What is your job/position?
GIS Analyst, Lincoln County, South Dakota. I maintain many layers of geographic data for a county government and use that data to help other departments make decisions and be more efficient.
Describe the path that took you from your American Studies degree to your current career or life situation.
After graduating in American Studies, I worked for a year with the intention of ultimately becoming a history professor. When choosing a graduate school, I chose a masters program that included GIS as part of the program. I had never heard of GIS but thought it would be good to have a skillset to fall back on in case the professor thing didn't work out. Within a couple of weeks of graduate school, I already knew that I didn't want to be a professor, so I pivoted. My thesis advisor was very important in shaping my perspective. He rightly pointed out that there is more to life than a career. This made big educational and professional decisions much less fraught when viewed in this light.
In addition to earning my MA, I did the work for a post-baccalaureate geotechnology certificate. This proved just enough to break into the field of GIS. At first, I worked for a geoenvironmental firm in Nevada, working with large mining companies. This was unfulfilling to me, and I had very little billable time. That ultimately meant I had to find a new job. That led me to South Dakota. I never could have predicted I would end up here. I am going on nine years in my current job and have had so many opportunities to serve and grow in my small community as well as in my church community. I live in such a small town I can pretty much bike or walk wherever I want to go. I had no idea how important that would be to me. I leave work at work and fill my life with other things. Occasionally my job is tedious, other times it affords me opportunities to be creative and analytical. The latter experiences are fulfilling but don't make or break my life.
What are the specific competencies you cultivated as an American Studies student that you now use in your professional life and that set you apart from your colleagues?
I think the most vital skills I learned are the ability to work hard, comprehend what I read, write cogent thoughts, analyze complexity, communicate clearly, and get along with many types of people. I have found my education helps me to assess problems and communicate solutions simply to coworkers. These skills may sound generic, and that is kind of my point. In my eyes, a liberal arts education made me a better, more well-rounded person in ways that transcend any one professional field. Of course earning a living is important, but gaining the kind of interdisciplinary education you get with an American Studies degree will give you opportunities that will lead you to interesting and unexpected places in life.
What are some of the surprising ways in which your American Studies degree has helped you in your professional or personal life?
We currently find ourselves caring for kids in the foster care system. This is not something we envisioned in our lives. The kids we care for come from an indigenous community, and my American Studies degree, along with my graduate degree, has helped me be more sensitive and informed about Native American issues. We don't know how long these boys will be with us, but I intend to use the little knowledge I have to pursue a greater understanding of the culture these kids are from and ensure they are proud of their heritage.
I also have a greater reverence for the environment due, in part, to my American Studies degree and care a great deal about resource use, city planning, and active transportation as a result. I also think I am more politically civil than many around me thanks to my degree.
What do you wish you had known as an American Studies student? What advice would you share with current students?
I wish I knew that earning a degree was not the most important part of the journey but immersing oneself in the educational experience. I also wish I saw getting the degree less as a finish line and more of a beginning. A degree should teach you to learn how to learn and to learn how to love lifelong learning. I had no idea what my passions were in life when I finished at BYU, and honestly, I'm not sure I currently know what my life's passion is. I have thoroughly enjoyed the places life has taken me, though, and appreciate the lessons learned along the way.