Careers with geography

Geography graduates are very employable, with the skills, knowledge and understanding gained during a geography degree are held in high regard by employers. The nature of working lives is changing. It is less likely that you will spend all of your working life in one organisation or even in the same sector. If your career path is to be varied, you will need transferable skills and flexibility. Geography provides you with these.

Employers seek a mixture of skills, qualifications and experience when they recruit for a post. As a graduate you will be in demand for your transferable skills, such as:

• Being a good communicator with strong presentation skills

• Being competent with ICT

• Being able to carry out research

• Being used to working effectively in a team and taking a variety of roles in a team

• Being able to manage your time by juggling commitments, meeting deadlines and managing stress

• Being good at combining information from a variety of sources with excellent writing skills

You will also be in demand for the specific skills and understanding that being a geographer helps you to develop, including:

• Scientific and lab skills

• Producing and interpreting maps

• Research and interpretation of data, including GIS skills

• Debate and enquiry

• Environmental and social awareness

• Team-based project work

• Fieldwork techniques

Find out more by reading the Society's report about the demand for geography (PDF).

Reports from other sources also examine the employability of geographers:

• Esri UK report: UK Businesses Call For Advanced Technology Skills To Boost Economy

• GEES subject centre article: Employability of Geography Graduates in the GIS and GI-related Fields (PDF)

• NERC/ERFF report: MOST WANTED: Postgraduate Skills Needs in the Environment Sector

The following reports look at how employers value the skills of university graduates; many of the skills can be developed through a degree in geography:

• CBI/NUS report: Working towards your future: Making the most of your time in higher education (PDF)

• AGR/CIHE report: Global Graduates into Global Leaders

• NCUB report: Career Portfolios and the Labour Market for Graduates and Postgraduates in the UK (Key finding: graduates who combine adaptability with specialist knowledge most valued by employers)

• UK Higher Education International Unit: Gone International: Mobile students and their outcomes (Key finding: graduates who study abroad during their degree earn more and are more likely to be employed)

Some reports look at destinations of graduates in closely related subject areas, including:

• Campaign for Social Science report: What Do Social Science Graduates Do? (PDF)