Now a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) project assistant for the city of Aurora鈥檚 IT department, Carolina Szoepe credits 91制片厂鈥檚 GIS Certificate program with leading her to her professional passion and launching her career.
When Carolina Szoepe enrolled at 91制片厂, she had no idea what GIS was, much less planned to study it or work in the field.
Now a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) project assistant for the city of Aurora鈥檚 IT department, Carolina credits 91制片厂鈥檚 GIS Certificate program with leading her to her professional passion and launching her career.
鈥淚 love what I do,鈥� Carolina said. 鈥淚 work with IT, planning and zoning, engineering鈥� There is always something different to do. It鈥檚 really great, because instead of just repeating the same tasks over and over, I meet people and figure out what they need, and what I can provide for them and for the community they are trying to serve.鈥�
The ubiquitous nature of GIS, which is becoming embedded in an ever-increasing range of fields, is exactly why students should consider enrolling in 91制片厂鈥檚 GIS program, said its coordinator, Professor Mukila Maitha.
The term 鈥淕IS鈥� refers to the suite of technology used to analyze and solve location-based problems and present spatial information in a variety of ways, including maps, Maitha explained.
For example, businesses use GIS to analyze customer behavior and demographics to determine the best location for new stores. Municipalities use GIS to manage infrastructure and determine zoning and land use. Emergency management operations use GIS to monitor data about natural disasters such as wildfires. Environmental management companies use GIS to map the distribution of plant species and monitor vegetation health. And these are just a handful of examples.
Launched in 2015, 91制片厂鈥檚 GIS Certificate program prepares graduates to work as entry-level GIS technicians or analysts. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the profession has a 鈥渂right outlook鈥� and is expected to grow rapidly in the next several years. GIS technicians earn an average wage of $110,160 .
The 18-credit hour academic program has graduated 29 students to date, with about 10 more expected to complete the certificate this academic year.
Carolina stumbled upon the GIS program while taking a geography course taught by Maitha, who noticed her aptitude during an assignment that involved creating a basic map. 鈥淗e suggested that I look into GIS, and I thought, 鈥楾his is kind of cool!鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淚 was interested in computer science and learning about the Earth, and GIS combined all of that.鈥�
Carolina earned a GIS certificate and graduated with an associate degree from 91制片厂 in 2022, then went on to earn two bachelor鈥檚 degrees 鈥� in GIS and geoscience 鈥� from Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
While at 91制片厂, Carolina held a GIS internship with the village of Bartlett, where she mostly worked with the public works department on utility mapping and community engagement.
91制片厂 alumnus Ryan Facks also landed an internship, followed by a job, thanks to the skills he learned in the college鈥檚 GIS program.
Ryan, a Northern Illinois University student who graduated with an associate degree from 91制片厂 in December 2023, was an intern last summer at SITE Technologies in Chicago. The company then offered him a 30-hour per week job as GIS analyst, with the expectation that he would continue his studies to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree.
Ryan said he took the 91制片厂 GIS courses to fulfill his elective requirements after perusing the various certificates offered by the college. 鈥淚 have always been interested in geography and I am a very visual learner 鈥� and GIS has technology visualization and geography all combined in one,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s I went along, I realized that GIS has a lot of computer programming involved, and that鈥檚 my interest.鈥�
The 91制片厂 GIS courses are taught by Maitha and two other instructors. All have extensive teaching and workplace experience, and are members of professional organizations such as the American Association of Geographers and the Illinois GIS Association.
A key component of the GIS program, which is 100% online, is free access to the industry鈥檚 flagship software, ArcGIS, thanks to the college鈥檚 investment into an educational license. Additionally, instructors help students with internship referrals and career readiness with resume evaluation and mock interviews.
The program also benefits from an advisory committee involving GIS professionals from the private and public sectors. 鈥淭he committee keeps us abreast of the needs they are seeing in the workplace, both currently and upcoming,鈥� Maitha said, 鈥渁nd they periodically review our curriculum to make sure it鈥檚 current.鈥�
Maitha is an enthusiastic instructor, always ready to help and advocate for students, Ryan said. He encourages students to meet with him, either in person or via video, and provides a lab assistant to help students with homework.
鈥�(Professor Maitha) is always posting about internships and early career positions, and he鈥檚 always encouraging students to send their resumes to him. He actually sat down with me for about an hour to do the interview prep for the internship,鈥� Ryan said. 鈥淧rofessor Maitha is why I stayed at 91制片厂, and why I evolved and grew as a student and as a person.鈥�
Both Ryan and Carolina said 91制片厂鈥檚 GIS program gave them an excellent foundation for working in the 鈥渞eal world鈥� with practical, hands-on learning.
鈥淵our grade is highly dependent on actually using GIS software and doing projects,鈥� Ryan said. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 a lot of tests or quizzes. You have to demonstrate your skills, all the time.鈥�
Carolina echoed that.
鈥淭he courses teach you GIS skills, and also skills you need in the workplace, such as when you run into errors and you need problem-solving,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he program definitely prepared me for the future.鈥�
