Contributed by Micah Gelber and the YP-SIG Core Leadership Team

On the sunny and breezy afternoon of Thursday, September 18, 2025, the WAGISA Young Professionals group met with the Washington Government GIS Leaders (WGGL) for a picnic at Fircrest Park. Set under the Ron Russo Pavilion, the two groups enjoyed five hours of networking, group discussions, great snacks, and plenty of GIS fun.

The WGGL group included employees from a variety of organizations including: City of Tacoma, City of Seattle, Seattle Public Utilities, Thurston County, City of Tumwater, Labor & Industries, Navy Region Northwest, The Washington Military Dept, and KLJ Engineering. 

The event began at noon. For the first hour, attendees had the option to join a pre-picnic lunch at Slice Garden or head directly to the park to settle in. At 1 p.m., everyone gathered under the pavilion for a facilitated group discussion. Originally, this discussion was structured around a set list of questions, but once we began, the conversation naturally evolved into a more open and free-flowing dialogue. The energy and engagement from attendees made it easy to keep the discussion going for the full four hours. Each hour focused on a different theme, with questions to help guide the conversation.

1:00 p.m. – Breaking into GIS
Questions included: What advice would you give to someone just starting their career? Who is hiring right now, and where are you seeing others find jobs? What lessons have you learned from past job searches? What tools or platforms help people land GIS roles? How do you stay motivated during the job search?

2:00 p.m. – Building Skills That Employers Value
Questions included: What technical skills, software, or certifications are most valuable in today’s GIS market? How do desired skills differ between industries? How can young professionals build and showcase their skills effectively? What software and apps can support personal GIS projects? What are some doable project ideas to keep skills sharp while job hunting?

3:00 p.m. – Networking and Relationship Building
Questions included: How can GIS professionals, especially those early in their careers, build meaningful relationships that lead to job opportunities? What networking approaches have you found most effective? How do you become the person a job is “wired” to?

4:00 p.m. – Navigating Career Growth and Change
Questions included: Once you land a GIS job, what steps or mindsets help you grow your career or transition into new opportunities? How do you stay adaptable in an ever-evolving GIS field? How can you continue doing GIS even if your current role isn’t GIS-specific? How do you know when you’re ready for the next step in your career?

The event’s casual park setting helped everyone feel relaxed and open to sharing. The WAGISA crew outfitted the pavilion with food and drinks, decorations, a sign-in sheet, and free swag. Despite a few gusts of wind knocking things over, the atmosphere was perfect. It was inspiring to see so many GIS professionals, emerging and experienced, eager to ask questions, exchange advice, and build connections.

WAGISA recently launched the Young Professional Special Interest Group (YP-SIG), and this picnic was our first official event. The goal of YP-SIG is to create meaningful opportunities for Washington’s young GIS professionals to connect, learn from one another, and find success in their careers.

Before establishing YP-SIG, WAGISA ran a one-year Young Professional Initiative (YPI), which offered a mix of in-person and virtual events. With YP-SIG now formally established, we have a dedicated team of volunteers working to plan, execute, and continuously improve the program to serve as a launchpad for anyone early in their GIS Career. We’re excited to continue providing valuable opportunities for the Washington Young Professional GIS community!

Use the following links to stay connected with YP-SIG and receive announcements, resources, and notices of upcoming events:

YP-SIG Interest Sign-Up Form:https://forms.gle/9VXAGLUQVqucXm1cA

YP-SIG Webpage:https://wagisa.org/Young-Professionals/

We also plan to launch a YP-SIG Discord Server soon, so keep an eye out for an announcement!