Geologist?

biscuits123

Hey, any geologists post here. I’m in fifth year and want to be a geologist. Are there many jobs in Ireland, or will I have to go overseas? What do most geologists end up doing once there qualified and whats the pay like?

Firehen

I'm not a geologist, but a few of my friends are. Most of them went straight into employment or postgradute studies as soon as they graduated, but that was in healthier times. Most of them are now living abroad and seem to love what they do.

If you've a genuine interest in the topic, there are far worse things to study with regards to employment. Its good fun as well as you're usually in a small enough class with like minded people. Just don't expect to walk into a job in Ireland when you're done.

Edited to say the pay is not bad at all.

hoser expat

I'm a geologist although I don't work in that field any more. I trained in Canada where there are lots of jobs (or were when I lived there). I ended up doing an MSc and PhD, and specialised in Arctic geomorphology as it related to development (pipelines/mining). Spent a long time working in the Arctic (summers only). I was a professor for 10 years before moving to Ireland and into academic administration.

My advice would be to move into one of the environmental branches of geology, hydrogeology specifically. Maybe engineering geology too. There is very little call for hard-rock (mining/exploration) these days unless you have a lot of experience. I haven't looked, but I assume the job prospects are not good within Ireland. The Irish universities are well regarded for geological education though.

Best of luck.

Stepping Stone

I know a good few.

Up to a few years ago, most stayed in Ireland soing engineering stuff.

These days, petroleum masters are popular, but the biggest draw would be mining in Oz.

Plenty jobs out there, just not necessarily here at the moment.

NotCarrotRidge

biscuits123 wrote: »

Hey, any geologists post here. I’m in fifth year and want to be a geologist. Are there many jobs in Ireland, or will I have to go overseas? What do most geologists end up doing once there qualified and whats the pay like?

I'm a geologist, working in Ireland. Apart from a 6 month stint in Oz, I've been able to work my entire career here (graduated in 1995).

The major industry areas for geos are:

Mineral exploration and mining
Petroleum
Hydrogeology
Engineering/geotechnical
Environmental

Pay varies massively. The petroleum guys eventually make a lot of money, although it depends. Mining/exploration pays pretty well, but it depends a lot on global markets, at one stage a couple of years ago geology graduates were making more than Harvard MBA graduates. That's pretty rare though.

Engineering and geotech is in the doldrums here at the moment, as you might have guessed.

Environmental is growing, and starting to pay well.

As a profession, geologists are getting their act together, with the result that there's greater recognition and therefore better conditions. I could go on about this for hours!

Feel free to pm me and I'll give you more info.