This is a talk I gave at the SSSI YP Lunchbox talks at Curtin University, May 9th, 2012. It is centred on an overview of my career and some advice for the students attending.

1. GAIA RESOURCES
A Career in Spatial
Piers Higgs
Presented at Curtin University, 9th May 2012

2. A CAREER WITH SPATIAL

3. A CAREER WITH SPATIAL
What have I done? • Student
• Student • Field Assistant
• GIS Trainer • Data Manager
• Contractor • Ecologist
• GIS Programmer • Student
• Project Manager • Consultant
• Business Developer • Director

4. A CAREER WITH SPATIAL

5. A CAREER WITH SPATIAL
Some of the best bits?

6. A CAREER WITH SPATIAL
What got me there?
• I had a good reputation
• I understood “spatial”
• I understood “environment”
• I knew what I didn‟t know
• I was willing to learn
• The value of spatial was understood

7. A CAREER WITH SPATIAL
Some more of the best bits?

8. A CAREER WITH SPATIAL
What got me there?
• I had a good reputation
• I understood what my clients do for a living
• I did the „right thing‟ by my clients
• I learned things I didn‟t understand
• Hired the right people – that share the same desires

9. A CAREER WITH SPATIAL
What advice would I give?
• Pick a stream…
Spatial Software
Engineering
Spatial Analysis

10. A CAREER WITH SPATIAL
What advice would I give?
• Pick a stream…
• Spatial Software Engineering – learn some
Computer Science principles and technologies
• Spatial Analysis – learn some domain knowledge in
an area you are interested in…
Geology Botany EIA (Murdoch)
Surveying Archaeology Biology
Geography Planning Coastal Geomorphology

11. A CAREER WITH SPATIAL
What advice would I give?
• You will not know everything you need to succeed
throughout your career by the end of University
“The learning and knowledge that we have, is, at the
most, but little compared with that of which we are
ignorant.” (Plato)

12. A CAREER WITH SPATIAL
What advice would I give?
• Your reputation is your biggest asset
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five
minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do
things differently.” (Warren Buffett)

13. A CAREER WITH SPATIAL

14. A CAREER WITH SPATIAL
Questions?
• Ask away, or drop me a line…
Piers Higgs
piers@gaiaresources.com.au
0411 754 006