GHY 101 Mark Miller Imani Harris (951231) 1

So You Want to Study Geography?

In my three years of attending college at the University of Southern Mississippi, I have

encountered students from all over the world headed into various career fields. Recently, for the very

first time, I connected with a student whose major is geography. This student told me that he wanted to

be a GIS analyst, and I had absolutely no clue what that career was comprised of. I was taken aback

because I wasn’t quite sure what jobs this person would be able to find and if there was a career besides

teaching that was available to him. Upon further research, I have now concluded that geography is a

huge field with lots of possibilities. According to the Career Center at Hofstra University, some of the

career titles a geography major can obtain include being a cartographer, a community developer, a real

estate broker, a traffic manager, a professor, or a park ranger to name a few (Hofstra 6).

My understanding and knowledge base of geography has proven itself to be quite lack-luster

when compared to its actual meaning. The graphic below showcases the meaning of geography and what

geographers do in a broad definitive way.

(Figure 1: “What Do Geographers Even Do?” Louisa Wood 2015)

GHY 101 Mark Miller Imani Harris (951231) 2

According to Oishimaya Sen Nag in her article “What is Geography”, the word geography

actually means “earth writing”. When studying geography, topics such as landforms, oceans,

environment and ecosystems come up. The most interesting notion though is how geographers study

interactions between humans and our environments. Because the study and field is about much more

than physical entities but our human relations to them, this opens up the career options heavily for those

who find their niche in geography. Sen Nag writes that geography can be broken into two categories –

physical geography and human geography. Studying physical geography can open up career options in

fields such as glaciology, pedography, or oceanography. Studying human geography can open up careers

in health geography, political geography, or developmental geography (Sen Nag 2017). The reality is the

field of geography is very diverse and allows students to choose from a myriad of careers.

(Figure 2: Six Categories of Geography Careers - University of Florida Geography 2017)

In the graphic above, one can see how the University of Florida broke down six geography related
GHY 101 Mark Miller Imani Harris (951231) 3

careers which really shows the diversity of the field. The programs include subjects such as geospatial

technologies, military jobs, and even medical geography. The chart showcases how geography can be

utilized in many different fields. Annette Smith wrote in her article “10 Best Jobs for Geography

Graduates” that because the skills learned in geography courses are transferable, there are plenty of jobs

students who graduate from those programs can enter into. She states that these skills such as writing,

analyzing, and researching are most desirable to employers. Smith claims 10 of them to be the best jobs

for geography majors. Those jobs include being physical and cultural geographers, hydrologists,

surveyors, freelance writers, urban and regional planners, geoscientists, cartographers, or geography

instructors (Smith 2010). Physical geographers study aspects of the Earth such as the literal ground,

water, plant life, etc. Cultural geographers study activities of humans and social issues. They usually

specialize in areas like economic geography. Hydrologists study water and can be resourceful in

different aspects such as at a university or working for the government just like a geoscientist. GIS

analysts have the knowledge base to track and study information to create maps or other resourceful

information that can come in handy for many companies. Freelance Writers do research and write

articles for magazines and newspapers that pertain to or are surrounded around any topics having to do

with geography. Urban Planners work for municipal governments for communities that are well off or

are located in wealthy areas or neighborhoods. Regional planners work with larger, more rural,

environments. Both of these types of planners combine transportation and land use of their respective

environments to better their respective communities. Geoscientists study the composition and structure

of Earth and can work in the field, at a university doing research, or for the government. Surveying

technicians analyze maps and measure the Earth using varying tools and research skills. Cartographers

gather, analyze, and interpret data from surveys, photos, and other things related. They will likely work

for agencies, publishers, or the media. Geography Instructors are those who choose to share their
GHY 101 Mark Miller Imani Harris (951231) 4

geography knowledge with students while still conducting research (Smith 2010).

Many believe that geography majors are more sought out and more desirable than graduates who

are in more traditional or specific fields. This fact makes it a good choice for a major. Alison White

wrote an article titled “What makes psychology and geography grads the most employable?” in 2010

that explains to us exactly what gives geography majors an edge with employers. She asked experts

pointed questions that lead us to the answers we seek about these fields. Nick Keeley, the director of

Careers Service at Newcastle University said, “Studying geography arms graduates with a mix of skills

employers want to see” (White 2010). Keeley says that we know this because the degree helps develop

skills including “numeracy, teamwork through regular field trips, analytical skills in the lab and a certain

technical savviness through using various specialist computing applications” (White 2010). He believes

these skills will help geography students stand out in a crowd. White also interviewed Joseph

Richardson, a freelance writer, who graduated with a BA in geography. Richardson says, “Geography

students don't have a set career path like other subjects with higher unemployment statistics.” He

believes that geographers are more willing to accept a varied range of role while other majors can only

work in specific fields and positions in their majors (White 2010).

