Switch career from GIS Technician/Analyst to GIS Web Developer/Programmer?

After completing education or GIS Courses many got in to hurry to get the job without thinking about future prospective of job profile. They join somewhere as GIS Analyst or Technician and endup with geo-referencing and digitization. After spending long time in that career one forgot other skills and blends ability to learn new things. Still few may try to move toward better job prospective. On other side GIS Developer has better future prospectus.

Even if you want to make better progress or salary increment as GIS Analyst gis scripting skills can help you. Scraping in GIS often help to automating repetitive process as such as clippin
g various spatial files and likewise longer repetitive tasks.

Scripting in GIS is important skills even for GIS Analyst.

 

Learning with job is hectic and need serious efforts. If you are working as GIS Technician/Analyst and want to switch your career to GIS Web Map Developer/Programmer, here are 10 step/point to consider.

Developing Programming Skills in GIS

1. Pick a programming language and write a lot of code. Being experience and having knowledge of ArcGIS or QGIS, I recommend to get started with Python scripting with for ArcGIS course. This will help you to explore yourself and understand your ability for coding.  
2. To get starting joining short teems course may help like Python scripting with for ArcGIS course or Developing Web Portal with Open Source GIS.
3. Spend your spare time as much on programming, see yourself as programmer
4. Follow and start to work on an open source project
5. Volunteer to write code for somebody - without a deadline and a concrete project it is hard to get going
6. Maybe take some programming classes - not a complete requirement but it might help
7. Read programming blogs to learn and see how programmers think what problem they faces
8. Write and read a lot of code
9. Remember 10,000 hours rule, to become and expert at something - so start writing code and reading code
10. Be prepared to suck for a while - it is part of grow up the learning curve

Whereas fresher can choose GIS Developer as their careers from start. Certificate or Diploma courses in Geospatial Application development may help them to get started.