Career paths of geography graduates. Issue 3 (2nd September 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Moolman, Tiani; Donaldson, Ronnie
• Is Part Of: South African geographical journal. Volume 99:Issue 3(2017)
• Page Start: 252
• Page End: 266
• Publication Date: 2017-09-02
• Subjects: Geography careers -- GIS practitioners -- geography departments -- geographers; Geography -- Periodicals; South Africa -- Geography -- Periodicals; 916
• DOI: 10.1080/03736245.2016.1231625
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0373-6245

Abstract

Abstract: It is common practice for university geography departments to offer specific fields of specialization in the discipline, which inevitably determine their graduates' employability. What these career paths are in the South African context is unknown, although it is true that our geography graduates are employed in a range of jobs due to the interdisciplinary and dynamic nature of geography. This paper aims to shed light on geography postgraduates' career paths in South Africa with Stellenbosch University postgraduates as a case study. One hundred alumni who graduated with a postgraduate degree in Geography and Environmental Studies between 1992 and 2012 were traced via social media, peer connections and departmental contacts to investigate where they are based, types of employment, unemployment experiences, sources used to identify vacancies, incomes earned, further qualifications obtained, their opinions on the worth and qualities of geographers and suggestions for making geographers more employable. It was found that despite some graduates experiencing unemployment after graduating, they did eventually manage to position themselves in the marketplace. The respondents occupy diverse jobs with many employed in GIS-related positions. The holistic and diverse views, spatial thinking and general qualities of geographers were identified as important contributors to success in the workplace.