So, you love geography?....check!
You are going to take it in college or university?...check!
(It was good enough for Prince William and Michael Jordan!)
GEOGRAPHY COURSES AT COLLEGES / UNIVERSITIES
Clydebank College
USEFUL LINKS
Government Career Advice
Careers video clips
Careerbox videos about careers
Check the careers wall board outside room D1.06 for more career information
USEFUL LINKS
Government Career Advice
Careers video clips
Careerbox videos about careers
Check the careers wall board outside room D1.06 for more career information
Here are a few careers linked to a Geography qualification that might tempt you...
Environmental Consultant
An environmental consultant works on commercial or government contracts to address a variety of environmental issues for their clients. They cover a wide range of disciplines such as assessment of air, land and water contamination, environmental impact assessment, environmental audit, waste management and the development of environmental policy and environmental management systems.
Starting salaries £18,000 and £22,000.
Ecologist
Ecologists are concerned with ecosystems as a whole and, within them, the abundance and distribution of organisms (people, plants, animals) and the relationships between organisms and their environment. Ecologists usually choose a specialist area (e.g. freshwater, marine, terrestrial, fauna, flora) and then carry out a wide range of tasks relating to that area.
When starting out, ecologists often conduct surveys to identify, record and monitor species and their habitats. With career progression, work is likely to become more wide-ranging, with senior ecologists being more involved in policy and management work.
It is important that ecologists are aware of environmental policies as their work commonly has to comply with European and UK environmental legislation.
Starting salaries vary considerably from about £13,000 to £20,000 depending on the employer and your own skills and experience. Higher salaries are most likely in graduate consultancy positions.
Nature Conservation Officer
•Nature conservation officers work to protect, manage and enhance the local environment. This can include grassland, woodland, forests, coastal areas, moorland, mountains and rivers. Depending on the region, officers might also work in marine habitats.
•Part of their role is to encourage people to use the countryside and promote awareness of and understanding about the natural environment. They also develop policy which may have local and national impact.
•In conjunction with their counterparts in other voluntary and statutory organisations they set and promote targets within national biodiversity action plans and advise and negotiate with employers.
•With a remit to educate and raise awareness of environmental issues, nature conservation officers work with all sectors of the local community including local schools and colleges.
•Job titles within this sector are varied and include: sustainable development officers, project officers or biodiversity officers, conservation assistants and technicians.
•Typical starting salaries may range from £15,000 to 18,000.
Geography Teacher!
•A secondary school teacher teaches one or more national curriculum subjects to pupils aged 11-16, or up to 19 in schools with sixth forms.
•Teachers plan lessons in line with national objectives to ensure that pupils learn. They also encourage, monitor and record the progress of their pupils.
•Teachers support, observe and record the progress of their class. They also plan lessons in line with national objectives with the aim of ensuring a healthy culture of learning.
•Teachers must also keep up to date with developments in their subject area, new resources, methods and national objectives. Teachers liaise and network with other professionals, parents and carers both informally and formally.
In Scotland, salaries range from £19,997 to £34,200. In addition, there is a Distant Learning Allowance of £1,782 and Remote Schools Allowance of £1,074 or £2,010.
Forestry / Woodland Manager
Forest/woodland managers or foresters are responsible for managing forests and woodlands for the multiple objectives of timber production, conservation and recreation.
They maintain and manage the balance between various issues associated with woodland areas, such as commercial interests, biodiversity and public access. The challenge for modern forestry is to establish a balance between competing economic and social demands for forest and land use. This challenge includes a change of emphasis towards multipurpose forests, regeneration of native woodlands and sustainable forest management.
Range of typical starting salaries for graduates: £18,500 - £22,000.
Soil Scientist
A soil scientist gathers, interprets and evaluates information about the chemistry, biology and physics of soils to inform and influence issues as diverse as agricultural production, environmental quality, human health, climate change, land remediation and biodiversity.
Soil, a natural and renewable resource, is vital to sustaining food production, supporting plant and animal life and providing a foundation for infrastructures across the world.
Range of typical starting salaries: £16,000- £22,000.
Health Services Manager
A health service manager is responsible for the provision and commissioning of local health care through the management of hospital, general practitioner (GP) and community health services. Managers liaise with clinical and non-clinical staff and staff in partner organisations, whilst considering the demands of political policy and local circumstances. There is a huge range of managerial roles within health services, including those in finance, human resources (HR), clinical management, staff management, project management and procurement, information management, facilities management, and operational management. Starting Salaries £21,000-£27,000
Quantity Surveyor
A quantity surveyor manages all costs relating to building and civil engineering projects, from the initial calculations to the final figures. Surveyors seek to minimise the costs of a project and enhance value for money, while still achieving the required standards and quality. Many of these are specified by statutory building regulations, which the surveyor needs to understand and adhere to.
A quantity surveyor may work for either the client or the contractor, working in an office or on-site. They are involved in a project from the start, preparing estimates and costs of the work. When the project is in progress, quantity surveyors.
