTOREEVENTSDirectoryBLOGSocialPHOTOS
Software | Spotlights on Geospatial Data | Web Services | Mashup Zone | IMAGING | Hardware | Social Media  
advertisement

Top Geo News
Put Your PR here!
Social Connect



vimeostumble
Facebook

GISuser Sponsor


Recent Site Additions
Featured Video


GISuser TOP 10 Viewed Videos
More Photos and Videos

GIS Job Opportunities
 

Loads of GIS Jobs!

Traffic Technician - Pavement Marking
GIS Analyst
Supervisor, GIS Production
Marketing Writer - Professional Services
Software Technical Lead
Web Applications Developer, Washington, D.C.
Lead Developer – Kelowna (KE01-12)
GIS Consultant
GIS Coordinator
Solutions and Support Specialist

GISuser Sponsor

Directory
pcMapper Db 
Category: Android LBS Apps


GISuser Sponsor


AnyGeo - Anything Geospatial

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Home arrow Articles arrow Business arrow What's in a GIS job title? A Look at common geospatial Career Opportunities     

HOT Articles
Salary Survey of GIS Professionals and How We Stack Up Against Others in Our Occupation
HOT Careers and Training

Web Applications Developer, Washington, D.C. (Esri) / GIS Director (PA)
Software Technical Lead / ME GIS Coordinatorpost a GIS job

Submit Your GIS/Geo News/PR to GISuser
What's in a GIS job title? A Look at common geospatial Career Opportunities  E-mail
Written by Glenn Letham   
01 August 2006
Ever wonder what separates a GIS specialist from a GIS analyst. Or, what about a GIS project manager from a GIS coordinator? Well, you're likely not alone. Typically many of these positions are requiring the same skill set but are offering a broad range in salary. So how many titles are there? Here's just a sampling of the job titles advertised in just the past month alone in some of the popular GIS career boards:

GIS Analyst - provide technical support to the organization's Geographic Information System (GIS). Generally requires a min. Bachelors degree or a diploma in GIS and can offer a salary that ranges from $30k - $50k... a huge range!

GIS Specialist - a BA/BS degree and 5 years experience in GIS with demonstrated ability to design, develop, maintain, and present spatial data for various projects using a specific platform.

GIS Manager - Requires a Bachelor's degree in GIS, Geography, Civil Engineering, Urban Planning, Information Systems or a field requiring GIS coursework (up to 60k)

Senior GIS developer - A minimum of 5 years professional Information Technology experience with a minimum of 3 year of hands-on experience as a developer. The "senior" typically pushes this job over the $50k range in salary

IT Director - responsible for the design, development and maintenance of an information technology. With "director" in the title look for a $70k+ salary

GIS Technician - Assists GIS staff, Bachelor’s degree in geography, cartography, GIS, or closely related field with emphasis on GIS for spatial analysis and mapping applications (typically paid by in an hourly rate like $15 hr)

GIS Coordinator - Manages the Geographic Information System (GIS)/Mapping function for a company or government agency. Typically requires a Bachelor’s degree + and will normally offer salary in the $50-$60k range

Mapping Analyst - Analyst will support the analysis, production, and presentation of geographic data. Often pays similar to a technician and will require a bachelors degree

GIS Data Steward - assists the GIS Data Manager in developing strategies, processes, and environments supporting spatial data access, management, and integration. Will pay nicely at $60-$90k and requires BSc heavy on computer programing.

Other commonly seen job titles that focus on GIS experience:
- sales rep.
- GIS IT specialist
- GIS marketing manager
- product engineer
- sales manager
- software developer
- web programmer
- IMS manager
- Geospatial analyst
- GIS biologist
- GIS production manager
- inside sales rep (?)
- cortographic specialist
- Geospatial evangelist

Technicians and analysts are likely the positions in highest demand, however, there is also a large range in salaries and expectations. Some positions are advertised with a salary as meagre as $12 per hour and may require a B.Sc, 5+ years of experience and much more, others may simply demad a proven track record and will offer a salary in the $60k range.

Some keys to getting the big bucks. Be heavy on programming skills, have 10+ years of practical and relevant experience, be willing to relocate, have managerial skills, be a leader, be fluent in the latest technologies (AJAX, Oracle, SQL, yadayada). Titles with the terms, intern, technician, entry level, etc... may often require 5+ years of experience and a min. BA degree but typically only offer a pay rate of $12 hour or max $30k. Looking for a nice payday? Keep an eye open for buzzwords like director, coordinator, manager in the title... but beware as you should have a masters degree, loads of project management experience, and 10+ years of related experience. To help justify your experience see about getting certified as a GISP or other "professional". A question to you... have you ever had your resume and skill set queried and verified? As an employer you should always try to verify some of the information provided by applicants prior to hiring them - easily done with a couple of phone calls.

Have you heard of any GIS job titles that aren't listed here? What's your thought on certification? Comments?

 
< Prev   Next >

Submit Your GIS/Geo News/PR to GISuser



Search the Spatial Media Web Resources
blog comments powered by Disqus
HOT Video
ILMF12 Video of 3D GeoPDF With TerraGo Technologies
 

deliciousrssnewsletterlinkedinfacebooktwitter

More GISuser Features

feature articlesSee more GISuser Features HERE / See GISuser Spotlights Here

AnyGeo - Geospatial Updates from Glenn

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Recent Directory Listings
1. California State...
    Category: College Programs and Universities
    Created: Feb 7, 2012
2. Geo Location Messaging...
    Category: Location APIs, Tools, and SDKs
    Created: Feb 7, 2012
3. Google Geolocation API
    Category: Location APIs, Tools, and SDKs
    Created: Feb 7, 2012
4. Nokia Developer...
    Category: Location APIs, Tools, and SDKs
    Created: Feb 7, 2012
5. GeoIQ Social
    Category: Location APIs, Tools, and SDKs
    Created: Feb 7, 2012
Show more...
Featured Events
  • Esri devMeetUps - locate a developer meetup taking place in a city near you
  • ERDAS Webinars - Register for a free, online webinar from ERDAS
  • ILMF 2012 - International LiDAR Mapping Forum, Denver, Colorado, Jan 23-25, 2012
  • Esri Dev Summit - The Esri Developer Summit (DevSummit) brings together developers and GIS professionals from all over the globe. March 26-29, 2012, Palm Springs, CA
  • Where2.0 - where the people working on and using location technologies come together to explore best practices and emerging trends in software development, tools, business strategies, and marketing. April 2-4, 20112, San Francisco, CA

 List Your Event Here 

2X A Week Newsletter

See Recent edition
newsletter

subscribe GISuser

We won't share your address!
Sponsor

Popular Stuff!


RSS and Feeds

Software

software reviews
Geo Technology Software

GISuser Site Sponsor


Most Popular
GISuser HOT Spots!

Google Mashup Zone
GISuser WebMaps
Free Data Articles
Spotlights & Tips
GISuser Resumes
Data Links
10 Cool Things
The LBS Zone!

GISuser RSS Feed
Partner Sites


lbszone.com


symbianone

A Spatial Media LLC property

 




Spatial Media, LLC ©2003 - 2011 All rights reserved / Privacy Statement