Career in Geology – A good career option after 12th

Once you have passed your class 12th the next step is to choose a course which will take you to the career path which you have thought of yourself. Well most of us still look at Engineering and Medicine as career. But there are many good career options beyond these two. Today I will talk about one such career option and that is Career in Geology or Career as Geologist. It also called as career in Earth Sciences.

Who is a Geologist?

A geologist is a person who does a scientific study of earth. By Scientific study we mean to study everything that constitutes the earth and can be solid, liquid or even gaseous matters. Also a geologist also may study other terrestrial planets.

So in a nutshell a geologist will study everything related to earth. It’s mineral composition, earth quakes, volcanic eruptions, tectonic plates, water resources, ores and mining etc. So if you love nature and if you like to study earth, this is the field you should be in.

Sounds Interesting? lets look at what is needed to become a Geologist.

How to become a Geologist – Career option after 12th

The first step to become a geologist is to gain knowledge in this area, that is get trained in this area by going through a formal education in this field. There are graduate level courses, post graduate courses and even a doctorate degree.

If you have a doctorate degree, you become a earth scientist or also called as geo scientist or environmental scientist.

Minimum requirement to study Geology

If you have decided to get a degree in this field, you need to get at-least a graduate degree in this field.

• You should have passed 12th with any stream (ie. 12 years of formal education)
• Apply for a graduate degree in Geology ( minimum 3 year graduate degree or you can also opt for a BE/BTECH in mining)
• Then if you want to apply for a masters degree, you may need to write GATE exam to get into a good college. Many universities also have their own entrance test
• You can also opt for further study abroad, they have some good study options
• And if you want to study further, then you can opt for PHD in geology

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What are the graduate degrees in Geology

• Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Geology, Earth science, Environmental science
• You can also think of BE/BTECH in Mining Engineering

What are post graduate degree in Geology

• Master of Science (M.Sc) in Geology, Applied Geology
• Master of Science (Hons.) in Geology
• Master of Technology in Geology, Applied Geology

Then you can also do a doctorate degree, i.e a PHD in Geology or Earth Sciences

What are some interesting areas of specialization

Area of Specialization in Geology

• Economic geology: Study of Ores, How was it created, It’s value, geostatistics etc
• Volcanology: This a detailed study of Volcanos
• Planetary geology: The study of other celestial bodies, namely planets and their moons. This has sub areas like
  • lunar geology
  • selenology
  • martian geology, areology
• Sedimentology: Detailed study of sedimentary rocks, strata, formations
• Seismology: Detailed study of earthquakes.
• Geophysics: To study physical methods such as gravity, seismicity, electricity, magnetic properties to study the earth.
• Marine geology: The study of the seafloor
• Petroleum geology: Specific branch to study Oil Exploration.
• Engineering geology: Application of geological science to engineering
• GeoChemistry: This is the branch of geology which deals with chemical composition of rocks etc
• Hyderogeology: Deals with underground water.
• Isotope Geology: Determines the process of rock formation

And there are many more..

Why career in geology

Career as a geologist can be interesting.

• It is mostly a field work. So if you are not of the type who would like to sit at desk and do a job, then this is best.
• You love nature – You will be mostly studying everything related to earth. If you love nature you are going to like this job a lot.
• It has challenges – and if you are the one who likes challenges, this job fits it well. Let’s say you are visiting a volcano .. how interesting is that!

Best Colleges to study Geology

There are many colleges which offer a degree in Geology. But if you are looking for a good post graduate degree, you should seriously think of below colleges

• Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
• Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
• Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
• Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
• Jhadavpur University Kolkatta
• University of Lucknow
• MG Science Institute Ahemdabad
• Kannur University, Kannur, Kerala
• Pt Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur
• Aligarh Muslim University
• Kerala University, Trivendram
• Kakatiya University, Warangal
• Banaras Hindu University
• Delhi University

Career prospects for a Geologist

As I have mentioned before, geologist can be a very good career option. The need for a geologist is on rise. With more and more private companies coming into areas like mineral exploration, Oil and Gas Exploration, Water resource management, Environmental consulting etc, the need for a trained geologist is on rise

What are the job roles for a geologist

Today as a geologist you can be employed in government as well as private firms. Various job roles which are available are, but not limited to listed as below

Glacial or Quaternary Geologists

• Volcanologists
• Petroleum Geologists
• Hydrogeologists
• Environmental Geologists
• Earth Science Teachers
• Paleontologist
• Structural Geologists
• Engineering Geologists

Governments by large remain the largest employers for Geologist. The reason being such task were carried out by state and central governments before. But now with changing times, more and more private players are coming and hence job prospects in private sector is on rise.

Central government in India does recruitment through UPSC (Union public service comission)

Top Recruiters for Geologists

Geological Survey of India (GSI) is the most prestigious recruiter. But some of the key ones are listed below:

1. Geological Survey of India (GSI)
2. Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM)
3. Central Ground Water Board (CGWB)
4. Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC)
5. Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation (MMTC)
6. Coal India
7. Mineral Exploration Ltd.
8. Hindustan Zinc Ltd
9. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
10. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL)
11. Colleges and Universities ( as professors)
12. Private firms as consultant

Now let us talk about salaries which Geologists earn. In government jobs, salaries depends upon the grade you are hired. But in private sector, a Geologist starts with somewhere around 2 Lakhs to 4 Lakhs per annum. And salary increases as per experience.

Then there are requirements in abroad as well.

For example look at the sample job postings on naukri.com. You will see that MSc/Mtech are most preferred.

Some more reading

Look at this video and / or read more

Introduction to geology – Khan Academy

Explore geology more at geology.com

Closing comments

So friends, being a geologist can be very interesting and challenging job. The job profiles are exciting. If you love field work, it is one of the best jobs. But all need hard work as well. Did you see the sample job above? A masters degree is most preferred here. So plan accordingly and plan well. Plan for a master degree. Keep that much time frame in mind. And do write GATE. Do the masters from a reputed college. Hope you liked the information provided. Should you have any questions do not hesitate to write back to me at skumar@indiacareeradvice.com or post your comments in comment box below. Your friend Sanjeev!