Profiles of Careers in GEOGRAPHY

Business Manager: Environmental Adventure Tourism (p. 19 student resource)

A business manager oversees all the aspects of a business. They schedule when and how many staff are needed, look after ordering supplies required to operate the business, take care of important accounting practices by creating income statements and balance sheets, as well as participate in marketing campaigns designed to draw customers to the business. This last aspect may be the most important, as a business will most certainly fail if it does not have customers. But what are customers? Customers are people, and without understanding the specific needs of different population groups, a business may never realize its potential, even if it is founded on a great idea. Studying changing populations is a specific type of human geography called demography. Anyone interested in opening a business would be wise to study some human geography.

Emergency Preparedness Coordinator (p. 32 student resource)

An emergency preparedness coordinator plans, manages, and implements emergency training programs for various public institutions. In the event of a catastrophic natural disaster, reaction plans need to be ready in order to ensure the population’s safety—sometimes including evacuation routes from the areas most affected. It may be upsetting to imagine an act of terrorism, or an extremely powerful earthquake, but these occurrences do happen. When they do, Emergency Preparedness Coordinators make the difference between lives saved and lives lost. Emergency Preparedness Coordinators work for governments as well as for non-governmental organizations, such as the Canadian Red Cross.

Research Scientist (p. 69 student resource)

At first thought, you might imagine a career as a research scientist to be more aligned with science—and you wouldn’t be wrong. However, most scientists, in pursuit of understanding the extent to which their discovery applies to the real world, use geographic models to predict how one change may affect large areas of land and sea, or large numbers of people. Research scientists study any number of topics, from predicting the impacts of ocean acidification on the rate of photosynthesis to considering how the development of a mine may interfere with the migration route of a threatened species. In this context, the disciplines of science and geography combine in order to assist decision-makers tasked with solving problems. Research scientists tend to work in universities, hospitals, or specific government departments.

Chemical Engineer (p. 93 student resource)

An engineer is a scientist who solves technical problems. And a chemist is a scientist who considers the chemical make-up of different objects. As you may imagine, there are several kinds of chemical engineers. In the field of geography, chemical engineers concern themselves with many topics—from the speed at which carbon dioxide is absorbed by oceans, to the elemental makeup of specific landform regions in the pursuit of rare minerals. The chemical engineer tries to understand the best approach to solving a chemical problem, and in some cases solving more than one at a time. Page 93 of this text introduces you to a chemical engineer working in the field of recycling. These engineers solve problems that also have positive environmental outcomes. They tend to be employed by both private firms and universities.

Geologist (p. 164 student resource)

A geologist is a scientist who studies the dynamics of Earth. They are instrumental in learning about the environmental conditions of the past, as well as predicting the location of mineral resources. There are many different kinds of geologists. Paleontologists study the period of time on Earth when dinosaurs existed. A geo-technical engineer considers the best approach for natural resource extraction and helps to plan appropriate resource transportation routes. An archaeologist uncovers areas of Earth to unlock the secrets of ancient civilizations. Most geologists work for private companies, while others work in post-secondary institutions, museums, or for the government.

GIS Specialist (p. 196 student resource)

One of the careers most in demand today is a GIS Specialist. A GIS Specialist plans, manages and creates solutions to geographic issues. They manipulate attribute information and link it to physical locations in order to answer basic questions like “what and where,” and then present solutions to complex questions like “how and why.”

The main reason this career is in such high demand is due to the transferable nature of the skills involved. Cities plan new airports and public transit networks, political parties want to know how to get the most votes in an election, police authorities attempt to reduce crime rates, and natural resource companies produce plans to extract resources. All of these problems require the skills of a GIS specialist to identify the locations of the various factors involved in the problem, and then to describe potential ways of addressing them. GIS specialists work in a wide variety of organizations in the public and private sector.

Demographer (p. 221 student resource)

A demographer is a geographer specializing in population dynamics. The word comes from the root words demos meaning “the people,” and graphia meaning “to describe.” Demographers explain the trends in human population patterns. They identify population growth rates and doubling times, but also suggest ways to address the needs of populations. As you may imagine, society relies on the judgment of demographers on a daily basis. Planning for the healthcare needs of an aging population, the education needs of communities, as well as identifying private investment opportunities all rely on the understanding of specific patterns and trends of population dynamics. Demographers work for all levels of government, in universities, as well as in private organizations and large banks.

