Working, learning, and living in the geosciences.
Career Resource Collection
Navigate geoscience career pathways and workforce expectations.
Career preparation for many geoscience students begins when they choose their undergraduate major and develop practical workplace skills through internships, leadership positions, or research experiences. The Career Compasses provide suggestions and strategies for students to obtain critical competencies and experiences that will launch their geoscience career based on their academic preparation.
Each Career Compass is constructed using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, interviews with personnel in the occupation, content experts, employers, and research on available student opportunities.
Career Compass infographics are intended to help students, faculty, parents, and advisors identify key developmental pathways and milestones towards a range of careers based on geoscience discipline or occupation based on their academic standing.
Browse the items included in this collection.
21 results
Petroleum geophysicists evaluate geophysical data (seismic, gravity, magnetic, etc.) in order to identify potential exploration prospects, or assist with the development of existing prospects. They generally work in offices or at drilling and well sites. Travel is frequently required to visit these sites or to meet with engineers, oileld workers, and customers.
Illustrators combine art, science, and technology to communicate ideas through images and the layout of websites, marketing materials, and printed pages. Using images, text, and color, illustrators may transform data or concepts into visual graphics and diagrams to make complex scientific ideas more accessible. Illustrators need to keep up to date with software and computer technologies as well as their understanding of scientific concepts to remain competitive. They can be employed by publishers, museums, advertising firms, or may work as freelancers.
Geological engineers play an important role in identifying and mitigating human-made and natural hazards that pose a threat to civil structures, infrastructure, or people. These engineers apply earth sciences to human problems such as transportation, water and resource supply. Specialty areas include geotechnical site studies of rock and soil slope stability for projects; environmental studies and planning for construction sites; groundwater studies; hazard investigations; and finding fossil fuel and mineral deposits. Many of these work in offices or consult for engineering or environmental firms. Many are employed by highway departments, environmental protection agencies, forest services, and hydro operations.
Mining engineers typically design and develop mines to sustainably extract raw elements that are key ingredients to all industries. Some mining engineers work with geoscientists and metallurgical engineers to find and evaluate ore deposits. Other mining engineers develop new equipment or direct mineral-processing operations to separate minerals from dirt, rock, and other materials. Many work where mining operations are located, such as mineral mines or sand-and-gravel quarries, in remote areas or near cities and towns. Others work in offices or onsite for extraction companies or engineering services firms. Mining engineers are stewards of the earth as they responsibly supply our society with the materials it needs.
Outreach coordinator: An outreach coordinator usually works in a nonprofit or educational establishment such as a museum, science center, professional society, or scientific association. Outreach coordinators act as the link between the organization and the people it aims to assist by cultivating relationships with businesses, individuals, and other relevant organizations. The coordinator may be involved in public relations or fundraising work, may be responsible for tasks as varied as program data collection and analysis to representing the organization at conferences, or may be responsible for overseeing the planning and implementation of outreach strategies and events.
An assistant professor specializes in a specific sub-discipline of the geosciences. Depending on where they are employed (2-year college or a 4-year college or university), they may spend their time teaching, conducting research, publishing original research, applying for grants to fund their research, or supervising research students, research staff and/or teaching assistants. They may also serve on department, college, university, or professional organization committees; do outreach and are involved in advising and/or mentoring students. A Ph.D. may not be required to teach at a 2-year college as it is typical to have a master’s degree in the discipline or to teach as an adjunct instructor (18 credit hours in discipline needed).
An environmental geologist investigates the release or potential release of chemicals that may cause contamination of soil, groundwater, or air. They determine location and movement of contaminated media and implement solutions that meet the guidelines of regulatory agencies. They determine geologically safe locations for new landfills, hazardous waste disposal sites, and nuclear power plants. They may use geological, physics, chemistry, and mathematics knowledge in exploration of underground water, land reclamation, or other environmental problems.
Science journalists research, report, write, and edit news and features, and convey that information to various audiences, often using a variety of multimedia. They create content for general and trade publications. They need to understand complex scientific information and translate it into a form that is easily understood. They find stories, interview sources, and then craft stories for publication in a newspaper, magazine, wire service, website, television or radio station, or other news outlets.
Elementary teachers educate children from preschool to fifth grade, developing and delivering lesson plans and selecting materials that meet state or national standards and are appropriate to the age of their students. They observe and evaluate student understanding and skills, communicate with parents and school administrators on student progress, collaborate with other teachers to provide high-impact learning opportunities for all students. They provide instruction in all subject areas such as reading, writing, math and social studies. Science related instruction includes the Earth and space sciences and addresses topics such as Earth’s place in the Universe, Earth’s systems, and Earth and human activity.
