It's been over a month now at the job and I really like it so far. I support the Environmental Affairs Division with map production as well as maintain a state-wide Texas outfall database for all 25 districts. I help support with GIS issues like connectivity to restricted databases, general GIS questions, creation of models using model builder, GPS maintenance and support. I get to do a lot of different things at my job so no day is ever the same. I am also glad that I support the Environmental Affairs Division in their environmental impact statements by creating maps for their responses to scope, technical reports and presentations because they are from varied backgrounds. The groups I help are Archaeology, Biology, Geology, History and others from the Project Management & Project Delivery group. I'll keep updating with projects and skills I have learned along the way.
I should have posted this as soon as I got the job, but it was hectic around the holidays and it just slipped my mind. Well, I went to a Centex GIS (Central Texas GIS) meeting, it's was my third meeting. I have meet a lot of great people from the meetings and made great networking contacts. At the second Centex meeting, I met Alex, who worked at an environmental consulting company and thought he could be a contact for Jason, my husband.
I exchanged information with him and then bumped into him again at the third meeting I went to. He had announced that they were looking to fill a position. I sent him my resume and he said I'd be contacted if they liked me. During all of this, another contact I made, Hugh had called me to say a friend of his owned an environmental consulting company an was looking to hire somebody. I was waiting on him to see what would happen, but I got a call from Alex's contact. I was chosen, it's a six month contract with definite possibility for an extension. I'm hoping it will become a permanent position eventually. I'm super happy and looking forward to learning everything I can while I'm there. I am being contracted out to TxDOT, Texas Department of Transportation in their Environmental Affairs Division as a GIS technician. I am in charge of map production for the science divisions, supporting the Biologists, Archaeologists and Historians and creating maps for them. I also have to manage the Storm water database that we collect data for. My thoughts: I have finally completed my first two classes at Austin Community College, ACC. The chair of the GIS department, Sean Moran, described that experience of taking both 5.5 week summer sessions of GIS I and II as "GIS Boot Camp." He really wasn't kidding. It was definitely an experience, it was a great one though. I really needed to absorb as much information I could in those 11 weeks. I am so glad I took those summer classes because I feel more prepared and caught up to others that may have taken a few semesters of GIS classes.
My plans: in this short two week break I have between classes, I would really like to land an internship or an entry-level GIS job in the fall. I want to be able to utilize what I have learned in the classroom and transfer it to a working environment. Even though I have already earned my bachelor's degree, an internship opportunity is really important. I wasn't able to participate in any internships during my time at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, UNLV, because I was working simultaneously. I feel like I missed out on a great opportunity to learn from professionals, to network...just a missed opportunity. This time I won't let it slip through my fingers, I have put in my resume out there for 3 internship opportunities and one entry-level job. And now my journey begins... ::Fingers crossed:: |
AuthorMy name is Diana Martin and I am currently pursuing a Geographic Information Systems, (GIS) certificate and I wanted to share adventures and experiences with GIS. Archives
January 2013
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