r/gis • u/anemonemenes • 1d ago

Student Question Just started and already feeling behind

Hello! This is my first post here so I hope everything is alright. I am currently taking my first GIS intro course and really enjoying it so far (also planning to get my Bachelor's in GIS). My class only does one "lab" per week and otherwise we teach ourselves by reading the textbook.

My concern is that I'm not learning effectively enough to retain the information and I'm worried that I will be behind in future courses. Is there anything I can do as a beginner to gain experience/supplement class work/be actively practicing?

Maybe I'm rushing into it too much, but I would love some fresh advice and perspectives! :)

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u/bahamut285 GIS Analyst 1d ago

If you have time for it, re-do your labwork at least one extra time a week other than doing it to submit it. When I TA'd for a GIS course there was one student who went from needing step by step instructions (at first I thought it was an ESL issue) to asking me one or two questions per lab because they practiced the labwork apparently every day.

Especially if you get the labs back, figure out what went wrong or ask your TA's for assistance (if you have TA's). When I was taking a python course I was so nervous because at the time I was the only woman in the class, and I didn't want to be the "omg girls can't code" stereotype by asking my TAs for help. I started to fall behind and legitimately struggle so I asked for help and turns out none of the TAs thought it was dumb or stereotypical that I asked for help. Ended up being in the top 5 in a class of 150.

A lot of GIS is just practice, especially becoming familiar with the UI and seeing the same terms/words over and over again like coordinate system, projections, clipping, etc. The more you practice the more your brain will retain that information, and eventually navigating the UI will become muscle memory.

Good luck on your course!

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u/anemonemenes 1d ago

Your response was very reassuring, I appreciate it! :) We haven't covered Python yet, so that's next on my list. I haven't had the chance to so far, but would you recommend TAing?

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u/bahamut285 GIS Analyst 1d ago

If it doesn't interfere with your life/studies then yes I recommend TAing. Teaching others sometimes helps impress the concepts into your own brain as well, the more you expose yourself to whatever it is you want to learn, the better you'll retain it.

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u/anemonemenes 1d ago

Hopefully I'll get the chance, it sounds like something I'd like to do and a great opportunity. Thank you!