Science teachers educate children from grades six to twelve, developing and delivering lesson plans, and selecting age-appropriate materials that meet state or national standards. They observe and evaluate student understanding and skills, communicate with parents and school administrators on student progress, collaborate with other teachers to provide high-impact learning opportunities for all students. Middle school science teachers typically provide instruction in the life, physical, and Earth and space sciences while high school science teachers specialize in one discipline. Earth and space sciences related instruction at both levels addresses topics related to Earth’s place in the universe, Earth’s systems, and Earth and human activity.
A science communicator is responsible for communicating technical science in plain and accessible language to broad audiences. Their roles primarily fall into several areas such as science writer for a news outlet, communications staff on behalf of an organization, university, or agency, or a trainer to help fellow scientists more effectively communicate.
Hydrologic technicians gather and investigate data concerning water depth, flow, and quality. They collect water data using accepted industry procedures and equipment. They are responsible for equipment maintenance, decontamination and calibration to ensure the highest quality data are collected. Hydrologic technicians collect groundwater, stream, and lake samples for chemical or biological analysis and conduct field tests on these waters. They keep notes, check computations, and gather information for computer software analysis, and they enter data and prepare data for publication. They provide concise and actionable observations in the field and communicate that information to their supervisory personnel. Much of the technician's work is done outdoors in undeveloped and sometimes difficult terrain under all weather conditions.
Atmospheric scientists study the present weather and future and past climate, and how those conditions affect human activity and the Earth in general. They may develop forecasts, computer models, collect and compile data from the field, assist in the development of new data collection instruments, or advise clients on risks or opportunities caused by weather events and climate change. They are adept at data analysis, uncertainty and risk analysis, computer science, and mathematics.
Data scientists develop and implement a set of techniques or analytics applications to transform raw data into meaningful information using data-oriented programming languages and visualization software. They apply data mining, data modeling, natural language processing, and machine learning to extract and analyze information from large structured and unstructured datasets. They often visualize, interpret, and report data findings.
GIS professionals (technicians, analysts, developers, etc.) perform a variety of tasks that may include creating and managing spatial data sets, performing spatial analyses and preparing reports, generating and designing map products, and developing new software tools. Spatial data management is needed in almost every discipline, so GIS professionals come from and work in a variety of fields and in all job sectors (public, private, nonprofit, academic).
Oceanographers study the motion and circulation of ocean waters; the physical and chemical properties of the oceans; and how these properties affect coastal areas, climate, and weather. Oceanographers plan, organize, conduct, and administer seagoing and land-based student and research of ocean phenomena for interpreting, predicting, utilizing, and controlling ocean forces and events.
Geophysicists use the principles of physics to learn about the Earth’s surface and interior. Their work includes studying the properties of Earth’s magnetic, electric, and gravitational fields. They employ field, laboratory, and computational techniques in the investigation, measurement, analysis, evaluation, and interpretation of phenomena related to the structure, composition, physical properties, and dynamics of the Earth’s surface and interior.
A policy associate specializes in evaluating and shaping science policy through strong communication and networking. Although their tasks vary most policy associates work in one of four areas: collecting information and evaluating policies, sharing policy information with the public, coalition building with stakeholders, and informing government officials about science and the needs of the scientific community.
Hydrologists study how water moves across and through the Earth’s crust. They use their expertise to solve problems in the areas of water quality or availability. Hydrologists work in offices and in the field. In offices, hydrologists spend much of their time using computers to analyze data and model their findings. In the field, hydrologists may have to wade into lakes and streams to collect samples or to read and inspect monitoring equipment.
Planetary scientists work to improve understanding of the planets, satellites, and smaller bodies in the solar system through studying their atmosphere, surface and interior. They work to understand the origins of planetary bodies and the physical processes they undergo. They also search for asteroids that may pose a hazard to Earth. Research is carried out in laboratories in astronomical facilities worldwide and from spacecraft.
Engineering Geology technicians gather and investigate data concerning rock, minerals, and soils as applied to the geology in the built environment. Engineering Geology technicians collect and describe rock, mineral, and soil samples using accepted industry procedures and equipment. They conduct field tests on the rock, mineral, and soils samples. They keep notes, check computations, and gather information for computer software analysis, and they enter data and prepare data for technical reports and publications. Much of the technician's work is done outdoors and sometimes in difficult terrain under all weather conditions.
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