Zach Hecht-Leavitt ’07
Major: Geography
Job: Geospatial Analyst
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
When I declared a Geography major sophomore year, I certainly didn't expect to be working with marine biologists after graduating. I was
more interested in environmental policy than parrot- fish, cute as the little guys are. But after an internship with a lobbyist on Capitol Hill, I decided my interests lay elsewhere. Then in senior year I saw an announcement for an ES colloquium talk on something called the NOAA Biogeography Branch. I liked water, so I thought... why not? And what a talk! Here was an alum who got paid to travel to places like Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.Granted, he spent most of his time on a ship rather than on a beach sipping mojito cocktails, but I could live with that. And the work sounded pretty cool. They used GIS in conjunction with statistical model-ling, sonar surveying, remotely-operated vehicles and SCUBA divers to create precise maps of coral reefs. I couldn't tell marine macro algae from a piece of lettuce, but I knew something about GIS, so at the end of the presentation I walked up and introduced myself. Some networking and two interviews later,and here I am.
I spend about three-quarters of my time in a friendly, congenial office (turns out marine biologists are a lot more chill than lobbyists) doing anything from creating bathymetric maps, identifying coral types on under water video, or writing press packets for our next field mission. The rest of the time I spend at sea,assisting with multi-beam sonar mapping, ROV launches, and the occasional chat en Español with the local fishermen. The fieldwork is good fun -- if you don't mind cramped showers, bouts of seasickness, and the pervasive smell of diesel. On the upside,though, ...the food is great. And zero commuting time. So my advice for students looking for work is to get over that initial hesitancy. Go on MiddNet, call up alums, attend lectures and introduce yourself, and treat the job hunt like a fifth class. Also, don't sell yourself short. Just be cause you lack a certain credential doesn't mean you can't hack it. Employers value a hard work ethic over most specific skills. Even I was identifying algae after a week. Oh, and we do sip mojitos every now and then!
