What advice do you have for someone who wants to learn GIS, where and how should they start?
Is there any advice you would give young girls about going into your line of work?
Advice that I have for someone who wants to learn GIS (Geographic Information Sciences) is to take a mapping/GIS course in college if you’re just curious to know what GIS is exactly. This is kind of how I stumbled upon becoming interested in mapping and GIS because I was looking for a course to fulfil a liberal education requirement “Technology and Society, Social Sciences” and my university was offering this course called GEOG 1502: Mapping Our World. While going through the course I realized that I genuinely enjoyed thinking through a spatial analytical mindset and thinking from a geographical focal point how places can relate to one another. I was further intrigued when I learned that my university offered advanced GIS courses that utilized advanced GIS software called ArcGIS Pro and that I would be able to learn how to do Python scripting to create custom geoprocessing tools and learn how to automate workflows as well. So [in] summary, I would recommend that they start with a GIS course if their college offers them and if not, there’s a ton of great online GIS resources to investigate as well. For example, the Esri Academy offers a ton of free online GIS tutorials. Finally, an additional piece of advice I would give to young women is to not be afraid to learn something new, even if you’re unsure, because college is all about exploring different majors to see what may pique your interest.
How did you know you wanted to go into your line of work?
I knew that I wanted to go into my line of work because while in college I was also working as a SEEDS student worker at MnDOT in their Metro Traffic Engineering office and while working with them, I was introduced to a little bit of what and how GIS was used in the “real world”. Since I was also taking GEOG 1502 around that same time, I was able to get a good sense of what GIS was through my coursework and through my internship experience. I just really liked how GIS combined principles of Geography/Cartography with Technology/Computer Science, thus seeing the world through a spatial analytical lens. Furthermore, I was intrigued that you could use computer programming, such as Python, SQL, Arcade, or HTML to do a lot of cool spatial analysis on the data that had at least some sort of spatial component. When I realized that the work was actually fun and I enjoyed mapping stuff, such as roadway assets and doing many types of analysis on them, I knew that I wanted to work in the field of GIS after college.
What is the most difficult part of the job?
The most difficult part of the job is managing my time between coordinating and doing my technical GIS work at the same time. Since my job requires me to be a resource and an aid to my GIS users in all their GIS related questions, I have had to learn to balance my time effectively so that I can also focus on doing my own GIS project work. Additionally, since GIS is always evolving, I continue to keep up with the advancing technology. This may take some time out of my day but it is worth it so I can keep in the know on what new improvements have been made in the field of GIS. This in turn helps me to learn first the new GIS technology advancement so that I can then go on to teach it to someone else. Finally, since this position does require me to talk and communicate with people all day, I have learned how to improve my communication skills as well as my teaching skills in order to explain GIS concepts a whole lot better to someone who may not use GIS in their daily work like I do.
What other jobs can you have with your degree?
Other jobs that I can have with my GIS degree include: GIS technician, GIS Specialist, GIS Analyst, GIS Engineer, GIS Engineer, GIS Supervisor, GIS administrator, GIS Information Officer, GIS Manager, Planner, etc.
Link to an article that I wrote for the MnDOT GIS newsletter in where I introduced myself and talked more about becoming Metro District’s newest GIS Coordinator: Autumn 2025 GIS Newsletter
What are possible next steps in your career?
Possible next steps in my career could be becoming a GIS supervisor or a manager. I have been enjoying my current position as a GIS Coordinator, so I don’t plan to advance into a higher position anytime soon. Besides, I already have advanced to a higher position since I first started out as a GIS intern while in college and after graduation, and then I transitioned into a fulltime role as a GIS Specialist I. Then after some time in that role, I had yearned to apply to a more advanced position where I would not only continue to further and advance my GIS technical skills but also further develop my people/public speaking skills. Then the opportunity arose sometime later in [which] I was then able to apply to the GIS Coordinator position at the MnDOT Metro District office location and I have been enjoying working in this position since then. But as stated in the beginning, I could [possibly] see myself becoming a mentor for others who are interested in the field of GIS and [possibly] a GIS supervisor as well.
Articles that were written about me during my time as University of Minnesota-Twin Cities student talking about the internships I did while in college:
https://cla.umn.edu/geography/news-events/story/learning-experience-inspires-public-work
https://twin-cities.umn.edu/news-events/interns-harness-career-opportunities-bridge-pandemic-challenges
https://www.cts.umn.edu/news/2021/october/interns
If you could do it all over again would you still go into GIS?
If I could do it all over again, I would still go into GIS because I genuinely do enjoy what I do for my work and I am grateful for all of the internship experiences as well as college GIS coursework I did because it helped me to solidify my decision to work in the field of GIS. Due to studying and working in this field, I have been able to strengthen my computer programming skills (Python, SQL, Esri Arcade, and HTML), my cartography skills, as well as my people/public speaking skills. Yes, it was a lot of work to balance my internships, college coursework, extracurriculars but I would do it all over again because the experience I gained was something so valuable to help make me who I am today both at work but also in my personal life. More so, I enjoy networking with the people in my field so [that is] another reason why I would choose to major in GIS because the GIS community in Minnesota is such a great group of people to learn and socialize with. In summary, I would still go into GIS because while I had originally thought about going into Civil Engineering my freshman year of college, I was intrigued and surprised by how much I enjoyed working with GIS.
What is the biggest misconception about what you do?
The biggest misconception about what I do is that all I do is “make maps”. Which is true but it is so much more than that. It requires me to think through a spatial analytic lens and to think critically about where I decide to put my mapping components in the layout. The same thing applies to when I am creating web maps and web mapping applications. Aside from that, my work requires me to do a lot of different workflows and one of my goals is to hopefully work on making them automated by writing python scripts. GIS professionals communicate with others through a spatial analytic lens and if you’re able to create useful and organized maps and web mapping applications, they can become very useful tools for others to use throughout the department. Another part of my job requires me to listen and work with others on any potential changes that may occur to our current transportation assets as well as the roadways that we’re responsible for maintaining.
