Well-designed geographic education programs involve more than just "book learning." Maps are important sources of information, but students should learn to collect data from print and electronic scources and from field observation in the community, to make their own maps, graphs, and tables, and present their findings in papers and reports. well equipped geography classrooms, even in the primary grades, should have computers with mapping and geographic information systems programs that allow students to plot and analyze data distributions. The combinations of skills and knowledge gained in well equipped and taught geography classes is of great utility in thousands of work situations.
By learning to collect and analyze, and present findings based on their own research, geography students hone critical thinking skills, shich help them to become good problem solvers. These skills help make geography students better informed and more useful employees and citizens.
It would be hard to imagine and industry or business that is not involved in some way with environmental issues. Geography students learn about the environment, initially by becoming familiar with the local community and later by learning about places farther away, both within the United States and beyond our borders. Geography students learn about the physical and human elements of the world in which they live and are sensitive to how these elements interact.
Businesses around the world are bcoming increasingly global, and direct corporate investment of US firms is about one-quarter of the world total. Geography students learn about countries. This global knowledge also makes geography students sensitive to cultural facts that businesses with international operations or with multicultural work forces need to consider.
Business is directly affected by planning decisions. A good background in modern geography prepares students to understand and contribute to debate on local and regional planning, resource utilization, environmental conservation, and land use.
Skills gained by geography students can prepare them for many kinds of careers such as: teacher, urban and region planner, land use planner, natural resources anayst/manager, cartographer, remote sensing specialist, geographic information systems technician/analyst, tourism and travel planner, real estate sales and appraisal agent, and consultant.