How do people actually get their first break into the geospatial/GIS industry?
Hi guys! I’m currently a second-year PhD candidate in Australia, working on species distribution modelling, GeoAI, and conservation planning. My background is actually in landscape architecture, so I came into GIS/spatial ecology from a pretty interdisciplinary pathway.
Academically, things are going okay (e.g., pubs). But I’ve recently realised I have almost no idea how people actually get their first step into the geospatial/environmental industry in Australia.
A lot of internships and grad roles seem extremely competitive, and many “entry-level” roles still expect prior industry experience. I’m trying to figure out whether my background is genuinely useful in industry, or whether being too interdisciplinary makes it harder to fit into a clear role.
So I wanted to ask people already working in GIS/geospatial/environmental consulting/spatial data fields:
- If you were starting with little or no industry experience, what would you actually focus on to get your first opportunity? Networking? Side projects? Volunteering? Conferences? Research collaborations?
Would really appreciate hearing honest experiences from people already in the field, especially anyone who entered through a non-traditional pathway.