Geology Advice Needed

<p>I am interested in majoring in geology, but I do not want to work for any kind of oil company or mining company. I want absolutely nothing to do with economic geology. </p>

<p>Realistically, what are the job prospects for someone with a graduate degree in geology, outside of the fields mentioned above?</p>

<p>I am especially interested in work dealing with: geologic hazards, national parks, hydrology, research, environmental remediation, petrology. </p>

<p>Can anyone offer a different major, if one seems more suitable to my interests?</p>

<p>Hydrology is a specialization within Geology and is often referred to as Hydrogeology. Job prospects for geologists not interested in the Mining or Oil and Gas industries are probably better in Hydrogeology than in other fields, particularly in Northern California since water is a vital commodity for Agriculture but could also represent in major potential natural hazard in Sacramento from flooding since the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers is located in the heart of the city.</p>

<p>All Geology related jobs are going to have some commercial component since it is very unlikely someone is going to pay you to engage in an activity that has no economic value.</p>

<p>The USGS has divisions studying pretty much all of those things. Budget as it is, though, their jobs are pretty hard to come by.</p>

<p>Civil and environmental engineering are also involved in your areas of interest.</p>

<p>There are geology jobs with federal land management agencies (BLM, USFS, NPS, USFWS), often involving assessment of environmental hazards from mining or volcanic activity. The Bureau of Land Management is doing a lot of remediation of closed mines in the desert Southwest these days. That said, there still aren’t a ton of those positions.</p>

<p>I have a few friends who have BS and MS degrees in Geology. A Masters definitely helps with many positions, so consider whether or not you want to go on for a graduate degree at some point in the future if you go down the Geology road. </p>

<p>It sounds like the career path that you’re most interested in is: environmental and engineering geology. There are plenty of jobs available in those fields, but they pay significantly less than economic geology jobs, and the jobs are harder to find. Most of the time, you’ll wind up working as a consultant for an environmental consulting firm, which is either feast or famine. Remember: environmental jobs are always tied to government funding and regulations. If either (or both) are significantly cut (hint: watch the political climate closely) then environmental jobs will dry up. Engineering jobs are less dependent on the political climate, but much harder to find.</p>