Are you nearing the end of your graduation in Geography? Or are you just going to begin this three year journey, and want to look at possible career options after a BA in Geography?
Either ways, we are here to help. Though keep in mind that this is not a list of all possible career options after BA in Geography; just the best ones.
We talked to a lot of people, did some interviews, reached out to a few companies, and then we got our answer. Here are the five best high-paying jobs after completing your BA in Geography.
Geographer
A amazing option for you if you have just graduated after completing a BA (Hons.) Geography degree, is to become a Geographer. Good salary, great growth opportunities, opportunity to apply all that geography knowledge, and some travel sprinkled here and there. What more can a geography graduate need?
If you don’t know, Geographers are responsible for studying the features and inhabitants of the Earth. They gather geographic information through maps, field observations, satellite imagery, photographs, and censuses.
They use both qualitative and quantitative methods. They also create and modify diagrams, graphs, maps, or other visual representation of geographic information. They will present their findings and write reports on it.
The work profile often varies with the company and your position in the organizational chain, but your major work is going to be this only. Leadership and management opportunities are available in ample once you attain a certain level of experience, if that is an important factor for you in choosing a career.
You can expect your starting salary to be around INR 7,50,000 – 8,00,000, but this is not a hard and fast rule. If you are applying to a bigger company and are able to adequately display your skills, you can get a much higher package. And as for growth prospects, the same rule applies. If you are good at what you do, you can expect quicker promotions and more leadership opportunities.
Work-life balance varies from company-to-company, but in general, your weekends are going to be holidays and working overtime is going to be a rarity.
Demographer
Becoming a Demographer may seem like risky business to you, and you would not be very wrong in thinking so. There is no organized way to get into this field, and most of the hiring happens through connections and networking. But once you get in, being a Demographer is one of the most rewarding professions out there.
As a Demographer, your main work would be conducting the statistical examination of the distribution, composition, and transition of the human population. These professionals monitor patterns in population, such as consequences and causes of the rise and fall of migration, mortality rates, or fertility. They also examine the collected data and travel from place to another to get accurate information.
Apart from this, you may be expected to oversee a few more things here and there, depending on who you are working for. The work is super-exciting, especially if you are super-into geography.
Another great thing about this profession is that the work life balance is entirely in your hand. In most cases, you would be free to set your own working hours. All an organisation would care about is that you submit the given work on time.
Growth in this industry, like many others, is directly proportional to your skills. The better you are, the more you’re paid. Period. Anyone who says that this is wrong is lying. Although predicting starting salaries is next to impossible in this line of work, here’s a number that will get you get excited – INR 7,65,000.
Cartographer
Cartographer is one of the most in-demand careers right now. Students who are graduating after completing B.A in Geography are the most eligible people for this job.
Cartographers are responsible for researching, storing, collecting, retrieving, manipulating, and evaluating data. They also design maps and check the accuracy of the maps they have created. They keep liaising with the information providers, external contacts, and clients.
They may also access satellite images using aerial photographs. They may also work with local authorities, private consultancies, utility companies, and commercial map publishers.
The growth prospects are also great. In fact, salaries have been rising a lot lately in this field. Right now, you can expect to earn anywhere around INR 5,50,000, although a lot of stuff depends on how good you are at your job and the organization that’s hiring you. The work-life balance is good, but that usually depends on the company that you are working for.
Getting hired is a bit difficult in this industry, because very few companies actually hire cartographers, but once you get a foot inside the door, only the sky is the limit.
The job is challenging enough that you won’t be bored and it’s not so difficult that you would be demotivated. Just the perfect middle ground, if you ask us. Salaries are usually a little slow to grow in this field.
Forest Manager
Another fantastic choice for you if you recently graduated with a BA geography degree is to work as a Forest Manager. Decent pay, plenty of room for advancement, the chance to put all of your skills that you learnt during graduation to good use, and some travel thrown in for good measure. What more could a geography graduate possibly require?
If you’re not sure, this is what an Forest Manager does – Forest managers are responsible for managing woodlands and forests and activities such as reservation, timber production, and recreation. They advise clients on forestry practice and provide contract services, and establish new forests.
They also conduct research in areas like pathology, silviculture, tree entomology and development. They also monitor existing forestry and protect the forests from illegal issues.
If leadership and management are essential factors for you in choosing a profession, opportunities are easily once you reach a certain level of experience.
Growth and leadership opportunities can be difficult to come by at first, but if you persevere, you will be rewarded with increased responsibilities (and of course; better pay). Work-life balance can be ridiculous at times, but it’s not impossible to achieve if you have good relations with your superiors.
Let’s get to the good stuff. Starting salaries are in the INR 6,20,000-7,00,000 range, but there is a lot of room for development. Also, bear in mind that this is an estimate; if you live in a major city or tier-1 city, your salary would be much higher.
Regional specialist
One more underrated career option for BA Geography graduates is becoming an Regional specialist. Think about it, you have studied geography for 3 years. Is there anyone else who is more applicable to become a Regional specialist than you? Not if you ask us.
Regional specialists are responsible for recognizing, and analyzing trends in the market. They also do research on historical data map trends and find how to influence the business of a company. They create tables, charts, graphs, diagrams, reports, to maintain the market factors in the company which help in production strategy decisions.
They also create database software and finance documentation about the region. Some parts of the job profile may differ from company to company, and the same goes for work-life balance. Some companies make sure that their employees have a great work-life balance; other companies not so much.
If you are a fresher in this field, you can expect to get a package of anywhere around INR 5,00,000 at your first job. Monetary growth is slow, but quite steady. But keep in mind that this is never going to be a profession where you can get huge amounts of money. The money is good enough to maintain a decent lifestyle. Nothing more, nothing less.
The job market is brimming with aspiring regional specialists, so it might be a little difficult to break in, but if you really loved studying geography, then you can be sure that you are going to love being a Regional specialist.
So these were some of the highest-paying professions that you can go for after completing a B.A. in Geography. Did you like the article and found it informative? Then please share it with fellow geography students so that they can make well-informed decisions about their professional life. Subscribe to our newsletter to get a weekly update about the different career options added on the website.