For JSG Students

As a new or continuing student in the Jackson School, graduation and your upcoming career may seem far away. The guide below is provided to help you begin the exploratory process in the geosciences followed by understanding various career options, gaining some experience & skills, and finally emerging into your profession.

Explore

Geology is not only about looking at rocks; a degree in the geosciences can open up a variety of career options. The geoscience workforce is dynamic and it is expected to increase by 4.9% from 2019-2029 (US Bureau of Labor and Statistics). Not all geoscience jobs happen outdoors. There are a the wide range of career opportunities available, include geoscientists working in labs, offices, and leadership positions to roles like climate modelers, data analyst, environmental lawyers, and science journalists. Start your search online using the following sites:

• Occupational Outlook Handbook – Learn about various careers and jobs, how to develop skills and experience, job outlook, and similar occupations
• ONET – Browse by job family to compare work tasks, skills, education, training, and credentials
• Career Compass for Geosciences – Career Compass Info graphs provide options, tips, suggestions, and strategies for how students can obtain critical skills, experiences, and competencies in order to launch their geoscience career
• GROW – Geosciences Resources on Opportunities in the Workforce
• My Next Move – Free career assessment and career paths for various areas and industries

Career and Self-assessment

Identify your values, interests, personality and skills by taking introductory classes in a discipline that interests you. For example, taking a course like GEO 401 (Physical Geology) or EVS 311 (Environmental Science & Sustainability Field Seminar) can help you begin study on a potential career path. Taking career assessments can help you uncover many possible careers. Take the Focus 2 (access code: longhorns) to explore majors and career paths if you are unsure of your plans.

Get Connected With Alumni

Dedicated Jackson School alums want to help students explore their career options and gain some insight to their professions. They do this by offering their places of employment as externship day sites (for 1-day job shadowing), volunteering for student mock interviews, and providing informational interviewing meetings. Check out our Student and Alumni Network and set up an informational interview to explore a career plan with an experienced professional.

Experience

Test and evaluate your career options with internships. Internships have numerous benefits and are highly encouraged to enhance needed skills to succeed in the workplace. Jackson School students find summer internships in research programs, national parks, and many other opportunities. Internships can help you learn about your field of interest, gain real-world work experience, narrow down your career interests and learn important professional skills. Many companies like to hire interns for full-time positions, so think of an internship as an extended try-out for future employment. Our office is happy to help with how to find and apply for internships.

In your first few years at UT, it’s important to consider the following:

• Utilize resources of the JSG Career Services to find opportunities
• Make use of 12Twenty@Texas to search for internships and Workday to find part time jobs and campus jobs
• Apply for summer internships, URA  with JSG faculty members, or REU’s with other universities
• If you’re considering graduate school, meet with Career Services to discuss timelines, the application process, and other campus resources
• Create your resume and have it reviewed by Career Services
• Find out what it means to be a professional in your field by learning about licenses and organizations, like the Geologist-in-Training Certification

Emerge

As you get closer to graduating, begin your job search about 6-9 months ahead of time. Build your connections with employers by attending career fairs and company information sessions. Start considering your online, professional presence and create (or update) your LinkedIn account. Networking is a very powerful job search strategy whether it is online or in person. Visit Career Services to have your resume reviewed, schedule a mock interview, or get assistance with your job search in general.

In your last year at UT, it’s important to work on the following:

• If you’re applying to grad school, meet with Career Services to discuss a timeline and get list of helpful resources
• Build connections with potential employers by attending career fairs and company info sessions
• Build your network and online presence by creating a LinkedIn profile
• Continue to broaden your professional network with JSG alumni through the Student and Alumni Network
• Visit Career Services to get started in your job search, review your resume, and prepare for interviews
• Schedule a mock interview with a career counselor here
• Utilize the online mock interview system Big Interview

What Skills Are Employers Looking For In JSG Candidates?

In addition to building technical knowledge through coursework, it is important to develop geoscience skills for the workforce and market those strengths to prospective employers. Below are some important skills employers typically look for when hiring (see also the Workforce Readiness provided by AGI):

• Spatial & temporal reasoning: Solve problems in 3-D and 4-D space, grasp both deep time and human timescales
• Real life problem solving: Assess uncertainty, work with real data and open, complex systems, make inferences
• Data synthesis: Data collection, interpretation, handling multiple datasets, quality control, making predictions
• Quantitative skills: Math, statistics, computer programming, GIS
• Communication: Clearly express ideas to scientists and non-scientists, work effectively with a team

Relevant Industries

• Education (K-12, Higher Education)
• Energy Finance, Consulting, Green Technology
• Environmental Services/Consulting
• Oil & Gas Exploration, Production, or Services
• Research (National labs, academic institutions)
• Federal Government, State or City

Graduate School

Consider whether graduate school is necessary to accomplish your career goals. Most jobs related in geology or environmental science require a graduate degree. A Master’s degree will not only open up more job opportunities, but help you earn more money. If you think that money will be a problem for continuing your education, know that most universities offer full or partial funding through research or teaching assistant positions to make graduate school financially feasible for most students. If this option does not work for you, you may also look into attending graduate school on a part-time basis to do both work and study.

Graduate School Resources

• US News & World Report  – Earth Sciences program rankings (search by specialty)
• Gradschools.com
• Peterson’s – Grad School test prep