(Figure 3: Expected/Projected Employment Rates - The University of North Alabama 2018)

GHY 101 Mark Miller Imani Harris (951231) 5

There are several geography programs in the United States that are thriving and are producing

exceptional students to go out into the career field. The one at the University of Northern Alabama is

one to note. The above chart produced by the University of North Alabama geography department

shows job placement projections for geography majors. They received their data from the Bureau of

Labor Statistics, which shows how lucrative and how much potential the market has for geographers.

Their program is one of prestige and one where alumni are being placed in jobs at a rate of 90 percent.

Alumni from this specific department have went on to become CEOs, “a founder of a GIS consulting

group, Senior Vice President of a GIS consulting group, assistant professor of geography, urban planner

of a local municipality, planning director of a local municipality, GIS specialist with an environment

group”, and much more (UNA 2018). Even this brief list of alumni jobs shows the vitality and diversity

in the geography field.

(Figure 4: Can a Geography Degree Get You a Job? - GCSE Geography Promotion 2009)

Many famous or well-known people studied or contributed to the world of geographic study.

Matt Rosenberg describes to us some of the most renowned people who studied geography in his article

“Famous People Who Studied Geography and Renowned Geographers”. Names include people such as

Michael Jordan, Margaret Thatcher, Augusto Pinochet, and Mother Teresa. Michael Jordan, a famous
GHY 101 Mark Miller Imani Harris (951231) 6

basketball player, went on to use his talents in other fields besides geography but many celebrities went

on to use their geo knowledge to change the world. Rosenberg also mentions specifically a few famous

geographers including Alexander von Humboldt who was deemed one of the fathers of modern

geography (Rosenberg 2018). Anita Roddick, the founder of the Body Shop also studied geography.

According to the Body Shop website, The Body Shop aims to be the most ethical and sustainable

business in the world. The company’s motto is Enrich Not Exploit and they are committed to enriching

14 specific areas by 2020 (Body Shop 2018). Roddick used her knowledge base of geographic things to

create a skincare line that reduces carbon footprints, utilizes natural ingredients, and has several

campaigns that allow them to better our society and how we treat the things on our Earth. Hugh Dennis,

the famous comedian and actor, also studied geography while in college. Along with Dennis, David

Harvey was a geography major during his academic career. He went on to be a geographer and

anthropologist. According to an article written by Olivia Edwards in 2014 for the Geographical

Magazine, David Harvey is one of the most influential geographers. He received a bachelor’s of art in

geography from St John’s College in Cambridge. Most of his career thereafter was grounded in

geography instruction. He went on to receive a master’s degree and a PHD before becoming a

geography lecturer at the University of Bristol in 1961. He taught in universities such as Johns Hopkins

University, the University of Oxford and the City University of New York where he was a distinguished

professor. He is currently still working at this university. A lot of his geography career and research has

been rooted in his political beliefs. He believes that affordable housing for low income families is a

geopolitical issue and is highly interested in this issue (Edwards 2014).

As an African-American student, my curiosity was peaked as it relates to diversity in race in the

geography field. Joe Darden and Lucia Terra conducted a snowball survey in 2003 to find out exactly

how many black geographers work in higher education institutions and the percentages were very low.
GHY 101 Mark Miller Imani Harris (951231) 7

A snowball survey is a nonprobability sampling technique where researchers use existing research

subjects to recruit future subjects. It creates a group that sort of grows like a rolling snowball. Their

survey results showed that only 63 black geographers were full-time faculty members in higher

education facilities. Although they are few in numbers, these black professionals conduct research in

over 20 disciplines or specialties in geography. Their regional specialties are rooted in Africa, the United

States, Canada, the Caribbean, South America, and Europe (Darden, Terra 2003). Dr. Jenny Lunn

conducted research comparing the percentages of members in the America Association of Geographers,

undergrad majors in geography, graduate school majors in geography, and more by race on behalf of the

American Association of Geographers in 2016. The chart below compares geography students in

undergrad and graduate school by ethnicity and race in 2016.