Development Worker (p. 249 student resource)

A development worker travels to lesser developed countries and works as part of a team with local authorities to help improve the living conditions of the local population. Development activities vary from small-engine repair training and drinking water well-drilling to economic diversification planning and the implementation of sustainability initiatives. The work also entails immersing one’s self into a foreign environment where societal norms may differ from the development worker’s home country. The ability to accept differences and a general sense of tolerance and patience will serve the development worker well as they experience life in a foreign country. Development workers work for non-governmental and governmental organizations alike, as well as for multinational organizations, such as UNICEF, the World Food Program, and the World Bank.

Crane Operator (p. 270 student resource)

A crane operator works on construction sites. As cities and governments attempt to address the environmental concerns associated with urbanization, growth policies are shifting away from older ideas of building communities out from the urban core and into the periphery, and are moving towards intensifying the built environment and increasing population density. Doing so requires the construction of high-rise buildings and, as such, crane operators. Most crane operators in Ontario belong to the International Union of Operating Engineers, which gives these workers job protection, regular workplace safety inspections, and decent salaries and benefits. Crane operators work for private construction companies.

Urban Planner (p. 292 student resource)

An urban planner works in the city. They tend to work in close relation with municipal governments, if they are not directly employed by governments. Urban planners design space. In teams, they decide how a city should be built and where the city should locate its various features. Whether it is locating a new transit project, developing a new green space, or changing the zoning of existing land to repurpose it, the skills of an urban planner are required. Urban planners also have a regular travel schedule to learn from and share experiences with other urban planners from other cities. As the world’s populations continue their migration into urban areas, the work of urban planners is becoming increasingly important.

Sustainability Specialist (p. 304 student resource)

A sustainability specialist is an expert in resource conservation. They work towards creating a kind of development that meets the needs of the current population without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. As government policies shift and business practices move towards adopting more environmentally friendly methods of production, the work of sustainability specialists grows more important. Some specific tasks of sustainability specialists include reducing the water and energy consumption of a business, which in turn reduces business costs and increases profits. Sustainability specialists mostly work as consultants hired by private companies wishing to reduce their costs. However, they also work for the United Nations Environment Program as well as different levels of government.

Park Ranger

A park ranger works in the natural environment, generally in a national or provincial park. Park rangers monitor the habitats of wildlife living in the park and create nature interpretation programs for public visitors. Some duties of park rangers are to paddle a canoe, hike, or drive a snowmobile around park boundaries. Park rangers ensure that human activities in the park do not interfere with the habitat of the wildlife. They also issue public warnings if a potentially dangerous animal is seen near public campgrounds. A working knowledge of GPS and GIS helps park rangers effectively perform their duties. Park rangers work for either national or provincial governments.

Land Surveyor

A land surveyor produces maps for specific purposes. They work both indoors and in the field. While in the field, land surveyors gather geographic information by taking precise measurements using sophisticated instruments that calculate position, elevation, and distance. Indoors, land surveyors produce maps with the gathered information, detailing the landscape for development in the case of mining, or for redevelopment and construction of cities. Most land surveyors tend to work for private companies, though all levels of government employ several individuals for public works.

Pilot

Pilots transport people and goods over large distances. They fly different types of aircraft, including airplanes and helicopters. A pilot’s duties include inspecting aircraft prior to flight, calculating the quantity of fuel required for trips, and ensuring the safe arrival of passengers and goods through safe flight navigation. Although large aviation companies use auto-pilots for much of the actual flying, pilots working for smaller carriers do not. This is because smaller aircrafts are more susceptible to the turbulence experienced in flight. That said, pilots flying smaller aircrafts are regularly hired in resource-rich areas since surveying the land requires transportation to remote areas, usually requiring smaller, specialized airplanes or helicopters. As such, pilots mostly work for private companies or may be sole proprietors themselves.

The chart below outlines where to find the Geo-Careers feature in the student resource.