Summary:
Information about careers as a geologist, include the types of jobs, pay, and what geologists do.
Geology is a very exciting career which has different pathways and rewards which extend from it. Such pathways include work as a geochemist, oceanic geologist, work in the field of petroleum, or more specifically some have a degree in a specific mineral or type of mineral compound in general ( Careers in the Geosciences 2-3).These fields can have many job opportunities branching off of them such as head scientist of a corporation or professor at a college. Geologists use their knowledge to locate and obtain physical data referring to the make up of earth's surface or any other planet that they are studying at the time. The work is not always the most fun, but for the most part, the good outweighs the bad in this field of work. The work of geology can always be associated with the field of science. The term "geo" that is the prefix for this field is Latin root word for rocks. Thus, any suffix having to do with rocks can be added after it to specify the field.
Many times the fields that are closely related to rocks, or geology in specific, are known as the environmental sciences. (Environmental Sciences 2)
The preparation to become a geologist can be a long one that will never have a definite end. From the beginning of this job until the time you decide to retire, new ideas will always be coming in. Education is a very important factor in the success that a geologist will have. A minimum of a Bachelors degree is best for most entry level jobs. Most employers that are serious as a scientific firm will pass up a straight bachelors degree for any job above janitor. For almost any job that is considered higher up, a Masters degree is alright, but a PhD is the best degree suited for the job (Environmental Scientists 5).
In the field of geology, if you are a freelance worker, it is important to have your name known. Many of these scientists that work for themselves use such methods as business cards, spreading their name by word of mouth etc. The best way is to apply for jobs with different firms as a one time deal in the field of geography that you are interested in (Geosciences 4). If you are interested in a long term job to retire early in, it is best to search for a job with the federal or state government (Environmental Scientists 3). Over the next decade, it is predicted that jobs that are involved with the Federal or State government will generally stay at the same level of stability that they have held for the previous decade. (Environmental Scientists 3). The downside of this though is that whenever you do jobs with individual firms as a self employed scientist, there is likely to be a higher amount paid to you then from a flat pay check once a month. Essentially, you can trade stability for higher wages between a corporate job and a self employed man.(Environmental Scientists 1-10). The field of geology is not all about schooling. Especially depending on what is your specialty, work with an older, more successful, scientist or group can lead to you gaining valuable experience which will be necessary in the workplace. People skills, as with any job, are important in your success. Along with at least a masters degree, people skills will be very important on whether or not you get the higher level jobs. The type of geologists that search for oil in particular need a degree as well as experience. One way that corporations that refine crude oil in to gasoline that makes our cars work every day involve a complex process. One successful way that the scientists have found work is to take a sample of the earth's core. They then examine it under an SEM microscope, this stands for scanning electronic microscope. It will coat the core sample in a layer of gold about twenty to thirty atoms thick. This allows different trace elements to show up better as an advanced camera takes a picture of the core. The different scientist then analyze this data to search for traces of oil. If their studies come up with a suitable amount of oil for the executives who make the decisions, the consideration of planting an oil derrick will come into consideration. This information is not from an actual book source but what I have come to learn over the years through my observations around a scientist my life. The broadness of the field of the geosciences can account for the many different types of work in which they take place in. For example, an environmental geologist will study the interaction between the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and human activities. ( Career in Geosciences 2 ). In my opinion the career that looks the most interesting is the geochronologist. These geologist study the rates of decay of certain radioactive elements in rocks to determine their age and time sequence of events in the history of the earth ( Career in Geosciences 2 ). According to my source, one of the most popular careers in the field of geology is that of a geomorphologist. This popularity can be accredited to the added possibility of travel all over the world and eventually space. A Geomorphologist studies the landforms and landscapes in relation to the geological and climatic processes and human activities which form them ( Career in Geosciences 2 ). A seismologist is closely related to this field. There are numerous teams of seismologist which are currently studying the San Andreas Fault in California. These people who are working on the fault are able to predict closely with accuracy and precision how soon an earthquake will occur( Career in Geosciences 2 ). Of course, other schooling is required for all of the different field of geology but in many a degree in general geology is necessary.
The salary of a geologist varies with experience, skill, field, and employer. On the average, the salary of a geologist will vary to about a $5000 dollar difference a year depending on the degree that they hold for a geologist with ten years of experience. A bachelors degree, usually pays around $65,000 for ten years of experience (Career as A Geologist 18). For a geologist with just a few years experience, the annual earnings vary around $5000, with a bachelors degree starting around $50,000. From there a master's and PhD degree will rise $5000 with each level of degree (Career as A Geologist 18). The annual earnings also depend heavily on where you are working. The Federal Government pays on the average $59,590 per year, but can vary with skill and employer. Various engineering and architectural services on the average pay $43,920. Usually if you work for this type of employer, the salary can change quickly due to this being the least stable of these top employers. If you notice however, it is near the top in annual salary (Environmental Scientists 8). Management and public relations is the next highest paying job rounding out at $43,900 per fiscal year. The Local Government averages $42,880 a year, with the State Government in a close fifth at $39,330 per year. (Environmental Scientists 8).
The job as a geologist can be a very exciting and fulfilling job. The way that geologist use their knowledge to further expand their knowledge of the specific subject matter can be one of the most exciting in the scientific field. For the most part they are mostly out in the field. As a need for different fossil fuels along with the need for further understanding of the earth's crust, it appears that the need for geologists, no matter what the general field might be, will never go away. All the different crude oil producing corporations such as Exxon, Mobil, Shell, British Petroleum, in particular, will always have the need for the top scientists in this field to search for oil. Every time a car starts up, running on gas, it is a logical conclusion that there was a geologist that discovered the crude oil that was processed into gas. As is evident in this paper, geology is a very exciting career which has different pathways and rewards which extend from it in many different directions.
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