I failed an entry level technical assessment interview today for ArcGIS after preparing like Crazy, because I couldn’t save as a Shape file…
I just need someone to tell. I’m quite experienced with tech. I have a specialization in software engineering, an undergrad degree in CS from a top tier university, with another Major in Urban Planning where I even previously took a GIS course couple years ago. Ive studied intermediate level SQL, Programming, Numerical Analysis, etc. I’ve fixed computers and taught computer software (like MS Office) as a job (IT Helpdesk, GeekSquad etc). I was doing a technical assessment interview today for a GIS job I Really wanted. So I prepared like Crazy.
They said it’ll be on ArcGIS.
I use Linux myself. So I decided to practice it all using QGIS. I went in depth. Being a CS specialist (having taken intermediate courses on SQL, Python etc), I studied attributes table joins, merges, spatial joins, buffers, everything. How to write python expressions, etc. I reviewed till I fully understood everything, including projections, raster data and what not. I exclusively worked with shape files in QGIS but fully understood the different file formats, even .dbf, .prj and what they’re used for.
I spent the last 2 days before the interview with ArcGIS, basically know how to use it. All the concepts were the same. I was ready. With ArcGIS I decided to work with geodatabases and saving feature class in the .gdb files. After all, I had so much practice with shape files in QGIS. I was ready for an intermediate, maybe even advanced test.
I go into the interview. Naturally I’m nervous but hey I was ready. Easiest questions Ever. “Hide this layer, label that layer, create a layout with a legend”. The most advance thing was to use the Clip tool (literally the only non-Super basic thing). But then…
Early into the test: very easy working with layers, and then the question I got stuck on. “Save this layer as a shape file”. Easy, right? Data -> export…. And…. No shape file option? Uhm ok, I can figure this out. I click on browse, and try to change the file format, but shape file isn’t showing up in the list of formats. Ok, surely this isn’t That hard, I think. I change directories, and still, no shapefile option. The Only Option is geodatabase… I think, maybe I should name it layer.shp, but I know that even if you suffix the file name a certain extension, how I save the file format is what takes precedence, and the only format for saving was geodatabase. Maybe there is a separate button in the menu / ribbon for it? Nope. Maybe it’s in the right-click options? Nope. At this point I Am Shocked. How in the world is saving a shape file using ArcGIS NOT intuitive? I don’t want to risk naming the file one thing but specifying the format another, so I panic. Because I know if I do that and the files don’t open, it will mess up everything else. I save it as a feature class in the .gdb. Multiple questions pop up about saving layers as shape files. For all of them, I couldn’t do it, didn’t know how. I finished the entire interview, and not One shape file saved. I left a note on the questions saying “out oh habit I saved it as a feature class in .gdb since it’s cleaner, and that my data is there D:” I think I wrote I read to save it as shape files afterwards near the end. Idk
I look it up after the interview, frustrated. And turns out, it’s the most unintuitive thing ever. Apparently you have to switch directories, say you want to save it as a geodatabase but append .shp to the end of the file name. I went in not actually searching how to save as a shape file in ArcGIS because I thought it was intuitive, and that’s what messed me up. Intermediate / Advanced level knowledge, and yet I failed the most basic interview because saving as shape file is what I couldn’t do.
If only it was as intuitive as QGIS. Anyways, thanks for reading.
