Geology as a Career
Oil companies and Environmental companies tend to hire the most geologists. However, a geologist can find employment in other areas. The Federal Government employs close to 6,000 geologists and geophysicists, mostly with the United States Geological Survey. The Survey’s mission is to “serve the Nation by providing reliable scientific information to: describe and understand the earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life.” Every State also has a geologic survey whose mission is similar to that of the USGS. Most of the work a geologist does for the Survey is divided among collecting data on research topics and then analyzing the data and publishing the information in reports and maps.
Other employment for a geologist can be as a consultant to large engineering and architectural companies. Many state, county and city building codes now require a geological inspection of the site to determine the stability of the site. These geologists work with structural engineers and architects to determine how well the soil will support the building as designed, and whether changes need to be made. Consultant geologists are especially important in parts of the country that have a high risk of earthquakes, as the building codes there are more stringent.
Probably one of the largest areas of possible employment is with universities and colleges. Almost every college and university has a degree program in geology or earth sciences. Being a geologist at a university or college requires a balance between teaching duties to doing research and publishing of one’s findings in peer review articles. The demands between teaching and research can be hard as many colleges and most science departments depend on financial grants as a big part of their budgets.
Overall, there are many opportunities for a person who wants to be a geologist to find employment. You may not become rich, but the rewards in knowledge will certainly outpace any financial rewards you might have gained by being a lawyer or a doctor.
There are some good sites on the web if you are interested in more information about jobs and careers in geology.
Dave’s Geology Jobs Page This site has some good links to other web pages with job and career information.
US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics Much of the wage information in this article came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
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