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Students Retraining in a Tough Economy: Jim Barta, Geographic Info Systems

Story by Meryl Lipman. Photo by James Hill.

Jim Barta spent two years as a planner for the city of Tualatin, but in 2008 he was caught in a round of layoffs. Barta, who has a bachelor’s degree in geography and cartography and a master’s in urban planning from University of Wisconsin in Madison, bounced around jobs in the wireless industry, sometimes as a private sector employee and sometimes as a contractor. But, like so many hit hard by the 2008 recession, Barta spent much of 2009 unemployed.

But he found hope thanks to a new С��è��ý option that has rejuvenated his career. Barta was one of the first to enroll in the new Geographic Information Systems Certificate, a career technical program of 44 credits. The GIS option was approved for С��è��ý at the state level and began fall term 2010.

“There was just no work, so I decided I had to do something,” Barta said. “I’m 47 years old and the time to do something is now. GIS would give me a leg up in my career. It’s a big plus if you have GIS skills to offer an employer or client.”

Students learn how to communicate geographic information, verbally and graphically, by using geographic tools and technologies. They also will be able to analyze geographic problems and questions as well as collect, create, analyze and document information. The program is aimed at architects, urban planners, environmental non-profit organizations and foresters looking for skill updates or retraining.

Geography Information Systems instructor Christina Friedle said these skills are becoming a standard for jobs in many sectors such as engineering, forestry and other environmental sciences. “We all wish we were out there tromping around in the field,” she said, “but it’s a lot of looking at databases and Excel spreadsheets, or doing cartography – (putting) data into a map so it’s easily digested.”

Thanks to С��è��ý’s 2008 bond measure, this option is using a new 30-station computer lab with state-of-the-art GeoArc software that will help in their learning. The certificate was designed with an environmental sciences focus to meet the transfer requirements for Portland State University. С��è��ý and Clackamas Community College, which has a similar option with a more technical focus, will work together.

Barta took similar classes in the 1980s, which he said included “drawing maps,” but he hadn’t used those skills in 20 years, so he enrolled in the Geographic Information Systems classes, hoping that, with that knowledge under his belt, he will be able to apply for public and private sector positions.