Career Profiles

Career Profiles

Geography

Geography begins at home, and home is planet Earth. Wherever people live on land and water, geographers are busy advising and influencing. Whether it’s building the knowledge cities of Dubai, Leuven or Palmerston North, advising on irrigation in Canterbury, transport systems in Tokyo or constructing houses along the coast of New Zealand, geographers are using their skills and specialist knowledge to make informed, environmentally sound decisions. The effects of climate change are an increasing source of work for geographers. When a tornado rips through a city or a river floods farms and settlements, a geographer is likely to be among those in its wake who assist people to pick up the pieces and devise strategies to deal with future scenarios.

Why Study Geography?

People often associate geography with questions such as, “What is the capital of Chile?” or “How many tribes live in the jungle of the Amazon?” Ever curious, geographers pursue and find answers to questions that are deeper and even more diverse. Global communications networks and ease of travel enable geographers to work with people and their physical environments all over the world. The chance to learn about the fascinating world we live in and contribute to its sustainable development attracts many young people to geography and the work opportunities are diverse. Wherever there are people and human systems, land, climates and weather, there is a need for experts who understand the complex interrelationships between the factors that make human survival possible.

Download a complete copy of Career View on Geography below.

Career View on Geography is part of the Career View series produced by Career Development and Employmentat Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. While the booklet was originally developed for a New Zealand audience, we believe that graduates in Australia will also find the information within it relevant and useful.

Check out the excellent resources available on the Victoria University of Wellington's Careers homepage atwww.vuw.ac.nz/st_services/careers .