GIS Analyst to GIS Developer

Question

Hi everyone, I am currently a GIS Analyst and would like to transition into becoming a GIS Developer. I do not have a coding back ground but I am willing to learn. I am in my late 20s and have worked as an analyst straight out of college for the last 3 years. I am currently enrolled in Harvard's CS50 course as a base to help me learn and understand the basics of coding. I know this is a pretty niche question and situation but any advice or help would be very much appreciated.

Answer 1

Hi! I would recommend that you continue your Harvard course and graduate with honors.

https://thegisjournal.com/gis-software-development-a-complete-roadmap/

Answer 2

Mariah Howard short answer: learn Python and C#.

Are you working with ESRI products (ArcGIS, ArcGIS Pro)? If so, then I would direct you toward learning Python to program in ESRI's ArcPy scripting language for customizing their applications. If you have access to ESRI's training materials, then use their courses for a better and more direct way to learn ArcPy.

For developing external applications and batch jobs that use the ESRI mapping engine, I recommend learning C#.Net and the ArcGIS Developer SDK for .NET. That is the most popular set of tools. Again, ESRI has some excellent training courses. Inquire whether your company may have a license for you to use them.