Which program are you participating in? When did you start?
I began online courses for a Master’s of Science in GIS and Web Mapping in the fall of 2020.
What is your current job? (Or future job you’re aiming for?)
I currently work on the GIS team at Peoples Gas Light and Coke (PGL). We are the natural gas utility for the city of Chicago. I started this master’s program to expand my skills in GIS and to become a more attractive candidate for future roles.
Could you tell us a little bit about your education and career path?
I earned a bachelor’s degree in Geography and Environmental Science from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 2007. After graduation, I worked for an environmental engineering firm for 7 years. In this role, I was responsible for surveying and completing Phase 1 environmental assessments. I spent a lot of time working on landfills, performing all types of tasks related to construction quality control/assurance (CQA), surface emission monitoring, and landfill gas well field tuning. In 2014, I started working for Peoples Gas in their GIS department, maintaining their records and facilities. Eventually, I wanted to upgrade my skills. One of my coworkers at the time (now my supervisor) who completed this program, recommended it to me and I applied. At my current role, I am presently enrolled in rotational program as part of the engineering systems team and now use GIS, FME, and some coding platforms to perform different tasks for PGL.
On a side note, I have always enjoyed maps since I was working on second class requirements when I was in the Boy Scouts of America. I was always fascinated by contour maps, legends, and orienting myself to the map. I remember on family road trips using a large Randall McNally map and pointing out all the various landmarks along the way. Now whenever I am canoeing the boundary waters, or hiking in Glacier National Park usually the group assigns me the map duty. And I have a pretty good track record.
How is your experience with GISPP preparing you for and/or enhancing your career?
GISPP has really increased my skill level and enhanced my career. It helped open doors for me that had been previously difficult to get a foothold in. It has also forced me to relearn skills that I hadn’t used in a long time. The program encouraged me to change the way I think about how to solve problems.
What advice would you give current students?
This program can seem a little daunting at times, but if you work on the courses a little bit every day to avoid cramming at the deadline, you should be fine. Keep an open mind; there are many ways to solve a problem (also, Google is your friend). Someone somewhere has solved a problem very similar to yours.
Favorite memory of GISPP?
I enjoyed building the applications in the later classes. It took me a while to figure out how everything was going to come together and when it did it was very satisfying.