I got my PG test results today (Arizona). Keep an eye out for your results, and congrats to everyone that passed!!!

Hello, I am currently in my junior year (by credits) as a geology student, and I'm looking for advice. I am currently taking an intro to GIS course offered at my school, and that class has been taking a toll on my mental health for various reasons. I currently have a C in it, but am considering dropping it for the previously mentioned mental health reason as well as the professors teaching style not working for me very well. The main reason I have not dropped the class, however, is because I feel like I need something to help me stand out in resumes, and I am not sure what else could help with that. I had tried programming much earlier in college to little success. So my question is for those who currently have jobs in geology. How important is GIS for you? Are jobs willing to train someone in it while working? And what other things may be worth looking into to supplement my degree?

Hi! I'm teaching a lab for a college groundwater hydrology course and I'm designing a new assignment for their hydrochemistry unit. I want them to follow the (extremely simplified) process for characterizing a contaminated site so that they can get exposure to the kinds of data and methods we use in the real world.

I would like to base this off a real site so I don't have to try to fake data & so that we can follow the actual narrative arc. Does anyone know which states publish the consultant reports they receive from their sites? I know New Hampshire does a good job of having tons of publicly available reports & data, but I can't find any sites in that state match what I'm interested in. I would really like to have a mix of contaminants like metals & solvents + PFAS so I was looking for a semiconductor facility but I'm open-minded. Landfills could work too.

Thanks in advance!

I’m doing one in a few days, I’ve got good experience with python and machine learning, but this is my first event where I’ll be competing in a team so to speak…

Has anyone done these before, what kinds of data did they give you, what did the other teams and yours do, and how did it go?

I am not here to talk about the election, just some of the policies he is proposing with cutting regulations. I'm graduating very soon and I have been planning on going into environmental. I'm curious what kind of effect people think he's going to have especially those that had environmental jobs during his last term.

i’m a junior, currently on track to go to grad school. not too sure where i will end up but the dream would be to work a solid job at a government agency, not strictly desk job. i want to stay away from consulting or anything that isn’t particularly fulfilling. i’m even open to O&G. for the upcoming summer i am hoping to get an REU internship to gain research experience. i have particular interests in near surface geophysics, seismology, and environmental engineering.

Generally is it unheard of work weeks like 4x10 or 3x12. I’m fully prepared to work 5x8 after I graduate but if a 3x12 work week is possible that would be phenomenal.

Hello, I am a geologist and an American. My husband is a citizen of Mexico. We both currently reside in America. We have been discussing moving to Mexico for a few years now and we are probably going to in the next year due to his mothers declining health. I have been looking for job postings in Mexico and can't find much. Does anyone know if there is a jobsite for Geology jobs in Mexico? Or maybe know of a US company that is also in Mexico?

Thanks 😊

Hello everyone, I have been applying to a variety of internships for the summer 2025. I have been focusing on mining opportunities, but I am open to all Geologically related fields. I am pursuing a BS in Geology in Missouri, but I can relocate anywhere for the summer of 2025. I thought I would mention this here incase anyone is tasked with finding interns, and would like to interact with a potential candidate! The online websites for applying have pros and cons. I do wish I could just walk in somewhere and interact face to face. Thanks!

EDIT: got an update from BPELSG Hello, Sorry for the anxiety this email must have produced! Please ignore it, for some reason this email seems to have been sent out to all the CSE candidates. Also, please tell anyone else who took the exam or will take the exam to ignore the email. Thanks for your patience while we research this issue.

ORIGINAL POST Did anyone else get an email early this morning that they were a CSE No Show? I took the test Oct 1 and have my completion confirmation but got an email saying I didn't show up or I canceled. I have emails sent and will call BPELSG at 8 am but I'm trying not to spiral in the meantime. This has to be human error on their end right?

I took the California Specific Exam on October 1st and just got an email this morning saying they canceled my exam because of a no-show but I legit went to prometric and physically took the exam, I even have a confirmation for completing it from prometric. When I check the appointment on prometric now a month and a half after the exam it still says scheduled? I feel like that should say completed or something. I mean I took the exam so do you think prometric lost my exam? I just don't understand I thought moving to electronic exams would make this less likely to happen? Ughh.

UPDATE: I talked to Prometric and it's not on their end, apparently their only job is scheduling and administering, I tried to get confirmation that they sent the exam to the board, they basically said yes but danced around any sort of official confirmation. Pretty sure this is something internal with the Board. Just hoping it ends up positive in our court those who received the email. Will update if I hear anything else

I enjoy making things with my own hands so I think I'd like to pursue some kind of job where I get to make physical models that show/visualize certain geological processes for educational purposes, however I'm not sure what kind of job that'd be, is that is a job at all.

