Careers in Geography

I'm preparing for a few events later in the year which are connected with careers in geography and where we can build in introductions to career options for those who study geography during our teaching (from KS3 upwards). 

If this is to 'A' level, then we have some extra options. 

For those who go on to do a degree in geography (perhaps in association with another subject) more options open up, but they also come with an extra incentive to be higher paying jobs because of the very high cost of undergraduate (and beyond studies) at English universities in particular.

In my book 'Why Study Geography?', I had a chapter where I touched on where geography can take you, with some case studies and examples. This included some useful quotes and real life case studies. I've been able to find a number of similar collections online and will be sharing those in my sessions. 

One of the things I mention in the chapter are the Gatsby Benchmarks for career education support. These were recently updated in 2024, and they are shown below. This reflects changes in the world of work and new jobs, along with the threat of AI. Don't get me started on the issues in the USA currently as well with regards to certain jobs being cut despite being essential.

The diagram below shows those areas where I think we as geography teachers can particularly engage with the Gatsby Benchmarks.

Here's a WordArt image that I made for the original book which didn't make the cut in the end. It includes some of the jobs that those studying geography go on to do.

To hear more about this, come along to the Festival of Geography. This takes place on the 16th of June.