Q & A with Alumni Tara Aims and Katherine Hess, Dewberry Employees

Katherine Hess, B.S., 2005, and Tara Aims, B.S., 1999 recently took some time to answer our questions about internships and careers. Tara and Katie are both employees at Dewberry & Davis LCC in Fairfax, VA. Spend the next few minutes learning about how you can prepare for your next internship or job interview.

In regards to your career, what do you feel that you have accomplished since you graduated from Penn State?

Tara:
I have learned and grown so much since graduating! First and foremost, I learned people skills - how to work in various situations with all types of people. I have learned leadership skills and management skills. I have learned how to manage people and projects, how to work with co-workers, clients, and contractors. I feel very accomplished - in the past six years, I have gone from making maps, to managing a team of people making maps, and finally, to managing large-scale (multi-million dollar) mapping projects.

Katherine:
I graduated in May 2005 and started my first job at Dewberry & Davis LCC (Fairfax, VA) as a Hazard Map Analyst.

What skills did you develop, while studying in the department, are of particular importance in your current position?

Tara:
Organization, dedication, working in groups/teams, GIS skills, writing and speaking skills.

Katherine:
The first skill is the GIS experience that I received at Penn State. I took Geog 121, 321, 352, and 357, and all those courses plus Geog 454 and 455, really helped me to learn how to navigate and analyze multiple tasks in ArcMap 9.0. All of the GIS classes, especially cartography, were an excellent supplement to the physical geography courses that rounded out my education. The second set of skills relates more to the technical research internship that I had with Dr. Alan Taylor's Vegetation Dynamics Lab. That internship was one of the major reasons that I landed my job at Dewberry. It showed my employer that I could work and learn in many different environments. It also showed that I understood that data collection is a complex process. The skills I learned in that intern position have proved invaluable to me here at Dewberry.

Looking back on your college experience, what advice do you have for undergraduates in the Department of Geography, especially those looking for an internship or job?

Tara:

Perform a broad job search. My company is an engineering and architecture firm with a large mapping department. The company is often advertised as an engineering firm but has many opportunities for geography, geoscience, GIS, and environmental studies majors.
Keep your options open.
Visit!! It really helps to visit a company to see if you are comfortable with the culture, staff, and area.

Katherine:
Start looking for an internship or job early! For internships, don't be afraid to travel for a great opportunity, it just might help you get your first job. For jobs, I thought that it was important to show initiative and be prepared for the Fall Career Fair even though I didn't graduate until the following May. I made some of my best contacts there and some potential employers will even hold interviews. Plus after an interview, always follow-up with a thank-you letter and a call to the human resources department or interviewer to ask if they have any additional questions about your resume. This last step shows that you are still interested in the position and it helps to seal that individual as a strong contact into the future.

We look forward to seeing Tara and Katherine at the Fall Career Fair!