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Do you love rocks, but you're not sure what to do with your geology or geosciences degree?
Careers with a geology degree can include...
Teaching
Writing
Creating social media
Digging up dinosaurs
Arguing court cases
Advising governments
Designing buildings, public spaces, or even jewelry
...and many more!
From studying geology, you've developed a wide range of skills, which you can apply to an even wider range of jobs! Explore these 4 career path categories for your geology degree.
1. Put your geology knowledge to work
The majority of careers for geology graduates fit into this category. Typically, they involve using your knowledge of earth science to evaluate a situation, interpret it, and make recommendations.
With a bachelor’s degree (and potentially further training/licensing/certification), you can consider these jobs:
Geologist
Environmental geologist, field technician, or consultant: study local land, air, or water conditions and recommend steps for management or improvement
Petroleum geologist: identify the location and size of fossil fuel reserves
Gemologist
Environmental lawyer
2. Share science knowledge
Primary/secondary science teacher
Teach geology and other sciences
May require a further degree and/or certification
Design educational exhibits about geology-related topics
May require a further degree
Teach about the natural world, often in an outdoor setting
Specific roles can include park ranger, camp counselor, or naturalist
Quiz
Bryce is graduating soon with a bachelor’s degree in geology. He doesn’t want to do field or lab work anymore, but he is passionate about environmental causes. He’s willing to consider further education. Which path(s) should he investigate most seriously?
Being a lawyer would allow Bryce to advocate for environmental causes in many areas, from representing clients to writing laws. Science communication would allow him to share what he cares about with a wide audience. Both environmental geology and teaching would likely require lab and/or field work, even if they both also allow him to promote sustainability.
3. Advance geoscience research
What if you actually DO want to study rocks all the time? To make geologic discoveries?
With a master’s degree or Ph.D., you can consider:
If you have a bachelor's degree, you may be able to work with a lead researcher as an associate geologist or technician.
Did you know?
Professors and research geoscientists usually specialize in one area, such as volcanology, earthquake seismology, paleontology, oceanography, or geophysics.
4. Pivot into other industries!
Want to go in a different direction entirely?
You can take your transferable skills beyond direct applications and science advocacy!
Skill: Analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data ⬇️
Skills: (1) Problem-solving in imperfect conditions AND (2) explanatory and persuasive communication ⬇️
Information technologist or systems administrator
Solve technology problems with imperfect data
Communicate technical information
Quiz
Jade has been working for 2 years as a jr. geologist after her B.S. in geology. She enjoys the tech she uses in her work, but she wants to do more problem-solving. She can't afford more education. Which of these might she consider? Select all that apply:
As a research technician, Jade could use her tech skills to analyze cutting-edge geology data and help answer new questions in the field. Given her experience with a range of technologies, she is likely to be qualified for an entry-level information technologist role. If more education becomes an option later, she could pursue a Ph.D. and become a research scientist, but for now, she probably couldn't jump into leading research projects. Unless she also interned at a finance firm, it would likely be very difficult to switch to investment banking at this point without further education.
Who hires geology grads?
Take Action
With all these possibilities, the next step is to narrow down your options.
This Byte has been authored by
Elisabeth Lorenc
Instructional Designer
M.S.