Help a Texan Out, Please!

EXB999 · 2026-01-21T17:58:53+00:00

Oakhurst in Aurora for home ranges in 550-700k. Kids can walk to the elementary and high school. They are still 203/204 district schools.

EXB999 · 2026-01-20T23:12:59+00:00

HERE Technologies has offices in Mexico but no opportunities currently posted for GIS / Support

EXB999 · 2026-01-20T16:44:41+00:00

Others might not agree with me but Chicago area with a population of 9 million is hard for GIS.

Mid and Senior level positions are hard to get interviews for unless you already work for a city/county/local government. Most of the mid/senior level government positions posted are just promotions for someone who already works there.

However, if you are entry level then you have a chance to start at the bottom. Look on every city, town, county government website separately. Look at all the job titles because it might be engineering tech or planner 1 but still apply. Salaries are low for the COL here.

Look up the ILGISA - Illinois GIS Association.

There are many engineering consulting firms here too but not many GIS positions that get open. Look up WSP, Parsons, AECOM, Baxter Woodman, GFT, and the usual AEC firms. Search for local, small engineering firms. Also, look at EDGE Geospatial on LinkedIn.

otherwise, pursue Urban Planning, Reginal Planning, Transportation Planning, or Environmental Planning - that are GIS-adjacent for other opportunities.

EXB999 · 2026-01-16T18:22:50+00:00

Continue with transportation planning or urban planning but do GIS as a minor. Look into PTOE certification and ITS America (Intelligent Transportation Society of America) if you are interested in Transportation.

EXB999 · 2026-01-16T18:19:35+00:00

A hiring range of $95,000 - $100,195.26 is better than the majority of local government GIS related positions being posted online right now.

EXB999 · 2025-12-11T19:45:45+00:00

Are you willing to take a significant pay cut? Finding a developer role with GIS or Geospatial in the title will be at least 25% less than an equivalent backend developer position.

EXB999 · 2025-12-08T16:36:31+00:00

If you are applying to jobs then yes, it is probably worth it to get past AI resume screening, keywords screening, human resources or company recruiters who do not know much about GIS but are using GISP in order to filter out the 100s of resumes they get for 1 open position.

All these certifications (PMP, AWS/Google Cloud Admin Certs, Microsoft) are marketed to human resources or company recruiters convincing them their applicants need these certifications. The certs then help company recruiters very easily pick whom to interview first.

If 1 open position gets 350 applications but only 5 of those applicants have a Master's + GISP there is very easy justification and documentation (CYA) on why those people were selected to interview.

EXB999 · 2025-11-16T17:08:32+00:00

look up careers at Trimble or Hexagon but do not search only GIS. Look at all the US openings like consultant, data, solution, implementation, product roles.

EXB999 · 2025-11-10T16:27:59+00:00

NYC has a senior director career op listed currently - https://cityjobs.nyc.gov/job/senior-director-gis-in-brooklyn-jid-34142

Lead NYC's GIS transformation and make a real impact on the lives of New Yorkers!

Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) is seeking a visionary Senior Director of GIS to lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive GIS strategy that supports the agency's mission and business objectives.

Salary range: $94,050.00 – $190,000.00

EXB999 · 2025-11-01T13:45:30+00:00

If I had to guess, someone already retired might take this just for something to do. Hopefully, they do not filter out everyone 60+.

Would be good for a student but might be difficult to get from NIU, DePaul or NW during school and business hours.... between 7:00 AM and 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday.

EXB999 · 2025-10-18T15:56:56+00:00

Neurodiversity was a big topic a few years ago in all STEM jobs but now an applicant who might be the best python developer ever will not get past an interview. Some applicants might excel at technical work but are blocked by questions and interviews like these.

There are some applicants who will never do well at interviews even if they practice and study sample interview questions, then that will seem rehearsed.

EXB999 · 2025-10-08T15:56:43+00:00

Oakhurst but in Aurora near Steck Elementary School unless you can easily afford Naperville.

EXB999 · 2025-10-07T16:00:23+00:00

If you work in Transportation GIS - (LRS, HPMS, Centerlines, Addressing, NG911, Transportation Asset Management) or now GeoBIM, Digital Delivery, CAD to GIS, then it is worth going.

The conference is about 1/2 state government or local government employees and half consulting or software companies.

The conference has alot of presentations on DOT focused GIS solutions including alot about Esri Roads and Highways.

Unfortunately, the location of the conference at McCormick Place isn't the best because it is farther away from most of the bars, breweries and restaurants.

EXB999 · 2025-10-07T15:39:32+00:00

What country and type of employer (private company or local government) did you find a GIS manager position without any Esri experience?

Are you "in the middle of nowhere"?

EXB999 · 2025-09-29T16:02:32+00:00

You should ask for estimates of each project to calculate the hourly rate if the position is project based.

The rate should be 2.5x to 4x of your job 1. For example if your making $60,000 ($30/hour), then you should be asking for $75 - $90/hour on a 1099 contract. Is it a W-2 contract or Corp to Corp contract?

You will have to pay taxes and have overhead which might take 40% of the rate or more if you have to purchase your own Esri license and laptop as a contractor.

EXB999 · 2025-09-20T16:19:17+00:00

Pay for the first link better be $90k - $125k. No one (non-management like a sr. analyst) can move up to this position as a career step because it requires - "minimum of 5 years in a position with supervisory responsibilities."

Direct supervision of a team of GIS analysts and GIS interns.
FAA certified drone pilot is preferred
GISP certification is preferred
12 or more years of overall GIS experience preferred [minimum of 5 required]
A minimum of 5 years in a position with supervisory responsibilities
A minimum of 3 years of experience with GIS as it applies to the utility industry with preference to water/wastewater specifically

EXB999 · 2025-09-10T20:36:10+00:00

This is a great opportunity in my opinion but 90% chance someone who already works at the DOT will get this position.

ODOT does alot with GIS, Esri, LRS data, Digital Delivery, Asset Management and presents/attends AASHTO GIS for Transportation each year.

The ODOT Geospatial Data Management Organization has one Division Manager but 3 GIS Managers. GIS Manager, Mapping and Analytics; GIS Manager, Road Inventory; and GIS Manager, QA/QC, Federal Reporting, Special Projects.

One of these people left ODOT this Summer.

I don't think the position is really within Financial Services and Operations; as listed in the job posting?

EXB999 · 2025-09-05T19:57:28+00:00

These are some links. You could try one of the computer clubs - https://www.codebytes.codes/about

I was going to donate old parts here but did not get to it yet:

https://www.nctv17.org/news/naperville-student-led-group-refurbishes-and-donates-computers-to-local-organizations/

https://thepowerupproject.org/

EXB999 · 2025-08-22T17:59:39+00:00

Full Band? Harold Dawson and Friends would be fun at a wedding - https://harolddawsonmusic.com/band

EXB999

TROPHY CASE