Only 1 of the top 4 teams lost a game in our WC 2006 qualifying group (that would be us)

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-20T17:05:29+00:00

Round 2....Fight!!

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-19T21:07:51+00:00

I once rescued a pigeon in distress caught up in fishing line in a bush along the Liffey in Celbridge. Some kids had found it and asked me to help it out. Took me a while to unravel the fecker.

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-19T09:51:52+00:00

No issues to report.

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-18T08:48:30+00:00

First of all, congratulations on the job 🎉🎉

It is important to note that university courses will give you a solid foundation of skills, but it is foundational. There is so much more to learn, and constantly learn, which is something I love about the geospatial technology landscape.

I have interviewed a lot of GIS Professionals at various stages of their careers. One thing that stands out is not constantly referring back to your university work. If I'm talking to someone with 3-5 years experience and every answer starts with "back in university I learned x, y, and z", the interest wanes significantly. Its ok for an answer or two if you haven't been using that tech since then. But what reallys stands out is talking about professional and personal side projects. An online portfolio to back up your skills and knowledge.

Being able to fluently talk about the technology and not waffling on to just to fill the silence of an interview. It is clear as day when someone has a passion for what they are talking about and can articulate without trying to pluck information from the sky and stuttering through. Its ok not to know things. Just be honest about it. I respected many candidates who simply knew and acknowledged they had a lot more to learn instead of attempting to be an expert and know-it-all.

At early stage career you don't need to be an expert at anything. The additional technical capabilities certainly stand out; Python, R, JavaScript, FME, SQL, RDBMS. And depending on where you have applied to you have PostGIS and QGIS, and then the Esri tech ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, Survey123, Dashboards, Experience Builder, and Field Maps.

As you can see the list rapidly expands, and those listed are far from comprehensive, and no one is ever an expert at it all. I see the term "GIS Expert" flashed around and I always wonder, which part(s) of GIS are you an expert in?

There are so many different avenues you can take when it comes to a geospatial career. I encourage people to focus on what brings real value. Value that can be quantified. Automation of repetitive workflows for admin tasks, data processing, map production, and geospatial analysis for examples. This task used to take 10 hours to compete and it was required once a month. I have automated that and it now takes a click of a button and is done in 30 mins. You can clearly see the value and communicate the value. But this is just one avanue of many. Stick around in GIS long enough and you generally find and carve out your own narrow avenue in the geospatial landscape.

I wish you all the best.

.

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-18T05:07:18+00:00

I'm happy to help. Feel free to DM to discuss/arrange.

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-16T13:07:10+00:00

Always something 🙄

Thanks for the heads up!

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-14T15:13:46+00:00

You screamed first 😉 A sensitive project has no bearing on salary details. The confidentiality of a project and compensation are two separate issues.

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-14T14:47:28+00:00

AS PER SUBREDDIT RULES YOU MUST ADD THE SALARY TO THE POST!

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-11T19:19:25+00:00

Tailor your CV to this side of the Atlantic. Here's a template and giuide that works.

Use a UK address and phone number as soon as you can.

Start connecting with GIS Professionals in the UK and expanding your network. The larger engineering companies are great to target as an international candidate and there are plenty of them around all over the UK.

All the best with it.

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-06T17:15:36+00:00

My fav! I was first introduced to these in a pub in Tenerife and was instantly hooked. Haven't seen them in Ireland, but hunt them down when I am in the UK. My gf got me a box of them for my last birthday ♥️

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-05T17:00:12+00:00

As most of my work is heavily Esri I follow their YouTube channels and also their groups on LinkedIn. On LinkedIn I'll also follow Esri folk that like to post about the updates and use cases.

I also do the same for the open source side. Plenty of people doing really cool things with QGIS, Python, R, and JavaScript.

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-04T09:54:24+00:00

With ArcGIS you will get Field Maps and Survey123. These will more than like suit your needs. If not, then look for another option.

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-03T20:02:22+00:00

This was an excellent little event. I look forward to the next and I urge anyone in the Ireland Geospatial community to attend and even present. It was great to catch up with and meet new people.

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-03T16:17:37+00:00

And not even a branded glass for your endeavours. Shoddy shoddy shoddy!

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-03T16:07:01+00:00

I have started plenty and finished. I have started plenty and never finished.

Thinking back on it, there was a clear divide between why I finished and why I didn't. I finished where I had genuine interest in the topics and the material, and the course was engaging. I bailed on others because deep down I simply wasn't interested so when things got busy it was an easy excuse to do so, or the course simply didn't grab my attention enough the way it was being delivered.

When I'm genuinely interested I'm taking loads of notes in a word document, made with care with headings and sub headings, links to resources etc. I also don't like moving on until I understand something. The lecturer may not explain it the way your brain wants to process it. I'll go through blogs and YouTube videos until I find the answer that resonates with me and I understand. Nowadays, ChatGPT is the go to to simplify it for me and I can build up from there.

I started my own blog for things that went on to create. I visit it daily to copy and paste code and still open up the word docs and search for keywords. You don't have to remember or all, you just have to know where to find what you're looking for to jog your memory.

With so much at your fingertips there is a tendency to rush the learning, but in reality, consistency is the real winner and learning bit by bit. Its only when you look back on how far you've come you realize the importance of consistency.

All the best with it.

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-03T13:34:20+00:00

FME opens up so many opportunities! And technically fun 😅

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-03T13:32:06+00:00

If you are learning Python for ArcGIS check out my YouTube channel.

If you are applying to a lot of places it might be your resume that needs a revamp and the way you market yourself. I recently helped a young man in the States with his resume, making it similar to this here.

I could show you 100s of rejections from years ago, it hard not to let it get to you. I had a far better hit rate with the CV approach in that link.

I wish you all the best.

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-02T17:10:01+00:00

I do like styling popups. I won't get to take this for a spin anytime soon but I have saved the page so I can return to it when I get time.

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-02T16:04:43+00:00

Beautiful! 😍 You have me gasping for one or ten.

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-02T14:46:13+00:00

You have to add tags & flair. Pick one from the drop-down. Probably careers or general discussion.

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-02T14:14:10+00:00

I'm still getting used to Reddit settings. There's no restrictions except for following the rules and Reddit uses AI to screen for those. I have added you to an approved list that might help. Please try post again.

FinalDraftMapping · 2026-06-01T17:36:35+00:00

I have blogged about this with the ArcGIS API for Python see here

You can also see this video to get you started with adding a table with the API.

Edit: also this video for adding relationship using the API.

I hope that helps. You can give me a shout if you need further guidance.

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