Which program are you participating in? When did you start?
GIS Fundamentals certificate, starting Fall 2024.
Tell us about your education and career path so far. Where have you been and what have you learned along the way?
I graduated with a BS in Horticulture in 1995 from UW-Madison but pivoted from working as a researcher in a Horticulture lab on campus to IT Helpdesk work in 1998. I worked at Covance Laboratories (now part of LabCorp) in the Madison office, spending 7 years on the IT team and 7 years doing clinical data management and project management. During my 14 years at Covance, I was a helpdesk tech, application administrator, software developer, IT business analyst, clinical data project manager, and clinical data manager. Many of my roles involved communicating between technical and non-technical people, interpreting technical requirements, and leading teams. I then spent 10 years at Forte Research Systems (now Advarra) as a software business analyst, product manager, and director of product management. These roles were again focused on team leadership, interpreting and prioritizing requirements, communication, and collaboration.
I never gave up my love of gardening and the outdoors though, and I knew that someday I would like to get back to something related to those interests. I spent almost a decade thinking on and off about what would be my next career…. I attended a weekend workshop on starting an apple orchard and looked into working at a greenhouse and decided they weren’t a good fit. I decided to focus my volunteer time on exploring areas of interest and started volunteering at state natural areas. Spending time in the prairie really resonated with me, and I decided that focusing on conservation and the Driftless Area was something that could work for me as a second career.
I decided that some formal education would help me make the transition. That’s when I found the MS-Environmental Conservation professional degree at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. The program was geared towards changing professions, which helped me to build connections with conservation professionals in the area while also providing core coursework that would prepare me for a career in this field.
Along my long and winding career road, I’ve learned that relationships are key. Meeting people in your field of interest and maintaining those relationships, participating in mentoring programs, conducting informational interviews to learn more about specific jobs or companies… while it can sometimes be challenging, these relationships open doors to opportunities and help one learn and grow.
I’ve also learned that many skills are transferrable… project management, time management, communication, basic technology skills… all of these can be applied in a variety of contexts so don’t underestimate your previous experience even if it is in another field!
What got you interested in GIS and geospatial technologies?
One class I absolutely loved in the MS-Environmental Conservation program was a 3-credit GIS course providing a survey of GIS applications in conservation. After that course, I knew I wanted whatever my next job would be to include GIS; however, I realized that many of the conservation jobs focused on mapping and GIS required more experience than one survey course provided. That’s when I looked around and discovered the GIS Fundamentals certificate through the Geography department.
What do you appreciate the most so far about your experience in the UW–Madison GIS Professional Programs?
There has been very clear communication around the program thus far, and I appreciate the Slack workspace for communication during the program and beyond.
How do you plan to apply your new skills in your career?
I hope that this certificate will make me more qualified and appealing to hiring managers for GIS-related conservation positions.
Do you have any advice for prospective students?
Get to know your instructors and fellow students. You never know what you might learn from others.
What’s your favorite map?
The first thing that comes to mind is The National Geographic Picture Atlas of Our World, 1979, edited by Ross S. Bennett. As a kid, I would spend hours poring over the maps, reading about countries around the world, and imagining what it would be like to go there. I think that atlas is what spurred my love of maps and of travel.