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GIS Technicians
GIS Technicians assist scientists, technologists, or related professionals in building, maintaining, modifying, or using geographic information systems (GIS) databases. May also perform some custom application development or provide user support.
Table of Contents
Job description
Geographic Information Systems Technicians assist scientists, technologists, or related professionals in building, maintaining, modifying, or using geographic information systems (GIS) databases. May also perform some custom application development or provide user support.
- Design or prepare graphic representations of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data, using GIS hardware or software applications.
- Analyze Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data to identify spatial relationships or display results of analyses, using maps, graphs, or tabular data.
- Maintain or modify existing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) databases.
- Enter data into Geographic Information Systems (GIS) databases, using techniques such as coordinate geometry, keyboard entry of tabular data, manual digitizing of maps, scanning or automatic conversion to vectors, or conversion of other sources of digital data.
Salary
GIS Technicians with little to no experience tend to make between $47350 and $66410 while the more experienced ones can earn over $117070 per year.
| Top 5 paying states | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| DC | $57 | $117,540 |
| MD | $54 | $113,330 |
| NH | $54 | $112,440 |
| VA | $51 | $105,270 |
| CA | $50 | $103,270 |
One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Geographic Information Systems Technician is to move to a higher paying state like DC. Right now, the highest paying states for GIS Technicians are DC, MD, NH, VA and CA.
However, a higher pay at DC doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at DC might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.
Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Geographic Information Systems Technician is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.
Requirements
We asked other GIS Technicians what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a Bachelor’s Degree followed by a Master’s Degree.
Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.
| Computer and Information Sciences, General |
| Data Processing and Data Processing Technology/Technician |
| Information Science/Studies |
| Computer Science |
| Information Technology Project Management |
Pros and Cons
Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Geographic Information Systems Technician.
| PROS |
|---|
| Suitable for people who likes to solve problems mentally |
| Suitable for people who values achievements and are results-oriented |
| This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors. |
| Very high salary (top 25% highest paid careers) |
| Normal working hours (40 hours per week) |
| CONS |
|---|
| Not suitable for people who likes to help and teach others |
| It is hard to get into this career. A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for this career. |
What is the job like
70% of GIS Technicians said they were satisfied with their job and 46% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.
Is this right for me
You can read more about these career personality types here.
People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally..
They also like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
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Related career information
GIS Technicians job description, GIS Technicians salary, GIS Technicians information, what is the job of a Geographic Information Systems Technician like, pros and cons about Geographic Information Systems Technicians, colleges and universities for Geographic Information Systems Technicians, is Geographic Information Systems Technicians the right career for me, careers in Computer IT and Mathematics
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