The Emerging Professional Experience

“Oh, hey. I’m new to the area. You should call me to talk GIS…and, maybe, to be friends.”

“I’d love to talk to you more about how we did that project. Give me a business card and I’ll shoot you an e-mail when I get back to the office.”

“Do you have a copy of your resume? We can sit down and take a look at it now.”

These are all things that have been said and heard at TUGIS, the regional GIS conference that takes place at Towson University on an annual basis. Two days of workshops, meetings, and individual presentations give GIS professionals and students the ability to share projects, ideas, and techniques in an atmosphere relaxed by camaraderie and a mutual passion for geospatial technology. I’ve had the pleasure of attending TUGIS during three very different stages in my career: as an emerging GIS professional working in the private environmental consulting world, as a free agent looking for new opportunities, and as a public sector employee meeting my contemporaries from surrounding jurisdictions. At each phase, I approached the conference from a different angle: trying to network for business opportunities, looking for a new full time position, and sharing ideas and techniques with other public safety GIS professionals. Despite the changes in my motives for attending, the thing that remains constant is the value of being able to freely network with hundreds of professionals in my field.

When I first attended the conference in 2014, I was an environmental planner with an international consulting firm. Timid, and still new to the profession, I dutifully attended as many sessions as I could fit in and was overwhelmed by innovative professionals and projects that seemed way over my head. The next year, I was more comfortable in my technical abilities and found more confidence when engaging with presenters and fellow conference attendees. I overheard a woman talking about being new to the area and introduced myself. Little did I know that my boldness would lead to not just a close friendship, but an important ally when I found myself unexpectedly out of work and looking for a new position.

The third year I attended TUGIS, I was on a mission to find a new job. The pressure was on and I was lucky that the conference was hosting a resume workshop where I was able to sit down with professionals in the industry and get a critique of the resume I was using for my job search. When Julie, my resume reviewer, looked at my resume and said, “How have you not been snapped up already? How do you feel about working in Baltimore?” I left the session with a renewed confidence. During the end of the day happy hour, I was introduced by my friend from the 2015 conference to the woman who would ultimately give me a chance and start me on the path to the job I have and love today.

Last year was my fourth TUGIS conference, and I had the pleasure of attending as an employee of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. The conference gave me the opportunity to meet face to face with many GIS professionals from local governmental agencies. TUGIS provides emergency management GIS folks with a great platform and opportunity to meet about emerging issues and nationwide projects that will be effecting our community in the coming years.

When it comes down to it, attending conferences and other training events are invaluable tools for staying up to date in your chosen profession. What many young professionals fail to realize is that attending these events can be invaluable to your career. Little moments that seem insignificant have the ability to snowball into life changing opportunities. A woman literally asked me to call her to be friends after discussing her presentation about building a Collector App. One year later, not only did I gain an amazing friend and sailing buddy, she introduced me to my future employer while I was chatting with a beer in my hand. I went from a five year career in environmental planning to working in emergency management for a county fire department.

I never could have predicted, nor desired, such a complete shift in my career trajectory; however, I could not be happier with the serendipitous events that led me to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. Being involved with local conferences like TUGIS and organizations like MSGIC are vital for emerging professionals. This is why they offer student discounts so readily. My prior involvement with local GIS organizations was integral to my ability to land on my feet in a career that I absolutely love. Now I look forward to helping out the next generation of GIS professionals. That hand up that I got is now being extended to you. Attend conferences, join local organizations, and make the effort to go to that GIS day event. Be brave and strike up a conversation with a stranger– who knows where that relationship might lead.

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