Geologists are people who study the Earth. On a daily basis, you and the rest of human society interact with the Earth in obvious and not so obvious ways. These interactions range from the materials that make up your car or home, the food that you eat, the water you drink, and even the air you breathe. Geologists are employed in each one of these interactions. As a result, the employment outlook is good for the foreseeable future, and a career in geology can be personally rewarding and a benefit to society.
In order to keep current on the employment trends, we actively track the career paths chosen by our graduates. Over the past 10 years, the first career step for almost 80% of our graduates has been somewhere in the field of geology. For example, 37% began working in the private sector or government as a geologist or environmental scientist, while another 40% have gone directly to graduate school in a geologic discipline.
Keeping in touch with our graduates allows us to adjust our curriculum to best prepare our students for the future. It also provides students with an employment network upon graduation (see the list of employers below). In fact, we are contacted on a regular basis by graduates firmly established in their careers who are looking to hire additional geologists.
Geologist are also well compensated. You can review a recent survey of entry level salaries for geologists in the Chicago,Illinois region.
The many careers opportunities for geologists are in the broad field of earth resources. Earth resources include things like petroleum, metals (copper, gold, silver, aluminum...), crushed stone, and sand and gravel. These are the building blocks of our society, and geologist explore for new resources and manage the known ones. Water is arguably the most important natural resource, and groundwater is an increasingly important supply of water throughout the world. Geologists are involved in finding, managing and protecting groundwater resources.
Geologists are also employed in the field of land use planning. For example, they can provide a scientific input for whether structures should be built (or rebuilt) in flood-prone areas. In addition to getting to know the Earth, some geologists are involved in the study of other planets. As we look more closely at other planets, we see features on the surface that look like features we see on Earth. From those similarities, we can infer what geologic processes are shaping the surface of another planet.
For more about careers in Geology, visit the American Geological Intstitute.
Our graduates are employed throughout the State of Illinois, around the country, and even around the world. Listed below are some governmental agencies and private sector companies at which our graduates are employed.