Want to work in land management? Choose a speciality, experts say

Narrow down your career path as early as possible — because land management is a vast field that may be more rewarding for specialists than generalists, several experienced land experts told Devex. Work first, gain experience and make a decision in terms of what you want to achieve before embarking on a career such as land administration, for example, advised Lisa Kay Lewis, a certified geographic information systems professional and senior business analyst for Thomson Reuters. And don’t be afraid to identify a mentor — someone else who is passionate about a certain field is often what “pulls you in,” according to Anna Knox, a land tenure expert and chief of party for Chemonics’ U.S. Agency for International Development-funded Rwanda Land Project. To read additional content on land and property rights, go to Focus On: Land Matters in partnership with Thomson Reuters.