Here is PDF link of an article that I did for GeoConnected in where I further discussed a bit more of my job responsibilities and what I do in my day to day in my GIS Coordinator position: Diana Flores Castillo – GeoConnected PDF
Would you say your career path into this field was traditional? If not, why?
I would say that my career path into this field was traditional because my undergraduate degree was in GIS with a minor in Leadership and I also completed multiple GIS internships during my time in college that further strengthened my decision to major in GIS. Although you don’t have to have majored in GIS to go into this field because I know of colleagues that have majored in other majors such as Geology or Urban Studies, and they work in a GIS related field today. Either way, whether your career path into GIS is traditional or not, what really matters the most is whether you genuinely enjoy the work and feel like you’re making a difference in your work everyday as well.
What is your favorite part about your job?
My favorite part of my job is getting to help people with all of their GIS related questions and requests as well. Some of these GIS requests that I have been asked to work on is creating custom geoprocessing tools through Python scripting for the Water Resources department, doing a spatial analysis of any of our assets damaged out in our roadways, doing all Web GIS administration tasks for my office, utilizing Layer dependency notebooks, creating a custom GIS hub site for my office’s maps and data, create an annual map of Metro District construction projects for the current year, work on As-Builts using CAD to GIS, update existing data and create new data for my office as well, create ad-hoc static maps to print, etc. Those are just a few tasks that I either am currently working on or have worked on in the past. Also, I am excited to delve more into the world of AI (Artificial intelligence) and deep learning and see how it can help improve some of the current GIS workflows that I do every day. Additionally, it is great to be able to work in the same organization that my twin sister Sandra works in as well. She is a Photogrammetry Technician in the Central Office in the Land Management unit, and she does amazing work with aerial imagery and photogrammetry to support transportation planning and decision-making across the state. To learn more about her and her work, here is a link to a StoryMap that she made: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/2766bf2eb9b247a89b16f55dec8e9ad8?item=4
Sandra (left) and Diana (right): This photo was from last year when Sandra won an award for her work in promoting the field of Photogrammetry to students as well as her contributions in the complex field of Photogrammetry as well.
What is the salary range for this field of work?
The salary range for this field of work can range from $69,500 and $93,000.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR5hFRqF7v25nenJ-doK_kSPtfYbdbYhdh0Vw&s
How many years of school does it take to become a GIS specialist?
A: It took me 4 years at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in Minneapolis, MN to earn my undergraduate degree to become a GIS Coordinator at MnDOT. However, some people choose to continue their education and go on to study for a Master’s degree in GIS or obtain a GIS certificate as well. I don’t plan to obtain a Master’s degree but I do still plan to continue taking online GIS courses through Esri Academy, do some courses through LinkedIn Learning, and perhaps study to obtain a GISP certification someday as well.
Tell us about your educational background.
My educational background is that I graduated from Stillwater Area High School in 2018 with honors and I then graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 2022 with a 3.634 GPA. I received a Bachelor’s in Science (B.S.) degree in Geography within a GIS track and a minor in Leadership.
Article that was written about me and my sister about our internship during high school: https://www.hometownsource.com/stillwater_gazette/news/education/stillwater-grads-twins-to-study-civil-engineering-after-mndot-internships/article_4b7db9ac-65e0-11e8-941b-a3d01a8b110d.html
What inspired you to pursue a degree in GIS?
What inspired me to pursue a degree in GIS was the internship I was doing at MnDOT at that time as well as the very first GIS/mapping college course I ever took at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Additionally, I was inspired to pursue a degree in GIS due to the many inspirational stories I have read of people using GIS to make a positive difference in the world and I knew that whatever job I would end up with, I would want to help people and I think I was successful in that since I do get to help people at my job everyday as a GIS Coordinator. I think GIS technology is and continues to make a positive change in the world by contributing to data driven decisions!
https://summitenvcon.com/gis-services-3-d-modeling/
Who was your role model growing up?
My role model growing up was my Dad. He always instilled in my siblings and I the value of working hard at anything you set your mind to, to always try your best, and to never be afraid to learn something new, even if you fail. He always wanted us to get a college education so that when the time came to pick a career, we would have many opportunities to pick from. As immigrants, we grew up with the idea of the “American Dream” and so I knew I wanted a piece of that when I grew up. And I think I was able to achieve that with graduating college and finding employment in the area I studied for my degree in.
What advice would you pass along to our Latinas that are looking to pursue a STEM degree?
Some advice I would pass along to our Latinas that are looking to pursue a STEM degree is to believe in yourself. At times, I have felt discouraged that maybe I wasn’t good enough to make it in my STEM degree, but I figured that if I don’t even believe in myself then why should others? It all starts with you believing you can and with patience and hard work, you’ll eventually get through the hard times and end up with a STEM degree in your hand. College isn’t easy, especially going in to pursue a STEM degree, so just by making that decision to pursue a STEM degree is already inspiring to anybody and everybody in the Latina community.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dianaflorescastillo
Recommended Internships:
- MnDOT’s Phoenix Student Worker Program: Phoenix Program - Careers - MnDOT
- MnDOT’s SEEDS Student Worker Program: Seeds Program - Careers - MnDOT
- Ramsey County Student Intern – Planning Internship (Unclassified): Student Intern Ramsey County Planning Internship Unclassified
- Esri Summer Internship Program: Summer Internships & Event Volunteer Assistantships | Paid Student Programs







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