I noticed that all the physical models my faculty has in their labs are old and some of them discolored and we don't use any of them (it'd be easier to understand the subjects if we used the physical models too, imo, but maybe the profs don't use them anymore out of fear of breaking them since they're so old).

I have my doubts that they're still made to this day since computers can make something much more precise, but still, I figured I'd ask.

I am currently 2 years in environmental consulting; however, I feel like I barely know anything. I’m not getting assigned work even when I ask. What are crucial skills one should know in consulting that I can continue to learn myself besides the basic fieldwork, report preparation, and drafting maps? Any certs I should look into besides a PG license?

So I've been trying to advance or change my career path. Graduated in 2020 and have been struggling with jobs since covid shut everything down and I wasn't able to go into the career field I wanted. I've done food service, warehouse, USPS, and now am working for CDFW as an environmental services intern. I need to find a more stable and higher paying job and would like it to be within the natural sciences. I have a B.S. in Anthropology and was working towards a Geology Minor, but didn't get it because Petrology was really hard for me and that was my last quarter at the school so I couldn't retake it. I've been applying to all sorts of jobs for the past 6-8 months with no luck, but I just got a recruitment offer today from a company I applied to and she said that they're only looking for applicants who have either a GIT or EIT and encouraged me to get one. I might as well get the cert since it's nice to have and might possibly help me find a geo-based job or other field tech jobs. However, I'm looking at the minimum requirements to apply for the exam and I don't fully meet them. I have 36 quarter hours in geology courses, 20 of them being upper division courses, including the Petrology course that I didn't pass (it was 5 credit hours, earned 6.5 quality points with a D+). It does say under 7841.2(b)(1) and (b)(2) that i just have to attest to the completion of the education requirements, and that the Board is not required to verify the applicant's eligibility for the cert. So I'm wondering, should I still apply to take the exam in March 2025 since I am very much interested in obtaining this cert, even without full completion of the education requirements? Unless I can apply for the exam as an underqualified applicant and see if the Board accepts or rejects me to take the exam? I really enjoyed learning geology while in college and can definitely study the material to prepare for the exam.

Hey everyone, I'm a geology student transferring Fall 2025 to complete my bachelors degree.
I really need some help deciding on what school I'd like to attend. I am interested in a career in mineral exploration and mining.

I've narrowed things down between University of Arizona and South Dakota School of Mines- I've been accepted to both and I know they are great schools, but they are on the complete opposite end of the spectrum in terms of size and I'd imagine the overall experience. (And local geology/weather of course.)

I know Arizona is a top program so I felt that was a no-brainer, but the smaller environment at South Dakota Mines seems promising for research and internship opportunities. However, on the flip side, I feel like the small campus (around 2500 students last I checked) would be super isolating, and id find my crowd at Arizona anyways, despite how large it is.

Given these circumstances, could anyone shed some light or offer advice on the differences in large vs. small schools and how I should approach my decision? (FYI - I plan on visiting both campuses in person next spring)

Thank you!

I got a Bachelor's of Science in Geology in 2017 and haven't done much with it since then and am trying to get into the field again. I took a ArcGis class during that time. What would you suggest I do/get to help my chances getting a job in this field?

American here, just curious what does the job market for geologists look like in Canada? What are the major sectors, what type of red tape/requirements are needed to get jobs in your sectors?

Worked in various industries in my 7 year tenure 3 now as a project manager and I am sick of it already. Currently working in consulting doing Geotech as a PM and just feel like I will be a PM until I retire and I don’t think that’s what I would want. Is the only other growth to be a department manager?

Probably will eventually leave this career altogether for less stressful and less time sheet driven opportunities.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently a PhD student in geology and working part-time as a mudlogger. Lately, I’ve been debating whether to stick with the PhD or commit to a full-time position in the industry.

If I went full-time, I’d earn about 20% more than I do now with my part-time role plus the PhD scholarship. However, even if I finish my PhD, I'm not sure I'd want to stay in academia or research long-term, as I’ve heard the salaries aren’t very competitive compared to industry roles.

One major reason I chose the PhD route is the lifestyle. My current field work requires a rotational schedule—7 days on at the site, working 12-hour shifts, then a week off. While that’s manageable now, it’s not ideal as I’m planning to start a family soon, and I’d prefer a position where I don’t have to be away from home for such long stretches.

