Geography Career Night is Wed., Feb. 5rd, 5:00-7:00pm
Join a panel of alumni and professionals for a night dedicated to kickstarting your career. We'll be meeting in-person on Wed., Feb. 5rd, at 5pm in the Stuckert Career Center on campus. Bring your resume to workshop with a career counselor and get a new professional headshot for your LinkedIn profile. Then stay for a panel discussion with alumni from UK Geography, discussing their career path after graduation:
Kevin Dohner graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2020 with a Bachelors in Geography and a Masters in Digital Mapping in 2024. He currently works at the University in the Facilities Information Services office where he oversees geospatial data for Facilities Management, maintain the Interactive Campus Map, develop geospatial solutions and workflows, and manage UK's ESRI Site License.
Jackie Monge joined NV5 Geospatial (formerly Quantum Spatial) after earning her master’s degree in Geography from the University of Kentucky in 2014. As a Senior Project Manager, she is responsible for total project management including project budget and schedule tracking, subcontracting, and communicating project requirements to NV5’s geospatial data acquisition and processing teams. Jackie often works closely with environmental and natural resource management clients at the state and federal government levels.
Robin Michler is a small business owner whose projects include the restoration of Michler’s Greenhouses and creation of Kentucky Native Cafe. Robin’s current projects include banishing asphalt from his business properties and adding a new bakery. Robin also serves as a member of Lexington’s Planning Commission.
Jacob Wasilkowski is a geographer turned frontend software developer focused on web mapping, data visualization, and remote sensing, currently building maps and charts at Datadog. He is a former board member of the AAG Cartography Specialty Group and previously worked at Foursquare and Esri.
Panelists discuss opportunities after graduation during Career Night
Geography: The Science of Place and Space
Geographers ask where things are located on the surface of the earth, why they are located where they are, how places differ from one another, and how people interact with the environment. A major in geography analyzes and explains the location of and interrelationships between human and physical features of the earth’s environment. Geographers also examine how and why features and their locations change over time, with particular interest in the many impacts of these changes on both people and natural settings.
Geography is, therefore, both a social and a physical science. Because its fundamental subject matter is people and their environments, the discipline serves as an effective bridge between the physical and cultural worlds. Majors in geography build solid academic foundations that draw from and interrelate with areas of study from the natural, social and behavioral sciences, humanities, computer science, design, and communication. The Department of Geography has developed three major tracks: environment, mapping & GIS, and cities & societies. Undergraduate geography degrees include a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree; graduate degree include the Master of Arts degree and Doctor of Philosophy degree.
What skills does studying geography develop?
- aptitude for understanding current local and global issues
- knowledge of the influence of humans on the environment
- spatial analysis
- geographic information technologies
- international and global perspectives on environmental, social, cultural, economic, and political issues
- interdisciplinary collaboration
Undergraduate education requirements:
https://geography.as.uky.edu/geography-undergraduate-program.
Graduate education requirements:
https://geography.as.uky.edu/geography-graduate-program.
Geography Career Opportunities
A degree in geography is useful for students wishing to pursue a postgraduate education as well as enter such careers as earth and environmental sciences, economic development, environmental management, international trade, transportation analysis and planning, diplomacy, government administration from local to federal levels, market analysis, urban and regional planning, research, teaching, cartography, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and private business. Other occupations include but are not limited to the following:
- international area specialist
- business site selection
- cartographer
- GIS analyst
- environmental scientist
- geoscientist
- teacher
- environmental planner
- natural resource manager
- geographer
- geopolitical analyst
- hydrologist
- intelligence analyst
- land use planner/analyst
- marketing analyst
- urban/regional planner
- community developer
- technical writer
For more information about career opportunities, contact the UK Stuckert Career Center.