Graduate geologists can earn big money

GEOSCIENCE students at Federation University are excited about the strong career pathways open to them as geologists.

Honours geoscience student Tom Stevenson-Vissers said while he looks at rocks and the earth’s processes, mining is a big part of geology.

“Every mine employs geologists, from small quarries up to the likes of Olympic Dam and Mt Isa,” Mr Stevenson-Vissers said.

“There is currently an increase in employment opportunities in the sector with plenty of jobs available with international mining companies.”

SEEK released data in 2017 showing career opportunities in the mining, energy and resources industry were growing faster than any other sector across the country, with 54 per cent annual growth.

Alicia Van Es, in her third year of a Bachelor of Geoscience at FedUni, said she chose a science degree because it was the one that seemed interesting and challenging.

“There are numerous career pathways you can take [once you graduate], the obvious two are working for the government or going into mining with private enterprise,” she said.

Ms Van Es plans to go into mining, with an expectation of achieving graduate entry level employment of around $80-90,000 per year.

The average entry level wage across the university’s graduates is $62,000 per annum.

Honours student Jose Fernandez said he chose to enrol at FedUni because it offered a traditional geoscience degree.

“It is the only university in Victoria where you can do that,” Mr Fernandez said. “It has a rich history of 150 years and is one of three universities in the state considered the best in the field of Geoscience.”

Mr Fernandez, currently working part time at the Castlemaine Gold Fields, said the appeal of doing field work is stronger than laboratory work for him.

“I am interested in ore deposits which are often industry aligned as well,” he said.

Bachelor of Geoscience student Cody Holman said travel, better than average wages for an undergraduate and ease of entry into the mining sector were key drivers for him recommending the degree to potential students.