From Degree + Certificate to Job: How Earth Sciences Student Anna Maldonado Launched Her Career as a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Analyst

For Anna Maldonado, a love of Earth science and a timely email during her senior year at university opened the door to a successful career in geographic information systems (GIS). As an undergraduate at UC San Diego, she was keenly aware that school was the bridge to her professional life, and she wanted to be job-ready. 

While still a student, she seized on the opportunity to enroll in the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Certificate Program at UC San Diego Extended Studies. Upon starting the coursework, she immediately began building new skills that would show her how to become a GIS analyst and shape her professional future. 

Turning Academic Interest into a Career Opportunity

As a senior at UC San Diego, Maldonado was approaching graduation and starting to explore jobs aligned with her major. She noticed that certain skill sets and experience requirements were showing up repeatedly. That realization, coupled with a serendipitous message from UC San Diego Extended Studies about learning opportunities for undergraduates, set her on a new path.

"My undergraduate degree was in Earth sciences, and as I was nearing graduation and looking at jobs that were of interest to me, I noticed that GIS was a required skill for many of them," Maldonado explained. "I wanted to make sure that I was a good candidate for those positions, which is what ultimately led me to seek out this GIS certificate program."

Her decision paid off: not just with a job after university but also with continuous career advancement and job growth. Having both a university degree and industry-specific skills coming into the workplace provided her with a foundation to thrive professionally.

"I was able to get a job in GIS after graduating, and since then, I have had four different GIS jobs, each one growing in complexity and being promoted from a technician to an analyst role," she said. "And this has greatly, positively impacted my life with increased opportunities."

A Flexible and Supportive Learning Experience

One of the most appealing aspects of the Extended Studies certificate program for Maldonado was how easy it was to fit into her life. As a busy undergraduate student enhancing her existing curriculum, she needed to maximize her time.

"The Geographic Information System Certificate Program is entirely remote and asynchronous.” She noted it “offers quite a bit of flexibility in terms of completing it."

The format was convenient and was also designed to cultivate connections. Maldonado found the experience interactive and enriching, allowing for engagement with other participants. 

"Even though it is remote, we have plenty of opportunities to interact with the other students, and the professors are extremely responsive and supportive, as well.” She added that the participant diversity was appealing, noting that “there were many students from different backgrounds and industries that I was able to interact with.”

Real-World Application Through a Capstone Project

One of Maldonado’s favorite aspects of the program was the capstone project, which allowed her to apply her new skills to a topic that resonated with her.

"I really enjoyed the capstone project, which was at the very end of our program,” she shared, highlighting the "flexibility to pick an area of interest and a topic of interest to us to design a project around."

She focused her capstone on the Santa Cruz, California, region, using GIS tools to identify safe evacuation centers after devastating wildfires in 2020. She also examined burn areas projected to have debris flows or landslides after a major rain event.

"I identified suitable areas for evacuation centers," she said. "This took into account proximity to major roads, the location, facility type–whether it was a school, a hospital, community center–and also the proximity to the people who are being evacuated in those burn zones."

The meaningful project not only showcased her growing technical skills but also underscored GIS as a vital tool in disaster planning and community safety.

Continued Growth in a Dynamic Field

Today, Maldonado works as a GIS analyst at UC San Diego, a role she earned by building her experience and expertise. To be successful in the education process, she encourages others to stay focused on their professional goals.

"I'd recommend saving any projects or maps that you create and picking areas that are of interest to you, so that you are able to include them in a portfolio," she advised.

Looking ahead, she hopes to expand both her technical skillset and develop her leadership, serving as a mentor to others.

"My next steps and future goals are to continue growing in my current role as a GIS analyst–and also hoping that my projects grow in complexity and offer me the opportunity to be more creative with the GIS solutions that I create. As I was once a student as well, I'm excited about the opportunity to work with other interns and assistants and offer them the same support that I received."

Anna Maldonado’s journey from student to analyst demonstrates how online GIS training, career-focused certificates, and real-world projects can lead to meaningful professional success in a wide range of industries. She endorses it as a pathway from college to career.

"I would definitely recommend the geographic information systems certificate program…GIS is a growing and widespread industry, and whether you're in healthcare, government, education, or utilities, it really has many applications," she said.

Geographic Information Systems Certificate at UC San Diego Extended Studies

UC San Diego Extended Studies offers a fully online, flexible Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Certificate Program designed to equip learners with the tools and skills to pursue work in this rapidly growing field. 

Through hands-on projects and comprehensive instruction, students build portfolio-ready work that applies across multiple sectors, including urban planning, environmental management, emergency response, and more.

To learn more, visit the Geographic Information Systems Certificate Program page.

To discover access programs for current university students, visit the Student Services page and reference Concurrent Enrollment, Veteran’s Education Benefits, and Scholarships and Grants. For additional opportunities, Visit Degree Programs.