WHAT DO GEOGRAPHERS DO?

Compared to other subjects, Geography graduates are among the most employable. They possess the skills that employers look for. In part this is because the subject combines a knowledge of science and an understanding of the arts.

Is Geography a good choice in terms of getting a job?
The answer is a resounding YES!

 JOB OPPORTUNITIES AND FURTHER TRAINING

What it is possible to do with a Geography degree?
You will have three broad choices:

• To use the knowledge you have gained in a career directly related to Geography. A first degree in Geography is an entry point to many careers around the world, such as town and transport planning, chartered surveying, land and water management, environmental consultancy, development, tourism, conservation, demography, housing and social welfare. Further training at Masters degree level may be desirable or essential for entry to some of these careers.
• To use the wide range of skills you have learned in a more generalist career. Many Geographers choose careers in information technology, administration and management, the financial sector, and marketing. In all these areas, the skills portfolio, together with an interest in the world and people about you, are highly relevant.
• To engage in further full-time specialist study and training in order to develop a career in teaching or research, or to gain advanced technical (Masters level) qualifications for entry into some professions.  

SOME SUBJECT COMBINATIONS WITH THEIR POSSIBLE CAREER OUTCOMES 

WHAT CAN I DO WITH MY GEOGRAPHY DEGREE?

NATIONALLY, GEOGRAPHY HAS ONE OF THE BEST GRADUATE EMPLOYMENT RECORDS IN THE COUNTRY!

Many graduates enter management with companies such as Unilever, Nissan and BP; some become accountants, bankers, computer programmers or research assistants. Others specialize in particular areas of Geography by taking an MSc or PhD, and an increasing number travel abroad, in some cases doing voluntary work, before seeking employment. The excellent employment record which Geography graduates have is a sign of the flexibility and professionalism which a Geography degree develops.

For graduates entering the financial sector, for example, Geography is the fourth most common first degree subject (trailing only the more directly connected courses such as economics, business and management studies).

Geography graduates therefore are employed in a wide range of occupations. In summary, these include:

MANY GRADUATE STUDENTS CONTINUE THEIR STUDIES FOLLOWING A VOCATIONAL COURSE SUCH AS:
PGCE (teaching qualification), MSc (e.g. environmental assessment, land management, pollution and environmental control), MA (e.g. international business and town planning) or PhD (e.g. glaciology, Geography of finance, quaternary environmental change and  Geography of health care).


HERE ARE SOME FURTHER EXAMPLES OF CAREERS RELATED TO A DEGREE IN GEOGRAPHY:

• Accountant, Private Practice, Management and Public Finance - provides a wide range of financial services to private clients, industry, commerce and publicly funded organisations. These services may include audit, taxation, insolvency, management and corporate finance services and management consultancy activities
• Administrator, Local Government - responds to the needs of individual departments, sometimes as a specialist in administration, finance or personnel. You would assist in the formulation of policies and procedures and co-ordinate their implementation. Managing housing services is a branch of local government which is often of interest to geography graduates
• Cartographer - evaluates sets of geographical data and refines, classifies and categorises the data to produce maps, charts, sections or models
• Environmental Manager - is responsible for developing and implementing policy on such things as energy efficiency, transport, recycling and waste management
• Geographical Information Systems Manager - manages teams of IT professionals who use computer-based systems to handle spatial information
• Logistics Manager - manages the supply, movement and storage of goods and materials. You would plan, organise and co-ordinate the flow and storage of materials through the process of manufacture from supplier to customer
• Nature Conservation Officer - protects, manages and develops wildlife habitats through biological surveys. Your work may include conservation tasks, ecological surveys, visitor liaison, negotiation with planners and developers or educational and interpretative work
• Remote Sensing Scientist- processes satellite images and aerial photographs by computer to enhance specific features of interest and assess their significance
• Retail Manager - exercises overall control of the activities and resources of a store, maximising profits by curbing costs and increasing sales
• Surveyor, Urban General Practice - values, manages and markets residential and commercial property and acts as an agent for clients in the purchase, leasing or sale of property
• Tourism Officer - develops and promotes a quality tourism product which will attract visitors and produce significant economic benefits to the region
• Town Planner - directs or undertakes the planning of land use and the physical and economic development of urban and rural areas