Starting salaries: £17,000 - £25,000.
Town Planner
Planners are involved in making long and short-term decisions about the management and development of cities, town, villages and the countryside. They aim to balance the conflicting demands of housing, industrial development, agriculture, recreation, transport and the environment, in order to allow appropriate development to take place.
Planners are at the heart of regeneration within towns and cities, taking into account the often competing views of business and local communities. In rural areas they must ensure that development is sustainable, and that the right balance of development is achieved to preserve the countryside. The work of planners also makes a positive contribution to tackling the effects of climate change.
Salaries £16,000-£28,000
Water Engineer
Water engineer is a generic title given to engineers who specialise in water-based projects; many have a civil engineering or environmental background. They may work with a variety of different liquids but generally deal with the provision of clean water, disposal of waste water and sewage and prevention of flood damage.
Asset management plays a major part in a water engineer's job. This involves repairing, maintaining and building structures that control water resources, e.g. sea defence walls, pumping stations and reservoirs. Engineers have to constantly address new challenges and problems which are caused by global warming, ageing infrastructure, population growth and higher quality living standards.
Range of typical starting salaries: £20,000 - £30,000
Landscape Architect
Landscape architects create the landscape around us. They plan, design and manage open spaces including both natural and built environments. They work to provide innovative and aesthetically pleasing environments for people to enjoy, whilst ensuring that changes to the natural environment are appropriate, sensitive and sustainable.
The work covers diverse projects - both urban and rural - that range from designing the layout of parks, gardens and housing estates to city-centre design to improving land affected by mining or motorway construction.
A landscape architect collaborates closely with landscape contractors, as well as other professionals, especially architects, planners, environmentalists and people working in surveying and engineering functions.
The typical starting salary of a graduate landscape architect: at least £20,000
Logistics Manager
Logistics and distribution managers organise the storage and distribution of goods, which often involves using complex IT and telecommunications systems. They plan and manage the movement of goods in a supply chain, liaising with many parties including suppliers of raw materials, manufacturers, retailers and consumers.
Range of typical starting salaries for new graduates: £19,000 - £22,000.
Passenger Transport Manager
A passenger transport manager is responsible for managing, planning and coordinating passenger transport operations, including delivery and organisation of services. The transport industry covers both the private and public sectors and includes road, rail, air and sea services.
Transport managers manage people, equipment and budgets, working closely with colleagues in finance, marketing, planning, market research and strategic development in order to ensure a quality service is provided at the right price.
Range of typical starting salaries: £15,000 - £25,000.
Freight Forwarder
A freight forwarder is an intermediary who acts on behalf of importers, exporters or other companies or persons, organising the safe, efficient and cost-effective transportation of goods.
Taking into account the type of goods and the customers' delivery requirements, freight forwarders arrange the best means of transport, using the services of shipping lines, airlines and road and rail freight operators. In some cases, the freight forwarding company itself provides the service.
Range of typical starting salaries: £18,000 - £22,000
Banker
•A banker helps individuals or businesses raise funds to purchase things (such as new machinery or homes), assist in the movement of money via payment mechanisms, and to provide ways to invest excess funds, such as savings accounts and bonds.
•Retail bankers serve individuals, often from high street branches, but increasingly via telephone and online services. This also includes building society staff. Private banking is a subset of retail banking: these bankers serve high net worth individuals, often defined as those with more than £1million to invest.
•Starting salaries: An entry level, customer facing role, such as working on the counter, will receive a salary £15,000 - £20,000. Range of typical salaries for entrants on graduate management trainee programmes: £25,000 - £28,500.
Social Worker
A social worker works with people who have been socially excluded or who are experiencing crisis. Their role is to provide support to enable service users to help themselves. They maintain professional relationships with service users, acting as guides, advocates or critical friends.
Social workers work in a variety of settings within a framework of relevant legislation and procedures, supporting individuals, families and groups within the community.
Range of typical starting salaries: £23,500 - £30,000
Research Scientist
Physical scientists study non-living systems to increase their understanding of how the physical world works. Disciplines include astronomy, chemistry, geosciences, mathematics, materials science, meteorology and physics.
Scientific research involves designing and conducting experiments to collect observable physical evidence of natural phenomena. This information is analysed to develop practical applications in the creation of new materials and devices. Range of typical starting salaries: £21,000 - £30,000
Minerals Surveyor
Minerals surveyors are concerned with the use, value, management and exploration of mineral deposits, as well as the mapping and recording of the extent of mineral extraction. They prepare initial surveys to determine the economic viability of a potential site and support planning applications, taking possible environmental effects, such as air and water pollution, into account. Range of typical starting salaries: £20,000 - £25,000.
Land/Geomatics Surveyor
Land/Geomatics surveyors measure and collect data on specific areas of land. Once the data is interpreted, it is used for a variety of purposes.
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