(Figure 5: Race in Geography - American Association of Geographers October 2016)

The percentages of African-American students in geography is very much so lower than other races.

This percentage can directly correlate with the amount of professionals in the field that are black. While

the work you can do with a geography degree is diverse and massive in numbers, the amount of minority

students in the field is not. While increasing interest and numbers in the field, it may be safe to assume
GHY 101 Mark Miller Imani Harris (951231) 8

that some of the targeting should be at minority students. Targeting the least likely group to be

geography majors and telling them how diverse and sought after the degree is could increase interest,

acceptance, and enrollments in geography departments this boosting the career field as well.

When most of us hear the word “geography”, we think of Earth, land, and maps. We don’t

necessarily think of the field being diverse, versatile, lucrative, nor do we think it would give students a

chance at many job opportunities. Through research, I’ve been able to discover just how much a

geography degree can actually get you and how far it can actually take a student who decides to explore

the possibilities this particular program has to offer. There are so many opportunities to learn

transferable skills in this field that would help anyone become a more well-rounded student. I am

excited to see how much this academic field grows in diversity of students and hope to see more people

become geography majors in the near future.

GHY 101 Mark Miller Imani Harris (951231) 9

Works Cited

Darden, Joe. "Black Geographers in Institutions of Higher Education in the United States: Where They

Are and a Selected Bibliography of Their Works." Academia.edu. Accessed. November 02,

2018. http://www.academia.edu/5458490/Black_Geographers_in_Institutions_of_Higher_Edu

ation_in_the_United_States_Where_They_Are_and_a_Selected_Bibliography_of_Thei Works.

"Degrees and Careers in Geography." UF Geography. Accessed September 29, 2018.

http://geog.ufl.edu/programs/degrees-and-careers-in-geography/.

Edward, Olivia. "David Harvey - Geographical." Geographical Magazine. Accessed November 02,

2018. http://geographical.co.uk/people/i-m-a-geographer/item/121-david-harvey.

Hofstra University Career Center. Accessed September, 29, 2018.

https://www.hofstra.edu/pdf/studentaffairs/studentservices/career/what%20can%20i%20

o%20...%20geography.pdf

Lunn, Jenny, Dr. "Geographers by Race and Ethnicity." American Association of Geographers.

October 2016. Accessed November 1, 2018. http://www.aag.org/galleries/disciplinary

data/Geographers_by_Race_and_Ethnicity_summary_report.pdf.

Nag, Oishimaya Sen. "What Is Geography?" World Atlas - Maps, Geography, Travel. June 21, 2016.

Accessed September 29, 2018. https://www.worldatlas.com/geography.html.

"OUR COMMITMENT." The Body Shop® Nature Inspired Beauty. Never Tested on Animals.

Accessed September 29, 2018. https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-us/about-us/our-commitment.

Rosenberg, Matt. "Are There Any Famous Geographers?" ThoughtCo. Accessed September 29, 2018.

https://www.thoughtco.com/famous-geographers-1435034.
GHY 101 Mark Miller Imani Harris (951231) 10

Ross_TARGETjobs. "What Can I Do with a Geography Degree?" TARGETjobs. October 30, 2018.

Accessed November 02, 2018. https://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/degree subjects-your

options/301030-what-can-i-do-with-a-geography-degree.

Smith, Annette. "10 Best Jobs For Geography Graduates." Made Man. October 11, 2010. Accessed

November 02, 2018. http://www.mademan.com/mm/10-best-jobs-geography

graduates.html.

University of North Alabama. "University of North Alabama Established in 1830." Prospective

Students. Accessed November 02, 2018.

https://www.una.edu/geography/Undergrad/prospectivestudents/index.html.

"What Can You Do with a Geography Degree?" Times Higher Education (THE). September 20, 2017.

Accessed September 29, 2018.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/subjects/what-can-you-do-geography

degree#survey-answer.

White, Alison. "What Makes Psychology and Geography Grads the Most Employable?" The

Guardian. November 18, 2010. Accessed November 02, 2018.

https://www.theguardian.com/careers/careersblog/experts-view-why-are-certain-grads less

likely-to-be-unemployed.

Wood, Louisa. "Introduction to Geography - Ppt Video Online Download." SlidePlayer. Accessed

November 02, 2018. https://slideplayer.com/slide/4612097/.