Additional Information
Geology is not just a job, it's the pursuit of knowledge about the world.
It's an academic discipline. People interested in this field should look forward
to a lifetime of learning.
College geology students need a strong background in the sciences (especially
chemistry and physics) and math, so if you're in high school, it's a good
idea to take as many of these courses as you can.
"Prepare for college, definitely -- get all the science and math you can
-- but also spend some time just learning about geology for fun," says geologist
Duncan Menzies.
First, you'll need to get some post-secondary education under your belt.
"Before you pick a particular school, it's a good idea to make sure their
geology department has the classes you are looking for. If you want to be
a structural geologist, for example, you'll want a college which offers a
good selection of courses in this area," says Menzies.
The amount of post-secondary education you'll need to be a geologist will
depend on where you want to work. Experts say a master's degree in geology
will do the trick for working for government agencies or in private industry,
but a PhD is the route to success for people who want to teach at a college
level.
"It's pretty hard to get funding for private research [while working at
a university], if you don't have a PhD," says geologist Ellen Hanson.