In 8th grade we had career counseling. I wanted to be an astronomer. The consultant opened a big book, and looked up the job statistics to prove there was no future in it. Second choice was geologist -- same story. Since my mother was a programmer, I listed computers as my third choice, and they gushed about how it was the future. But what I really liked was electronics, so they grudgingly allowed that there were computer engineers, as a specialty in EE.
Chip W.
I don’t think that counselor knew what he was talking about, or perhaps he told you what your mother wanted him to tell you. My mother wanted me to be a pharmacist (no interest whatsoever on my part), but my dad got me interested in geology early on. I was in the petroleum geology track as an undergraduate. I specialized in stratigraphy and paleoenvironments in graduate school. I’ve always been able to find work before, during, and after graduate school. The oil industry fluctuates over time so the market changes and demand changes, but between big oil, smaller oil and gas companies, and the service companies, one can usually find work. I worked in engineering geology and hydrology for a short time too and also taught at a several different colleges and universities in California and the Midwest so there’s that to fall back on. And I made a lot of contacts so I was able to do quite a bit of consulting. After 9-11, I needed to do something different for a while and became a flight attendant (NWA), and after the merger and subsequent de-unionization I went back to geology. I never was unemployed from the time I got my B.Sc. I was always able to find work and managed to see a good bit of the world. I made good money and also have a good retirement. One thing tho is that you have to be willing to move. I remember when I interviewed with United Geophysical, a service company that did seismic prospecting for oil, the man that interviewed me told me his kids never finished a school year in the school they started the school year in. I didn’t have kids at the time, and I didn’t move anywhere near that much during my career, but I did move around. You have to follow the money, it doesn’t follow you, it didn’t me anyway. Follow your heart!
Sorry, this is way off track. Back to Questars.
Edited by Terra Nova, 10 March 2025 - 10:01 AM.
