Links to
Salary Surveys
We
urge you to regard the following links as a mere beginning.
Unfortunately, finding useful
salary information for geographers is difficult because few geographers
work under the job title "geography." We may call one area "economic
geography," but economic geographers may work under job titles as
varied as statistician, business consultant, city real estate tax appraiser,
corporate location analyst, college professor, real estate analyst, as
well as a host of other titles, none of which include the word
economic, or even geography.
Another confusing aspect
of the issue is that, in many general job classifications (including the
US government), geographers are classed as Social Scientists and in others,
they are classed as Earth Scientists. Either broad classification masks
a great variety of positions and salary levels. Unfortunately, Social
Scientists tend to draw lower salary ranges than their Earth Science counterparts,
and when geographers are classed with Social Scientists, such as psychologists
and social workers, the average salary tends to be lower than when they
are classed with Earth Scientists, such as geomorphologists or climatologists
or environmental scientists.
In another quirk of the classification
game, GIS (Geographic Information Systems) specialists are often classified
with Computer Scientists, along with programmers and systems analysts.
It is a computer-based specialty, but its application is informed
by the knowledge of geographic principles behind it. GIS has come a long
way beyond its original development as a computer-based aid to cartography,
and it is being used in many, many areas now, including medical geography
(mapping the spread of disease), international development (examining
the relationship between political development and other social and economic
factors), real estate location analysis (looking for the best location
for a retail business), and so on.
It is easier to find salary
information when you have a specific job title and industry to research,
but if you don't, we suggest that you go back to the work
section of the site, and look for job titles of work that appeals to you.
Then, using those titles, under the appropriate industry, you can find
salary levels for those jobs.
Geography-specific
Sites
The Unofficial Cartographers'
Salary Survey
http://www.nacis.org/salary.html
So few formal salary surveys have included geography-related jobs that
a number of informal collections of information have sprung up. As this
one does, most relate to cartography and GIS.
GISjobs.com Salary Survey
Results
http://208.170.97.36/survey/results.asp?survey=country&vtitle=all
http://208.170.97.36/
Another informal collection of salary information from GIS specialists,
this from around the world. While unofficial, this one at least has the
weight of a collectively larger sample size than most other informal collections.
Salary Survey Results
(caddjobs.com)
http://www.caddjobs.com/survey/results.asp?survey=country&vtitle=all
A smaller, informal collection of salary information, this from CADD
specialists, some of whom are geographers, although few, if any, work
under that title.
Salary Survey Results
(civiljobs.com)
http://www.civiljobs.com/survey/results.asp?survey=country&vtitle=all
A small, informal collection of salary information from civil engineer
specialists, some of whom may have a background in geography.
Regarding Wages and Salary
Levels in GIS and Business Geography
http://web.clas.ufl.edu/users/thrall/class/giswages.htm
More informal information on GIS salary levels, this collected by Professor
Grant Thrall, Univ of Florida, Gainesville.
Occupational Outlook Handbook
(Outlook for Specific Occupations)
http://stats.bls.gov/oco/oco1000.htm
The category, "Professional and Technical Occupations" includes
many listings for work done by geographers, but not under that title.
Looking under other job titles will bring up related occupations, such
as computer scientist, urban and regional planner and economic and marketing
research analyst.
Related
Sites
Science's Next Wave
(AAAS - 1998 Salary Survey by Commission on Professionals in Science and
Technology)
http://nextwave.sciencemag.org/survey/
While geography is not specifically listed, other related disciplines
are, including economics, political science and computer science. Median
salaries are listed for those employed in academics, business and government.
Consultant Salaries
http://www.cob.ohio-state.edu/dept/fin/jobs/mco/salary.htm
Various companies and their typical starting salaries in consulting.(While
this site does not identify consultants by their specialty, we know of
many geographers who work as consultants.)
General
Sites with Salary Surveys
What Am I Worth? (The
Riley Guide)
http://dbm.com/jobguide/salary.html
One of the most important sections here is on Evaluating Salary Data.
Because data on salaries for geographers is so difficult to find, we tend
to be more accepting of it. This site poses questions to help us evaluate
that data we do find.
Salary Surveys and Other
Information (JobSmart)
http://www.jobsmart.org/tools/salary/sal-surv.htm
Includes both specific and general survey information, plus extras such
as cost-of-living comparisons, guides to printed surveys, salary issues
and negotiation strategies. The section,"Profession-specific Salary
Surveys," are linked on the site to more than 45 categories, each
of which may have several surveys.
Salary Surveys (InfoWorld
1998 Compensation Survey)
http://www.infoworld.com/cgi-bin/displayCareers.pl?98entcar.welcome.htm
Primarily covering IT professionals, the site also includes short articles
on issues beyond salaries, such as training, bonuses, raises and work
hours, as well as comparative salary information on management levels.
The International Salary
Calculator (Homefair)
http://www.homefair.com/homefair/cmr/salcalc.html
Information on relocation costs, cost of living in different area and
real estate prices.
Wall Street Journal
http://careers.wsj.com/?content=cwc-salaries.htm
The Salaries and Profiles section has many recent WSJ articles, as well
as salary data organized by industry and job function, regional profiles,
a section on negotiating and a salary calculator.
Datamasters Computer Industry
Salary Survey
http://www.datamasters.com/dm/survey98.html
Billed as the 1998 Computer Industry Salary Survey, the site is organized
by geographic region and subdivided into managerial and professional staff
salary levels.
Careerplanning (About.com)
http://careerplanning.miningco.com/business/jobsearch/careerplanning/msub9.htm
Includes links to articles variously related to salary, with tips on benefits,
negotiating and calculating cost-of-living in different parts of the country.
Salary survey links
(About.com)
http://jobsearchtech.about.com/business/jobsearchtech/msub31.htm
A long list of sites to search for salary information in many different
industries and businesses.
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