Question for the underground lovers....

[bergdh]

So I recently decided that I have had enough of life going no where. I am going to finally give in and enroll in some higher education. I will be starting at salt lake community college and im thinking of working towards a degree in geology.

My question to any who would know is...

Should I just complete a general degree from slcc and transfer to the U of U geology program? Or complete a 2yr degree at slcc in the geology program and then transfer to the U of U?

The ultimate goal being to become a geologist and have a job where I can be outside almost as much as im inside.

Any thoughts are welcome!! Thanks!

[ExpUt]

Sit down withe a guidance counselor from both schools and figure out which route is best for you. I suspect transferring with the actual geology degree would be most ideal but it varies widely with each discipline. I received my AS in engineering from SLCC and started at the U as a 100% junior. In the course of getting my AS eng. I also got a AS general studies, however that did absolutely nothing for me as far as my actual engineering.

Both schools will likely have a matriculation chart that will show which classes will carry 100% from one school to the next, as SLCC is a major feeder for the U they do a pretty good job at making your classes count but there are cases where that doesn't work.

[cherokeepilot85]

I was majoring in geology at BYU for the last two years.

You will want to talk to one of the heads of the geology department at the U before making a definite decision. I can tell you that if you want to go into geology you will want to plan on at least six years of school. At BYU they constantly pounded it into us that if we didn't plan on getting our masters in geology that we might as well drop geology because it is worthless to start a career in geology without graduating with a masters. I personally spoke with one of the department heads and explained how my grandfather had graduated with a BS (bachelor of science) in geology from BYU and had done fine. His response was "that was then, this is now." He explained that today companies wont hire you unless you have a masters in geology or a minimum of 3 to 4 years prior experience in a geologist position. He asked me where I was going to get even just three years of experience, who would hire me initially so I could get that experience. Unless you are already working for Kenecott or some other mining or oil company and can get a promotion to going to school to become a geologist for that company, then you are going to likely need a masters degree.

At BYU on a regular basis different representatives (scouts) from Exxon, Phillips Petroleum, Chevron, etc. would visit and interview students to hire. But, they only wanted to interview the masters graduates or those currently enrolled in the grad program to receive a masters. You couldn't even sign up for an interview without at least one of those. Even if your were a masters student your chances of a job were slim. In an entire year only around 4 to 5 grad students would get hired.

The fact is that the geology field is very competitive and therefore you don't even have very good career security. I knew multiple graduate students who had been finished with their masters certificate but continued to study at BYU because no one would hire them.

Even once your hired you work for 2 to 4 years qualifying at the company. During this time you are at their mercy. The people I knew that got hired either go to Alaska, Texas, Oklahoma, and/or the middle east. But that isn't it, during your qualifying time you get pushed all over the place. The company is training you while looking at where to leave you once you have completed qualification. The biggest complaint I have heard, even over the constant moving, is the low salary during the qualification years.

So you are looking at a minimum of 6 to 7 years schooling (including a masters degree) and 2 to 4 years qualifying if you get a job. You may find a geology related career that doesn't require a masters degree or years of experience, but even then you need a bachelors degree and usually membership in a geology organization (can require a masters degree or at least current enrollment in a masters program).

I know this seems deterring and probably not what you wanted to hear, but I personally wished I would have known this first before getting two years into the field. I have switched my major yet I still enjoy geology and don't feel that what I learned was of waste, but it isn't what I want to continue with.

[Dino]

Definetly talk to a U of U counselor first to find out what classes they will accept from SLCC or get a two year degree which in a lot of cases is set up to waive the majority of Lib ed and Freshman, Sophmore required classes. I received two 2 year degrees from SLCC which both helped in getting my 4 year degree in Welding Engineering out of Utah State in only 2 years (It was an already established 2 + 2 program to fast track students from a junior college into a Bachelors). The reason I did two associates programs was because one of them was an Associate's of Applied Science and didn't fully count towards meeting general education requirements. My only other advice to you is to look at a career path that is more specialized and has low enrollment compared to other traditional programs ( a good example would be mining engineering). When I graduated in Welding Engineering there were only six graduates that year. I've never had any trouble finding work and because it is difficult to find people in my field with a college degree I can honestly say that I've done really well because of it. I think Craig really has something when he states that some people won't even consider you unless you have a Masters because there is probably a glut of geologists with BS degrees. As for mining engineers I was once in the U of U program and remember the strong demand on the program for graduates.

[ryan]

I earned my bachelor of geology from UVU. This may not be an option for you because...it's in Utah Valley, but let me say that the department there is great. It's very personable and you will be on a first name basis with professors. I was able to get a job right out of school with the USGS, but like Craig said if you want to make money you'll have to have a masters or higher. That being said, most people in the field aren't motivated by money, but a love for being outside. I am out in the field at least 2 of the 5 work days a week. I do plan however to get a masters degree in the near future. This post is probably a little late and you have probably have started for the semester, but you should still consider Geology. The U does have a pretty respected department.