I began working with the DoD in 2014, and have had a variety of government roles and positions since then.
Below is a piece I wrote during my time with the Recruitment Office at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, as their Recruitment Communications Program Manager.
The article was first posted to my LinkedIn on July 31, 2020, and the original piece can be found on here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mapping-way-from-school-nga-brittany-l-reid/
Mapping the Way: From School to NGA
Brittany L. Reid, Recruitment Communications Program Manager
NGA Talent Acquisition Center
As summer draws to a close, it is almost time for students to gear up for going back to school. It goes without saying that this year, the realm of education will look vastly different for a majority of families across the country. While some schools are working to modify the policies, procedures, and layouts that come with teaching students in the classroom, others are exploring the capabilities of students learning remotely, and still others are pursuing the implementation of a hybrid model that involves learning partly online and partly in the classroom.
No matter what grade a child is in, ensuring that they learn foundational skillsets like STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), geography, and more will be vital in helping that child advance throughout and beyond his or her academic career.
NGA, the premiere leader of world-class geospatial intelligence, is always seeking prospective candidates with a broad range of diverse skillsets. The agency's work roles cover a variety of areas, to include graphic design, data management, analysis, cartography, engineering, coding, human geography, programming, and cybersecurity (to name a few).
The beauty of NGA’s opportunities is that the proficiencies that fuel its quality workforce can be cultivated outside of the IC and DoD. Students may already be building these skills by taking on an interest in subjects like animation, videogame design, or cultural studies, and may not even realize it.
Below are examples of some renowned projects built with the very same knowledge and tools that NGA leverages to equip its workforce.
Esri User Conference 2017- ArcGIS City Engine helped build Zootopia
Esri's CityEngine Software helped Blade Runner 2049 win Oscar for Best Visual Effects
Radiohead music video "House of Cards" made entirely with LIDAR
“House of Cards” LIDAR Music Video
Students can even use their favorite cartoon heroes to practice honing their own skills, as exemplified in the comic and video below.
Mapping Superheroes: The Superheroes Who Protect New York City Map (Topviewnyc.com)
(https://www.topviewnyc.com/packages/a-map-of-superheroes-in-nyc-and-where-they-protect)
Mapping Disney Princesses
Younger kids may seek to practice making their own maps to highlight their interests or the environment around them. Older students may look into acquiring an ArcGIS account, which offers both free and paid subscription services. This will allow them to practice with a program that is an essential tool for NGA’s personnel. They may also pursue studying coding programs languages like Python, another favorite asset among the agency’s workforce.
College students who are proactively seeking opportunities to put their skills to use and to contribute to the success of NGA's mission can learn more about the agency and apply for student internship opportunities at www.intelligencecareers.gov/nga. They simply need to navigate to the "Search NGA Jobs" widget and scroll through the posted listings until they reach the entry for "Temporary Student Hire-Internship Program." Then, they can click that listing to apply!
Even if you aren’t a student, please take the time to check out our latest job openings and explore our agency via the address above.
Also, take the time to drop in the comments what it was that piqued your interest and initially made you want to learn more about geospatial-intelligence and NGA!
-----------------------------------------------------
*Note: The header picture is from a book on Amazon entitled "Map My School." According to the product description: "This dynamic book brings mapping skills down to a micro level by showing children how anything can be mapped, including their own home or school. Images combine with simple explanations to show readers how maps give us a birds-eye view of an area and can help us see the layout of buildings. Tips on building drawing skills make it easy for readers to craft their own maps." This is another resource that would be useful in helping children get better acquainted with STEM and geography skillsets.
No comments:
Post a Comment