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I've posted a lot in this forum lately about my difficulty to choose a major. I love studying maps as well as earth science. I find the social science aspect of geography highly interesting, but I feel the jobs aren't there. I think getting a bachelor's degree in Geology with a minor in GIS (Geographic Information Systems) would be good route to go. It is possible I could be GIS certified with the minor itself. And as far as going to graduate school goes, I am not opposed to doing so if it is beneficial to the career. Let me know you guys' thoughts about this.
The oil and gas exploration industry (that I am in) extensively uses GIS for integrating data. Being a certified GIS-meister with a geologic background should be "gold" , at least if you're are from a good U. with good grades. You'll also be set for other industries: construction, flood prevention, coastal erosion mitigation, environmental cleanup, NSA spy vs spy stuff, the list goes on.
I know a friend who majored in both. The idea sounds great but the opportunities are so few. Finding a job that fits his major is like looking for a needle in the haystack.
I know a friend who majored in both. The idea sounds great but the opportunities are so few. Finding a job that fits his major is like looking for a needle in the haystack.
While I don't want to start making assumptions about people I don't know, there are tons of opportunities for geologists out there, through a wide swath of side fields. If your friend is having trouble finding work, he should seriously consider moving to another area.
To the OP:
Geology is a great field to get into. Forbes listed it as one of the 15 best majors you can get.
If you're into the social science part, you might find your niche in the environmental field, doing things like hazardous waste remediation and the like. That's what I am currently in school for.
I, personally, think geology is the most employable natural resource major. That said, you will need to move around. Often frequently.
Geology isn't just limited to natural resources. The environmental field has basically no involvement with that. I agree on the second part though. When I started to getting interest in geology I contacted a friend of mine of works on the environmental side in St. Louis and in one of the emails he said that the unofficial motto of geologists is "got to move on to move up".
I got a BS in geology with a minor in GIS. I graduated in 2009. I went to a small state college in western Colorado. The GIS program at my school was run through the geology dept, not the computer science or geography dept. I didn't learn any of the computer science end, just the cartography end.
I did the minor because it was good to know what to do with all your field data. My geology major involved a lot of field work as the school is in a great area for geology. I also did it as a back up career option.
Since graduating I've ended up working in archaeology. How did that happen? LOL. I work as a GIS Specialist. They need maps, lots of maps. Most of the GIS work I do is stuff I learned in Intro GIS. My job is not very high paying but the company I work for is quite a nice company with great people.
I'm happy that I did the geology/GIS route.
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Geologists do move around alot.
