|
geographers: |
|
|||||||
career paths - uw geography alumni and friendsMarketing Consultant - Francis Sheridan
I currently work on the marketing of infrared heaters for Radiant Optics. These energy efficient heaters save businesses money and conserve energy. 2. What drew you into geography? From the time I was little, I loved maps. I also was introduced to the
work of Buckminster Fuller and found it fascinating. As a student in France,
I studied physical and human geography with a great teacher. In college
I studied geography too. I have a minor in geography and an M.A. in Geography from UW. 4. Are you currently in a job where you find your training in geography is useful? Yes. Environmental information is important to my work. I use climate zone and weather data, heating degree days data, and I train people in heat loss equations to help them analyze their energy use. 5. How did your undergraduate studies prepare you for the workplace and/or graduate school? My urban social geography studies helped me understand the urban economy in my first two jobs with Seattle consulting firms. Physical geography helped me with my work at Seattle City Light, which is a hydro-based utility. 6. How did you find out about your current position? I met the boss at an energy conference and he called to recruit me for his Board because of my energy efficiency experience. 7. Are you working with other geographers in your organization? Yes. 8. What advice would you give to early undergraduates considering a major in geography? Geography gives you a good perspective on the relationships between human and physical environments. This is more and more important in the world. We can move in a sustainable, positive direction or in a negative direction. It is such a broad-based social science that it gives you the big picture. Geography is a wonderful way to do it. There are a wide variety of graduate programs that would be interested in students with this background. 9. What advice would you give to college geography majors about what courses to take or which skills to get before they graduate? Geography majors must do internships before they graduate. When I was in grad school (1977-79), no one did internships.… Our cohorts in, say Public Affairs, were REQUIRED to do them. Well, upon attaining our degrees, which group do you suppose had real world experience and had already built up a network of contracts in organizations ready to hire them--or refer them for hiring--upon graduation? It wasn't us… To geography students today I say: "If your faculty does not actively support internships, forget them." Go do it on your own. Just get out there and start talking to people in the real world, including alumni. Should internships slow down your academic progress a bit, that's OK. Employers will focus more on your internships than your grade point and choice of classes. 10. What advice would you give to college seniors about their prospects with a geography degree in hand? I'd say the prospects are excellent. Geography offers a wide and inherently integrated view of how the world works. We gradually adopt a conceptual framework that allows one to consider politics, economics,…demography, transportation, sociology, and even climatology, hydrology, and natural resource development. And much more. No other social science encourages the degree of inter-disciplinary integration afforded by geography, and therefore this integrated worldview. When looking for work, the key is for the recent geography graduate to be able to analyze, understand, and finally articulate how the addition of this integrated framework can help organizations achieve their aims. 11. Please describe your career path up to this point. I worked for two Seattle economic consulting firms, Seattle City Light, the State of Washington Energy Office, Honeywell, Macro International and now Radiant Optics. 12. What do you anticipate that your career path will be in the next 10 years or more? I will probably still be working in the energy efficiency field. 13. What do you wish someone had told you when you were in college? When you are starting out, especially, don't enter into a formal or informational interview explaining that in your 20's you can walk on water and turn water into wine. Even if you could, don't say it. It really alienates employers who otherwise might want to hire and mentor you. Tell them you've gained the intellectual tools to LEARN the job. Tell them you'll work hard to LEARN the job. Don't tell them you'll hit the floor running…. You learn a job by doing it. Like any other human achievement, for something to happen, two inputs are required--the capability and the desire. I believe the vast majority of geography graduates who successfully complete their degrees at the UW are qualified…. The second input, desire, may or may not be there. That's why your job search(s) should begin long before graduation via internships, meetings, etc., so you'll gradually direct yourselves towards organizations and jobs that you will enjoy, and hence, you will desire. Migrate toward jobs that offer you opportunities doing what pleases you the most, that seem to fit your personality, and that you excel at. I don't care if you're smarter than Einstein, if you wind up in a job you dislike, eventually you will no longer excel at it. Not only will you job performance suffer, your personal life will too, and you risk a downward spiral that is no fun. And if during the interview--or after--you decide you want the job--TELL THEM!!!! Call them. Write them. Let them know you want the job. Many good jobs are never offered simply because the interviewee never says, "I've thought about it, and I've decided I really want this job." Tied to this, after you've been in an internship or job a while, ACTIVELY seek out a mentor. Look for folks who've been around a while, and whom somehow you like and respect, even if at first you really don't now them that well. Enter their office, close the door behind you, and simply ask them if they'll mentor you. The most you risk is a polite "No." The beauty is that they almost never say no. They're genuinely flattered and eager to help. The guidance, insight, and wisdom of mentors are of incalculable value to you. It's like a gift, just waiting to be claimed. All you need do is ask. Francis is willing to answer other occasional questions as they come up. If you have questions, please ask in the Geography Advising Office (415 Smith) for his contact information. Go to: top of page |
||||||||
|
Geographers: |
|