A career in geography can incorporate many different types of work. Traditionally a geographer accumulates data about people and their environment to examine the relationship between the two, the significance of the location of people and places on earths surface, and the spread of people, ideas and innovations.
Geographers involved in research may study environmental phenomena such as climate, vegetation, soil, landforms, or natural resources. They may also study the distribution of political organizations, or the form and function of urban systems, such as transportation. Some geographers spend a lot of time in the field gathering data. Creating and analyzing the patterns on maps and graphs are also part of a geographers job.
Many geographers work in government agencies. U.S. geographers assist the National Park Service, Census Bureau, Forest Service, Geological Survey, National Image and Mapping Agency, and Department of State. Geographers also work in the private sector as location analysts or city and regional planners, for example. Others teach in high schools or colleges.
Although it is the geographers task to synthesize the many human and physical attributes of places, they often focus on one aspect of the science. These emphases result in subfields of the discipline such as economic geography, biogeography, urban geography, political geography, physical geography, medical geography, and cartography. It is helpful for a geographer to have knowledge of related fields such as politics, chemistry, economics, geology, botany, and demography, to name a few. Geographers should be comfortable interpreting statistics and communicating ideas, both orally and in writing.
Professional geographers normally have an advanced degree in the discipline. Undertaking research or teaching at the university level usually requires having a masters or doctoral degree in geography. Nevertheless, career opportunities for persons with undergraduate degrees in geography do exist.
At the National Geographic Society, career opportunities for persons with baccalaureate or advanced degrees in geography are found primarily in our editorial research and mapping departments, and in our Geography Education Program. Staff members here at the Society are engaged in a broad range of activities promoting research and exploration, working with educators to improve the teaching of geography, and publishing geographic materials, including magazines, books, maps, films, and educational materials, for both the school market and the general public. To produce these materials, the Society employs writers, editors, computer specialists, researchers, artists, designers, and cartographers as well as geographers.