Who is a geographer and what does he do?

Each profession is unique in its own way. We encounter some industries every day, other workers in the industry are narrowly focused and do not occur in everyday life. One of these specializations is geography. It includes many working areas such as biogeographer, geographer-meteorologist, historian-geographer, physical-geographer and others.

Geography is divided into two major areas: physical and economic. Also, industries can be called general and regional. This is a science that studies the earth and the processes taking place on it. Some experts attribute another direction to geography - cartography.

The specialist is studying:

• earth covers;
• volcanoes;
• oceans;
• reservoirs (rates and lakes);
• rivers;
• population of the planet;
• tourism;
• the spread of diseases;
• mineral;
• development of the earth's crust.

During the birth of this profession, geographers were engaged in the discovery of new territories and their study. All accumulated observations were sorted and recorded. Today, the main activity of specialists is to study various processes and explain the nature of their origin. Also geographers make forecasts for the future.

Before deciding to become a geographer, you need to study the responsibilities of a professional. This is a complex specialization that requires responsibility and full dedication from a specialist.

In addition to the main activity, which consists in studying a specific object or process, the geographer does a lot of other work. The professional will be obliged to draw up the documentation and work with it. All data must be recorded in proper order. The data obtained is then used to write scientific articles, teach schoolchildren and students, and make forecasts.

Geographers travel constantly to collect information. Many work abroad, constantly traveling. Before mastering a profession, you need to choose one of the directions: cartography, physical or economic geography. The list of responsibilities will depend on this. Without leaving the workplace, only geography teachers work.

To become a skillful specialist and to cope with all responsibilities, a geographer must have a set of certain personal qualities. They are essential to get the job done in a professional manner.

The first and necessary quality is interest in science that studies nature and the planet. It is impossible to become a skillful and knowledgeable specialist without love and respect for this specialty. These feelings and emotions stimulate the constant development and improvement of already acquired knowledge and skills.

Any science requires a serious and responsible attitude. Otherwise, it will not be possible to comprehend it. The employee must be ready to learn the new and the unknown.

The geographer has to work with large amounts of information. You need to be able to organize yourself and focus on the result.

The listed items are only basic personal characteristics. Also, development in this specialization requires such qualities as attentiveness, focus on results and the ability to process a large amount of information.

Geographers work closely with other sciences. Some specialties are not complete without knowledge in the following areas:

• economy;
• ecology;
• chemistry;
• physics;
• sociology;
• social studies;
• marketing;
• sociology.

Geographers often have to move and stay away from home for a long time. Sometimes the living conditions are harsh and far from what many apartments are used to. In this case, you will need qualities such as endurance and unpretentiousness. For this reason, most specialists are men.

A modern professional cannot do without knowledge of computer technology. For their work, specialists use the software necessary to collect, sort and process a large amount of information. You also need to be able to work at a computer. But despite the development of technology, the geographer cannot do without an excellent memory. Developed logical thinking will be a big plus.

Professionals studying open areas need to be able to navigate the terrain without problems and survive in the wild. In an emergency, this will help save your life.

The last quality we will focus on is an excellent eye. You will need it when studying natural objects, landscapes, as well as compiling and reading maps. It will be a big advantage if the professional has good eyesight.

To build a career in this specialty, you need to get an appropriate education. You can find a higher educational institution in almost any major city in the country. There are enough universities on the territory of Russia for everyone to get this profession.

The plan for the introduction into the profession is as follows. The first and obligatory step is obtaining a diploma of higher education.

Already in the first year, geographers receive basic knowledge, which they develop throughout their career. Also, teachers organize thematic expeditions and excursions to consolidate the passed material. Practical exercises help to gain the skills that every professional needs. During classes outside the classroom, geographers collect materials for further processing.

Many students who studied on a budget are sent to practice after graduation. This is how some professionals started their journey to success.

Even after receiving a diploma, the learning process does not stop. The specialist must constantly develop, gaining new knowledge and honing the acquired skills.

The working field of geographers is diverse and encompasses many specializations. Everyone must decide in which direction to move on.

The following professions are considered the most common areas.

• cartographer;
• meteorologist;
• ecologist;
• surveyor;
• geomorphologist;
• geography teacher.

The sooner a specialist makes a choice, the faster he can start developing in a specific direction. Some professionals become scientists. They study and write educational materials for colleagues in the field of geography.

Specialists who have achieved high professional success become self-employed. They prefer to work for themselves and build a plan of action on their own.

Geographers' salaries depend on many factors:

• direction of the specialty;

• employee experience;

• working conditions;

• the scale of the work performed;

• the region where the specialist lives and works;

• number of projects (for self-employed);

• firm prestige (for hired employees);

At the same time, the specialists managed to calculate the average salary. Novice geographers receive about 25 thousand rubles a month. More experienced employees earn 10 thousand rubles more (35 thousand per month). Professionals with extensive work experience can count on a salary of 50 thousand rubles. This is the average statistical data for Russia, obtained as a result of collecting and processing data from the largest job search sites on the Russian Internet.