Skills and Job Options that a Geography Degree Gives - United Kingdom Version

Most people are interested in geography in some way, shape, or form. Geography is a hobby for the majority of the its fans. Some people use geographic knowledge to analyze global or regional issues to better understand the world. Others use geographic knowledge to aid them their professions while a few are full time professional geographers. A major problem for geography as a field-of-study is that alot of people do not realize that studying geography (whether in college or self-study) can help them get jobs in a variety of fields.


The Guardian and Prospects have nice guides on what a geography degree can get a person. I know those going into college will be interested in the jobs options and careers, the skills that geographical study can give one are great as well. From Prospects:

[D]uring your multidisciplinary course you develop other personal and intellectual skills which are required by all employers, whether they are employing graduates in careers related to, or unrelated to, geography. These skills can be developed through your experience at university as a whole but also through your degree programme, as geography is very diverse and includes lots of hands-on, practical application work. Skills you develop include analysing and problem-solving, decision-making, critically interpreting data and text, developing a reasoned argument, numerical skills - interpreting and presenting relevant numerical information, teamworking, planning skills, presenting oral and written arguments and information, communication and technology skills (ICT) - including word processing, databases, internet communications, information retrieval and online searches.

The job options mentioned deserve a good look as well. Jobs listed include

• Surveyor: Comes in combination with engineering study
• GIS Technician: Growing industry where one can study everything from environmental disasters to urban planning to marketing
• Teacher
  
• Environmental consultant: Geography helps one understand the system
• And many more

Those currently in college should consider related geography courses to complement their course of study. Real estate legal students may be interested in taking a environmental geography course to better understand the environmental factors which impact property values. Medical students may want to take a geographical research class since spatial reasoning discovered the cause of cholera. Finally, a world regional geography class can explain many of the world's current hot body issues.