GIS Jobs in Austin

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

If you want to work directly for the gov't they are in the midst of a hiring freeze. I do not know about the contractors though.

[achtungpv]

Originally Posted by maadimom

My son graduated with the same degree as you last May. He just got a job after nearly a year of searching. He had several promising interviews, but nothing came of them. The only jobs he was offered were in San Antonio making $10/hour. Most of the people he has talked to have told them they have openings, but have a hiring freeze at the moment. Thankfully he starts his new job in June. The jobs are posted here, but they are difficult to get, but since you have some experience you may have an easier time. Just keep trying and maybe something will turn up soon.

I've been in the field for 14 years. I hope he has a dual major in Computer Science or at least a minor in it with .NET programming experience. GIS folks with good programming skills get paid well...I have 4 GIS developers under me and they range from $90-110K. If I hired a new grad with programming skills it'd be at around 55-60K. Those without programming experience are generally down around $40k to start and I'd have a real hard time paying any of them more than $60k.

I saw back in the late 90s, the industry moving away from having specialized "GIS Analysts" and instead putting the tools in the hands of engineers, planners, scientists, etc. with the GIS role moving more in line with traditional IT - application development, database design, Web, system integration, etc. It's a shame but pretty much every college program is at least 10 years behind the requirements curve in the industry. It makes me grit my teeth seeing all the grads coming out looking for good paying analyst jobs. They don't exist in the numbers they used to anymore and those that do pay the same or less than they did in the 90s.

[jread]

Originally Posted by achtungpv

I've been in the field for 14 years. I hope he has a dual major in Computer Science or at least a minor in it with .NET programming experience. GIS folks with good programming skills get paid well...I have 4 GIS developers under me and they range from $90-110K. If I hired a new grad with programming skills it'd be at around 55-60K. Those without programming experience are generally down around $40k to start and I'd have a real hard time paying any of them more than $60k.

I saw back in the late 90s, the industry moving away from having specialized "GIS Analysts" and instead putting the tools in the hands of engineers, planners, scientists, etc. with the GIS role moving more in line with traditional IT - application development, database design, Web, system integration, etc. It's a shame but pretty much every college program is at least 10 years behind the requirements curve in the industry. It makes me grit my teeth seeing all the grads coming out looking for good paying analyst jobs. They don't exist in the numbers they used to anymore and those that do pay the same or less than they did in the 90s.

I have been in GIS for 12-years and I agree 100% with everything you just said. GIS has gone from "computer cartography" to a full-blown I.T. field as it is so heavily dependent on good database management and programming (or at least scripting) skills. The software is very easy to use now (ArcMap vs. the old command-line Arc/Info) so employers are looking for broader skill sets.

Anyway, I agree that having a technical background will give you a better salary. I have done quite a bit of programming in .NET with ArcObjects in the past (though my salary is nowhere near 90-110k.... please hire me) and it has definitely made me more versatile. In fact, I have moved to more of a technical role over the years and haven't actually "made maps" in I don't know how long

[maadimom]

All I know about what he does is that he does have a minor in Computer Science and worked with the ESRI people and with their programs. His new job is helping to develop some new computer program for a government agency, but it is listed as a temporary position because of the hiring freezes. They told him they are trying to make everything permanent, but have to wait for the okay from above I guess. He's just happy to finally have gotten something that he studied for. We're just hoping that he will end up with something that has benefits!