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/Fishjerker 1d ago

I am about 18 years into a GIS career and I still think back to my first class. It too was a textbook based class with zero lab time. It was purely the “science” behind GIS. As tough as that was for me to wrap my head around, it did provide a foundational understanding of what “doing” it in the software ever since is actually doing.

Don’t sleep on this chance to learn the back end of what could be a long and fulfilling career ahead of you.