With the PhD, I hoped to gain skills in geostatistics combined my field experience , could help me land a more stable, higher-level role. Plus working in both Indrusty and Academic enviroment would help me building a professional network. But I’m questioning if sticking with the PhD is the best way to advance my career or if going full-time now might open better opportunities.

Would love to hear from anyone who has been in a similar situation or has insights into whether a PhD truly helps secure better roles in the geoscience field. Thanks in advance for any advice!

I’m at the early-mid part of my career in environmental consulting and have been thinking about how to increase my salary. Obviously I need to job hop, which I haven’t been doing but looking for additional ways to do that. At my current company, I feel like my salary growth will start to stagnant, considering I know what a couple of the higher level people make compared to me.

I have around 6 years of experience and just got my PG. Pretty good at fieldwork and people are always wanting me to work on their projects. Decent understanding of my state’s regulatory programs. I manage easier Phase II projects that have pretty quick turnarounds, but don’t have much experience with managing projects in regulatory programs. Limited experience dealing with clients as well. Definitely not bringing in any work myself. Currently my salary is in the low $70k range. After bonuses, it’s in the upper $70k range.

What have you done to grow your career in environmental consulting? I’m feeling a little stuck. Getting a PG was the big milestone for me, and now that I’ve got it, I don’t know where to go from here. I’m definitely not opposed to stepping into adjacent related careers.

Hello! I graduated with my Bachelor's in Geology last May. I did great throughout my time in undergrad, and taking the advice one of my professors, I had pursued a Master's and am currently in graduate school working towards it. However, I've noticed a lot of issues that are making my reconsider this- and I would appreciate advice on my options and potential paths forward.

I am currently focusing on Hydrogeology in graduate school, but have also been open to a more environmental side of geology overall. Given this, I would assume consulting companies are a common option for careers after college. My current challenge is my position in graduate school and feeling that it is not benefitting me the way it is supposed to. While I know graduate school is more independent and self motivated, I feel my advisor has not given me any sort of starting point or direction to work towards for my thesis, and this has left me feeling clueless. I have only been here for three months, but I feel that my Hydrogeology class here- taught by a different professor- has benefitted me more than anything else already.

This has left me very worried about graduate school in general- and based off Rate my professors, this seems to be a common complaint regarding this professor- expecting the students to know more than they should and be on the same level as her, with very little experience. This has made me feel that it may be a better option to abandon this current path and look for a job to gain experience in the field, potentially testing the waters over the next several years with different parts of Environmental Geology and Hydrogeology related jobs and potentially pursuing a Master's at a later date if I see it is as a good option in any circumstance that arrives.

While I'm not reading to make a rash decision overnight, this is something I'm considering. This path forward would have its own challenges however, as in the immediate area I do not believe there are many openings, if any, for entry level jobs in this field, and currently being tied down by lease which would be another hurdle to overcome if I decide to sooner than next summer. Additionally, I have very little idea about networking and was not able to obtain an internship during my undergrad or even participate in undergrad research opportunities. I would likely be looking to obtain a job on the other side of the country, potentially living with friends in the area I wanna be. How viable of an option is this, and what potential benefits are there for doing this versus staying in my master's, and what are the potential costs of doing this? Generally speaking, I am just looking for opinions or advice for this situation. Thank you for any responses.

Hi there redditors. Looking for some grad school advice. Graduated with my BS in geology 2 years ago and have been working as a federal hydrologist since. I really enjoy the work I do, but know that for promotions down the line for where I want to go (5-10 years) I need more schooling.

I want to go back and get an MS with a thesis track but do it part time so I can keep the job. I’ve been chatting with local profs at the University I’m looking at for the past year and they’re keeping me in the loop for funding for Hydrology projects (Chem-based). They like me a lot considering my heavy research background from undergrad (ran a lot of geochem projects and did a few NSF internships). An opportunity has come up, but I am currently unsure if I were to go part time that they could fund tuition fully, considering it’s only for a MS and the original intent was for full time school.

Does anyone know if there are grants/scholarships out there to apply for to fund part time MS students? Know it’s a reach but am hoping someone knows something I can look into before I meet with the Profs this week.

I’m currently a Geologist in Training working at an environmental consulting company and recently got a job offer from the Provincial Government Energy Regulator.

I interviewed for the job this past Monday and sent the offer on Tuesday. I informed my manager about the situation and told him I was leaning towards leaving. He made an outline for a plan to work with me moving forward to address the reasons I wanted to leave and an increase in salary.

I want to make clear that money is not a factor in the choice) my main issue was a lack of mentorship and senior support, and work load.

I ended up turning down the Regulator offer yesterday but this morning they called me back and gave me till Tuesday to reconsider as I was too priority candidate and the geology team there was impressed by my interview and wanted me to be a part of the team.

