Studying Geography at SUNY Oneonta, Dakota Bailey gained confidence and public speaking skills as an Admissions tour guide and went on an impactful faculty-led field course to New Orleans. With his master's in tow, he has landed not one but two GIS (geographic information systems) jobs, one with a global provider of wireless communications infrastructure and the other with Harvard University.
Why SUNY Oneonta?
I chose SUNY Oneonta because I had suggestions from loved ones who had gone here, including my uncle and his wife, some family friends, and a few of my high school teachers. I just showed up and I was like, “Wow, this is beautiful.”
After Oneonta
I graduated in December 2018. Within two months, I landed a job as an assistant systems analyst at CHA Consulting Inc. in Albany. My work involved using ArcGIS to manipulate and interpret geospatial data. Then, I received my master’s degree from Syracuse University in Geography, focusing on wildfire (pyrogeography), GIS, and teaching geography courses.
After receiving my master’s degree, I served as a Fellow for the NYC Mayor’s Office of Resiliency with the Environmental Defense Fund, conducting research on Urban Heat Islands and their disparate socioeconomic and occupational impacts. I then moved to Massachusetts for my current positions.
A Day in the Life
My full-time position entails creating web mapping applications for field and office employee use in order to optimize the efficiency with which they can complete their day-to-day tasks, creating static map products that help address operational questions concerning our wireless communications assets, aiding our drone pilots in understanding what sites are and are not flyable, and an array of spatial and non-spatial analyses. I am responsible for all operations GIS initiatives.
My part-time position with Harvard involves the research, analysis, and construction of mapping products for research projects and papers, as well as wed map applications.
Both positions involve mostly desk work. My full-time position includes lots of meetings, coming up with new ideas, performing data analysis, and providing training to other employees. My part-time position is fully remote and involves mostly email communication on project details and sporadic video meetings.
Best Part of My Job
What I find most rewarding about my full-time job is that I get to create tangible products that help individuals with their daily activities, as well as improve upon existing processes and assist in innovative new practices. As for my part-time position, this allows me to stay engaged with research post-graduate school, where I can stay up-to-date on current research and further my portfolio of publications.
Best Experiences at Oneonta
Going to New Orleans as part of a Disaster Geographies field course with Dr. Wendy Lascell. During this course, we were housed in the Lower 9th ward, a low-income neighborhood still suffering from the damages of Hurricane Katrina. We got to listen to members of the community, research community restoration and look at social justice issues, help with wetland restoration, and experience the famous French Quarter.
Another thing I'll always remember is how being a college tour guide provided me the comfort level to speak publicly. And I think it gave me the confidence to kind of come out of my shell a little bit.
About My Major
My experience with the Environmental Sustainability and Geography Department was amazing. In my opinion, after having switched majors twice, it's the best department on campus. Faculty members are friendly, cohesive and enthusiastic.
What's Next for Me
I hope continue to climb the corporate latter within my industry to continue to make positive change in the telecommunications industry and someday hope to continue to pursue further education (MBA, PhD, etc.).