John Carpenter can handle and distribute spatial data like a whiz. He and
his co-workers at a geomatics solutions company do "anything that has to do
with actually locating something on the Earth."
In geomatics, experts from the field often work in collaboration with schools.
According to Carpenter, many of the people who are now his colleagues at work
were once the headhunters on campus. They spotted him because he got involved
and made a name for himself in the department.
"A lot of industry goes to the school and the school does a lot of projects
back and forth with them. Get involved with those projects. [Professors] can
help out quite a bit."
Having graduated and entered the workforce, Carpenter still seeks advice
from past professors. "Even now, they're helping me out."
When he wasn't perfecting his ability to network, Carpenter was on
a more solo mission around campus. He spent time with computers. Computer
skills, says Carpenter, are essential to his job.
"It's actually really exciting. Right now, I am working on an application
over the Internet for handing out some of this data. It's quite exciting.
It's all cutting-edge technology. The stuff we're using is brand
new to the market in the last two or three years," says Carpenter.
Lisa Ojanen has had a similar experience with prospective employers: they're
after her. She is just finishing up her master's degree in geomatics
and busy companies have been asking for her. "I've had interested employers
contact me about jobs, and I won't graduate until this summer," says
Ojanen.
Ojanen has witnessed fellow graduates disappear into the field before her.
Based on her observations, finding work shouldn't be a problem. "I can
say that the people I know who have graduated from our geomatics program have
all found jobs rather quickly in their fields of interest," she says.
Alex Catchpaugh is the technical coordinator of a busy geomatics solutions
company. He says that university degrees in geology and geography are viable
stepping-stones to the industry. "I'm a graduate from the college of
geographic sciences," he says. "I do a lot of CAD [computer-aided design]
work and a lot of job preparation."
Catchpaugh's geography background was enough to get him into the field.
However, more and more universities are offering specialized geomatics programs.
"If I had known about geomatics, I would not have gotten an [undergraduate]
degree in anthropology," says Ojanen. She did have to catch up on her geomatics
prerequisites. She took two semesters of math and computer classes before
starting the graduate program. Luckily, the transition was relatively easy
for her, and she has no regrets about changing her academic angle.
For the time being, the pressures and demands of academia occupy Ojanen's
time. Graduate school requires a stern commitment to writing and researching
your field. Ojanen doesn't have much time for anything else. "I essentially
have worked and gone to school full time, leaving very little time for anything
but studying and trying to find time to do the laundry. Typical graduate student
life!"
When the time comes, Ojanen has no concerns about whether geomatics will
be provide her with satisfying work. She says there is enough diversity within
the field that anyone should be able to find a suitable niche.
"One might want to do it for a living because it is an interesting field.
[Geomatics has] many different applications, depending on the specialization
within the field. So it isn't likely to lead to a boring
or stuck-in-a-rut career path. Just about any interest can be served."