I’m not sure what to do because these two different career paths, however both lead to a P.Geo designation. The job offer is a limited term but is full office based and they are committed to working to make it permanent.

As for my experience I’ve been working for almost 4 years (with the same company). Experience in hydrogeology and contaminated sites. Currently considered an intermediate on the team became a project manager at 1.5 years (clients included municipalities and private organizations both local and international) I have strong field, problem solving skills, technical and proposal writing skills. My technical knowledge I feel is lacking because due unprecedented circumstances I was thrown into the deep end and worked my ass off to help fill any hole there was on the team. So I’ve just been fighting fires and figuring out how to get the current project done and then moving to the next one. I’m just really good at figuring out a way to get the job done one way or another.

The main problem with this decision is someone asked me where do I see myself in 10 year and honestly I don’t know. I spent my whole time filling in wherever the team needed me (fieldwork, technical work, project manager….).

Does anyone have any advice on things to think about and consider?

Edit: Don’t know if it matters but my degrees are in geophysics and GIS

Hopefully this falls within this sub's scope

I work as a geo and travel for fieldwork, usually by plane. It's more urban work so I stay in hotels.

What suitcases/luggage do you guys use that can stand up to carrying rocks? I always bring back personal samples and it's kind of ruining my suitcase. Any advice on how to fly commercial with rocks?

Hi everyone! I’m hoping I can gather some advice based on my interest and experience on to pursue career wise after I graduate in the Spring of 2026.

Personal context: I am a 3rd year undergraduate in a geology. I first went to college for Environmental Science with a concentration in marine science. Fell in love with the first geology class I took, transferred to the only university in my state offering a geology major.

I’m currently in the position when asked “what are you interested in?” I cannot give them a straight answer. My freshman year, I did a pilot project digitizing wetlands and I’m currently trying to get research doing more archaeological based work. Next semester I will be dipping my toes into geophysics and stratigraphy with hopes that something will click. I can’t seem to figure out where my passions and what the world needs overlaps.

If you were in a similar situation in your education I would love to hear your story and where you ending up. What did you do that helped you figure out what you wanted to do? Was it an internship, graduate research, a childhood dream? Please help me brainstorm some ideas of what I can say instead of “I’m not sure what I’m interested in just yet”

Hi all, after a year and half of not getting any job offers, I recently got 2 offers. One is for a recent graduate/pathways physical scientist position with the USGS. The other is to be a lab manager at a university for a research field I feel passionate about.

I'm struggling with what to do. I am concerned that my likelihood of being converted from a Recent Graduate to Permanent with the USGS may be diminished if the incoming administration is successful in hampering federal environmental agencies. Does anyone (especially USGS/Department of the Interior folks) have thoughts on that? I feel passionate and fortunate for both job opportunities, and I've been trying to get a job with the USGS for a while now. I don't want to accept the USGS offer if the job gets cut after the first year. Thank you all for your thoughts.

Geoscience undergrad here! Right now I am exploring my career options while I’m still an undergraduate. Im I’ve been exploring this sub and I’m interested in this field but I don’t wanna travel too too much. I live in CT and I’m willing to go to NY or mass if so be it but I’d rather stay in my state if possible. Is this reasonable? Will this hurt my career and salary growth? What do you guys think?

Hi y’all, I’m at my 2.5 year mark with my and I’m now making a hair under 50k a year. I’m in central Ohio. As a geologist/geophysicist, with my amount of experience and now starting to move from strictly field work to project management what sort of salary should I expect?

Or if anyone would be willing to share what they make and their level of experience and kinda what they do it would be appreciated. Because I’m thinking of pushing for a raise but i’m not sure what’s a realistic goal since indeed and glassdoor salaries when you look them up are all over the place.

Currently perusing a BS in geology in western Alberta and from only one class Im intrigued by geophysics. My reason for not switching to the geophysics major is due to the fact this is my 4th total year in university but only my 2nd year in geo as I came into university not knowing what I wanted. And I hear geophysics as a BS has more limited job opportunities as well as some extent of pigeonholing which I’m all ears for if these “claims” have no merit. I’ll also not opposed to getting a geophys MS possibly after 2-3 yrs of working as a geo. I want to know if I’m able to break into geophysics specifically siesmo with a geo undergrad. How hard it is to do? And anyone working in geophysics to possibly share what compensation could look like.

I’ve been reading posts on here for a while and I’ve noticed that majority of people are in America or have jobs in America. Is there anyone who is from Australia who can give me some info about the availability and type of work here? Also would love to hear about how you got your job!