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Thinking about going to back to school GIS, Maybe at UW-Seattle.....Need advice

Kerouactivist

Kerouactivist

Diamond Member
I got a BA in Poly sci/International politics a couple of years ago and have been doing other work because I haven't been able to find a job in that field....

So I'm thinking about going back to school to do something in GIS.

University of Washington-Seattle appears to have a great certificate program that I could start in the fall and be done in a year.

Anybody know how much water these certificate programs hold?
GIS is supposedly a hot field and from the people I've talked to just having that should be enough to get me in the door.....I thought the same thing about my BA though and was wrong....
Or should I just save up some bucks for a year and go for an MA/MS or other (take the GRE etc or go ahead and start, usually you can take up too 9 hours before you actually have to take the GRE and get fully accepted...)

So if I move up to Seattle to go to school whats the best area to live in thats cool and kinda close to the school? rent definitly under $800 a month, the cheaper the better...

If anybody on here does GIS are their other programs I should think about?

I currently am living in MO and want to desperately want to get outta here....

Any advice would be appreciated, I'm having a hard time deciding what to do. I'm pretty up in the air about it and I need to decide pretty soon.
 
I had a some SQL Server knowledge (no formal training) and was hired into a GIS shop to manage their spatial data. I'm now with a new employer doing the same thing.
I can tell you, and have been told, it's easier to teach a technical person the Geography side of it than it is to teach a Geography person the tech side of it.

Many people get hired in to GIS with no actual GIS experience. See if you can find a job w/out going the school route. Unless, of course, you're specifically interested in the G part of GIS, then by all means, learn away. 🙂
 
"Cool", cheap, and near the U would have to be the U-district...but note that there are a LOT of really crappy places, and it's pretty noisy at night. I've lived there, oh, four summers or so, and am currently living about 20 minutes from UW (where I work ATM), and commuting. Parking is KILLER...so plan on dumping the car and taking the Metro (you'll get $30 quarterly pass for unlimited public transport travel in Seattle...which is a pretty good deal on a pretty decent bus system). Feel free to PM me with any questions.

There are decent places in the U-district. Finding a nice place for $800 might be tricky, though...though one does come to mind at Brooklyn and 42nd.
Besides housing and parking, though, the U-district is great. It's 20 minutes to downtown by bus (as fast as driving, pretty much), and there's the Ave...which has tons of good, cheap restaurants, a bunch of small businesses (some theaters, a couple bookstores, more), and tons of people walking around at all times.
 
Originally posted by: bunker
I had a some SQL Server knowledge (no formal training) and was hired into a GIS shop to manage their spatial data. I'm now with a new employer doing the same thing.
I can tell you, and have been told, it's easier to teach a technical person the Geography side of it than it is to teach a Geography person the tech side of it.

Many people get hired in to GIS with no actual GIS experience. See if you can find a job w/out going the school route. Unless, of course, you're specifically interested in the G part of GIS, then by all means, learn away. 🙂
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, I haven't seen any entry-level GIS job postings in Missouri anyway unless you have formal training or experience. I can't recall seeing any in other places either but, it's hard to get someone to hire you when you live on the other side of the country even though I've made it clear I'm very open to moving.

Maybe I'm just going about the hiring process all wrong or something.....
 
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