What do geographers do?
- Association of American Geographers Career Guide - Where geographers work, profiles of geography professionals, and more
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics -- Employment outlook, pay, preparation, related careers and more
Meteorology, climatology, atmospheric science focus
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics -- Employment outlook, pay, preparation, related careers and more
- American Meteorologyical Society - What do meteorologists do? Would meteorology be a good career for me?
- American Geosciences Institute Career Compass - Infographic with tips, suggestions and strategies for how to obtain critical skills, experiences and competencies
Career advice
- American Geosciences Institute Career Compass - Infographics with tips, suggestions and strategies for how to obtain critical skills, experiences and competencies
- ASU's Career and Professional Development Services - Explore your interests, get advice on all aspects of building a career and searching for a job or internship
Meet our Geography alumni
“Pursuing multiple degrees has complemented my academic experience because both fields go hand in hand. I can use skills from one degree and apply them to the other. My GIS degree started as just a certificate, but I really enjoyed my classes and creating maps, so I decided to officially add the full degree last year. Having a GIS degree instead of just the certificate gave me more opportunities to use programs like ArcGIS Pro and get more practice, which helps set me apart for future jobs and internships.”
Bianca Arreola, 2026 Dean’s Medalist
BS geography (meteorology-climatology) and GIS, 2026
“My advice to women pursuing STEM careers is to not limit yourself to just classwork. Find extracurricular programs that will help you in your career. And don’t limit yourself to other people’s opinions of what they think you can accomplish.”
Wendy Nessl, Meteorologist, RGNext
BS Geography (Meteorology/Climatology), 2017
In her job of providing weather support for companies that launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, Wendy Nessl has played a role in seeing that several rockets successfully launched their payloads into orbit -- including SpaceX’s Tesla sport car launch in Spring 2018. While studying meteorology at ASU, as part of a team of undergraduates, Wendy designed the science objective for a NASA CubeSat mission to study urban heat islands using infrared satellite imagery and GIS. She also conducted NASA-funded research in which she identified temperature variations between local climate zones.
“Geography is such a vast subject that finding a focus is helpful. Interning is a great way to do this as it allows you to experience the reality of what a particular job is like.”
Claire and Paige Girardi, GIS Technicians, contractors for Apple
BS Geography, 2018
Hired as contractors for Apple soon after completing their bachelors’ degrees, sisters Claire and Paige Girardi are helping build and grow Apple’s navigation app. Their coursework as ASU Online students, along with an internship they set up near their small community in California’s Central Valley, provided a foundation to begin professional employment in GIS.