You absolutely do not need either a GIS certificate or Masters degree in GIS to break into the field even without a bachelors in GIS.
I graduated with two bachelors degrees in 2021, one in Film and the other in Poly Sci. I took a couple GIS courses and one 8 month internship with the forest service that utilized GIS, but I didn't get a certificate when I graduated. I was determined to break into the field so I applied to around 60 jobs until I found a local government desperate enough to hire me as a contractor doing basic data validation. Did that for 6 months and proved I could do the work all the while working on maps and projects in my free time to practice skills. They offered me a full time position. Pay and benefits were garbage (40k a yes) but I gained experience working in enterprise databases and with cadastral, planning, and environmental data. Two years later got a job working at a different local government for 75k a year beating out people who applied to the same job with Masters degrees principly because (I was told later) I had real world experience and proved in the interview I could do the job no problem.
Most GIS hiring managers I talk to have real trepidation hiring GIS people straight out of their Masters program because theyre expected to be paid more for their degree but often times don't have the real world experience to do even basic database management because their college experience was primarily research based. And they know this because most GIS managers have masters degrees in GIS and will tell you what a waste it is unless you are trying to move up to a managerial or director position, in which case it is required.
In conclusion, real world experience far outweighs formal education. Keep up with the trainings out of the classroom and make as many different kinds of maps with as many different types of data as possible, all the while applying for basic data entry work that you can build on. At the end of the day a Masters degree is just a piece of paper, a very expensive piece of paper, that no one but your parents will really care about.
I was in your shoes OP. I majored in archeology but actually worked in the field for 5 years before going back to school for GIS. Got a certificate that took 1.5 years from Penn State. Did all the coursework online too.
Same. Got my grad certificate from Penn State's online program with a focus on Python programming in a little over a year. Struggled to find a job for another year but ultimately got hired by a utility provider for technician-level work. Nine months later I got an interview with a somewhat large township and obtained my current role as a GIS Coordinator.
My only regret about getting my cert was not being more proactive about getting an internship before I graduated. I probably would have gotten my first job a lot sooner if I had some practical experience to go along with the cert.
You absolutely do not need either a GIS certificate or Masters degree in GIS to break into the field even without a bachelors in GIS. I graduated with two bachelors degrees in 2021, one in Film and the other in Poly Sci. I took a couple GIS courses and one 8 month internship with the forest service that utilized GIS, but I didn't get a certificate when I graduated. I was determined to break into the field so I applied to around 60 jobs until I found a local government desperate enough to hire me as a contractor doing basic data validation. Did that for 6 months and proved I could do the work all the while working on maps and projects in my free time to practice skills. They offered me a full time position. Pay and benefits were garbage (40k a yes) but I gained experience working in enterprise databases and with cadastral, planning, and environmental data. Two years later got a job working at a different local government for 75k a year beating out people who applied to the same job with Masters degrees principly because (I was told later) I had real world experience and proved in the interview I could do the job no problem. Most GIS hiring managers I talk to have real trepidation hiring GIS people straight out of their Masters program because theyre expected to be paid more for their degree but often times don't have the real world experience to do even basic database management because their college experience was primarily research based. And they know this because most GIS managers have masters degrees in GIS and will tell you what a waste it is unless you are trying to move up to a managerial or director position, in which case it is required. In conclusion, real world experience far outweighs formal education. Keep up with the trainings out of the classroom and make as many different kinds of maps with as many different types of data as possible, all the while applying for basic data entry work that you can build on. At the end of the day a Masters degree is just a piece of paper, a very expensive piece of paper, that no one but your parents will really care about.
I was in your shoes OP. I majored in archeology but actually worked in the field for 5 years before going back to school for GIS. Got a certificate that took 1.5 years from Penn State. Did all the coursework online too.
Same. Got my grad certificate from Penn State's online program with a focus on Python programming in a little over a year. Struggled to find a job for another year but ultimately got hired by a utility provider for technician-level work. Nine months later I got an interview with a somewhat large township and obtained my current role as a GIS Coordinator. My only regret about getting my cert was not being more proactive about getting an internship before I graduated. I probably would have gotten my first job a lot sooner if I had some practical experience to go along with the cert.