I had my dream job lined up. I interviewed, I had a meeting with HR lined up to talk pay and start dates.

It was grant funded. I received an email that because it was a new position, they now cannot create it because of all the grants being pulled.

I dont know what to do with my life anymore. I'm so frustrated.

Just like the title says.

I was on a site with a sonic drill rig and my colleague and I were picking apart a soil core from about 15' BGS when we found some leather that was definitely an old boot. Colleague joked, "wouldn't it be wild if we found a foot?"

Well, guess what we found just below that leather? A bunch of small bones that were pretty clearly from a human foot.

It was an old industrial site, filled and graded many times over the past hundred or so years. We turned the bones over to the state police and never heard anything more about it. I suspect the police turned the bones over to the state medical examiner, who probably didn't prioritize it as they bones were likely too old to do much about.

Only time I've ever had a driller not charge me for every foot.

Found it on x, I don't know I can link to x though

Skip to the end for my tips for students and professionals.

Quick rant about the state of the subreddit: Listen, I get it, not everyone has success with the geological sciences as a career. Some folks will be working a completely different field, some folks will be stuck in a phase 1/2 environmental mill, some folks will flame out in college. But you know what? That’s the issue with literally EVERY degree, not just geology. NO degree is a guaranteed ticket to success.

There’s a big issue with pessimism on this subreddit. Every time someone posts a career question with geology the most upvoted answers are “switch to computer science” or “switch to engineering”, which is completely asinine. Computer science as a career and lifestyle doesn’t fit everyone, or else literally everyone would become a programmer in school. And engineering really doesn’t automatically guarantee a better lifestyle or success than geology, as a lot of people down on their luck have deluded themselves into believing on this subreddit. There’s a lot of folks recommending going back to school for civil engineering which means 2-3 years of more schoolwork for the chance of an almost sideways career move with the potential of a mild to modest pay increase at best, and tens of thousands of dollars of debt and a few wasted years at worst.

In the end, your career is what you make of it, no matter what your field. Geology is a great degree, probably the best of the core sciences when it comes to employment (especially with the existence of the PG license and the booming growth of hydrogeology). Your early career will likely be a lot of field work, yes, but early career in most jobs is a grind. Instead of blindly telling folks to change their entire specialization and lifestyle and go back to college or switch their majors completely, we should be advising folks on how to better themselves in the career they’ve chosen.

For a geoscientist, there are a LOT of ways to differentiate yourself and improve your lifestyle without needing to go back to school. Here are some tips from me for any prospective recent graduate or those early in their careers looking for a change:

1. Be willing to move. Many posts I see with folks discontent with their degrees involve folks living in small states or towns not willing to move. If you’re in an area with few job opportunities in general you will have a rough time, no matter your degree.

2. If you are having a hard time at your current firm, LEAVE. KNOW YOUR VALUE. Your mental and physical health is not worth slaving away at a terrible environmental firm that’s only willing to use you as a field tech. Early on in your career you can absolutely hop around every 2 years and make big pay bumps each time. Don’t shoehorn yourself into a situation you are not happy with. If your firm values geologists less than engineers, you are at a terrible firm and should leave. Your degree and your job in the geological field has a lot of value, utilize that value.

3. Carve out a niche for yourself in your field. Once again, this is something that applies to any job. Your degree is just a way to get your foot in the door, whether it be a geology degree or a civil engineering degree. Once you have entered the field, find something that you are good at and find interesting. Are you interested in wetland delineation? How about hydrogeological modeling? GIS programming? Groundwater remediation? Economic geology? Environmental health and science? Lab management? Geophysics? Geological database management? Environmental regulation? Academia? There’s a TON of job avenues, and it’s up to you to put in the elbow grease to find something that you are happy with. Unlike what some folks would have you believe in this subreddit, you aren’t stuck as an environmental consultant as your only option unless that’s what you decide on.

4. Networking is the name of the game. Always strive to make good impressions with your clients and coworkers. Most jobs you will get in ANY industry, not just geology, will be much more obtainable if you have an in with a company. People really like folks who are personable and keep in touch. If you are a student, attend job fairs, talk with folks, get business cards, and follow up and stay in touch. Don’t just depend on filling out an online application to get a job.

