This past spring, my colleagues and I reviewed over 170 applications for our fellowship program, Summer of Maps. The applications were truly fantastic and we are overjoyed to now be working with our selected fellows on six very exciting projects.I often get asked what makes a strong fellowship application? This is an important question, but instead of focusing so narrowly on our program, I thought I’d expand this to tackle the question: how can students prepare themselves for a career in spatial analysis?
I entered the job market not very long ago and, even in a short period of time, positions and desired skill sets have changed drastically. In many ways, the minimum bar for applicants has been raised. But there are a handful of things students can do to distinguish themselves and increase their opportunities in their careers ahead.