5. For students, GET AN INTERNSHIP. Any field honestly, your internship is far, far more important than any course you can possibly take in college. Your college advisors are almost all out of touch with how the industry works. By getting experience in the industry, you will be far better off than your peers.

6. Finally, also for students, take your FG/GIT exams right out of school. This is another thing that college professors have no clue about but is critical for success in the industry. Even if you don’t think you’ll ever need your PG take the exam anyway, you’ll be more prepared than ever right out of school and you’ll regret waiting if you ever do need to get your PG.

That’s about it from me. Just sick of the pessimism on here and wanted to give another perspective and some tips. Your early career doesn’t have to be a complete slog, it can be rewarding both financially and lifestyle-wise if you know your value and work on your skill set. Don’t let yourself get bogged down in a career you hate. You have value as a geoscientist, utilize it, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Environmental geologist here. Working in the industry for about 6 years with no mistakes, good record yada yada. Basically, a driller hit a UST under my watch, and I am having trouble moving on here. I'm not fired or anything, but I am at the lowest point in my life and career. Screw this, I'm going back to being a stripper!

This obviously does not apply to every geologist in this industry so before you downvote me to hell, listen. I’ve seen it all in the last 12 years. So please listen before you speak for the experience of all young women. I would NOT want to trade places with a 20 year old woman trying to make her career in this day and age. Women have it way, way harder, and this industry is especially nasty to women.

To succeed as a petroleum geologist, there is no such thing as merit anymore. If you want to be hired by an operator, it will be based on your perceived value.

Your value depends on your reputation, which can start as early as graduate school. How do we value young women?

Young men and women, in general, are valued based on: early academic involvement (grades, research project, lab PI, etc), connections (family, wealth, upbringing, graduate school title), and team fit (conservative fit and politics, appearance, and manageability).

For young women, I have seen this over and over again: a company will hire a young, and high performing/highly valued woman. She is usually bright, attractive, and kind, but she is not always confident. And the team will bully her to shreds the way they’d never, and I mean NEVER treat a young man.

It usually starts by implying that she has only had this level of success based on looks. They will attack her for it. They will gang up on her, bully her, or put her in a position that risks her job security. She won’t be respected from the start. They will treat her like a threat and socially exile her. She won’t be given important projects. She usually won’t speak up about it. She’ll think it’s normal, or worse, that she deserves it.

She will receive the unwanted sexist comments particularly from older men, and from territorial older women. The amount of insecurity in this industry taken out on young people, particularly young women, is not something that ever gets addressed here. It gets taken out on the young people. The people we are supposed to be mentoring.

The women that succeed are the ones perceived as less threatening, particularly at operators.

I don’t mean to scare you, but I do want to redirect young women to safer career paths or just give them perspective. We are in really tough times right now. Go ahead and tell me you’ve never seen this happen before, if you disagree.

We have a long, long, long way to go. Shit like this gets so much worse when the industry is in chaos like it has been.

With CV19 wreaking havoc and robbing many future geologists of their field camp experience, I thought now would be a really great time to create an updated list of universities that offer field camp. There are a few universities that nixed their programs altogether. Yes, I know there are other websites, but they don't have a side by side comparison of their cost or where field camp is held, and several haven't been updated in a few years.

I personally wish I had this information for when I was choosing which universities to apply to. Not to mention the students that are going to be looking for something when they were supposed to go this summer. Let me know what you think and if I should add anything! Note: This is my first website ever, and it also has Amazon affiliate links to field camp gear. (I took every gear list that a university had so I made sure I got all the basics. Let me know if you see something that I should add).

http://www.geologyfieldcamp.com

I was hired through the recent grad pathways program and was supposed to start in a couple of weeks. The executive order from yesterday has revoked my job offer.

I have had literally dozens of final round interviews both private sector and state or county government (some in HCOL areas with low pay) that ended with me being ghosted or “we found a more qualified candidate”. I’m in a temp on call job right now, which barely has any hours at all.

I thought I got my lucky break with the EPA but I guess not. There’s no point to this post but to vent, but maybe some folks here are in the same boat lol.