Day in the Life
 So what is it like to work as a geoscientist? What are the issues faced by
geoscientists on a daily basis? These are complex questions for a
discipline which is so diverse. Geoscientists work on a range of issues,
from natural resource management, to hazard mitigation, to environmental
assessment, to name a few. Geoscientists work at all levels of employment,
from technicians monitoring wells to chief executives of multi-national
firms. With this diversity of employment situations, geoscientists face a
myriad of issues, many of which are not dissimilar to those seen in many
of the other sciences and engineering. Some of the issues include
diversity of the work force to working within the context of a corporation
or even the geoscience community as a whole.
 Teams
and Coworkers
Everything starts with people. The need to work with and through others
will always be a part of your career. To have a successful career requires
that you learn how to work effectively with others. Even people who are
self-employed find it difficult, if not impossible, to do all phases of
all work independent of other people. Most work today is highly
integrated, requiring the cooperative and collaborative work of teams. You
will become a part of a team as soon as you join any organization. The
goal is to share information effectively and to integrate your expertise
with the expertise of others to solve problems. You will work with
managers, subordinates, support staff, clients, customers, politicians and
concerned members of the lay community.
Corporate
Cultures
 It
is a mistake to think that all organizations are alike. Organizations are
very different from one another. Every organization has a distinctive
personality, its own culture. It is a reflection of the methodologies, the
history, vision, values and priorities of the particular organization.
Your job is to discover whether or not there is a good "fit" of your needs
and values with the organization's. You can do that by asking questions,
reading reports and observing what people -- especially leaders -- say and
do in a particular organization. Critical to this, of course, is to
understand your own personal values about work and your career.
Career
Self-management
Career management does not end once you secure a job; it is a life-long
effort. Once you are on the job, take control of your career. Seek advice
from managers, mentors, peers and colleagues, but keep control of your own
career. Only you can decide what paths and choices are best for you. You
need to discover what training and education will increase your value and
your satisfaction. You will need to discover if the scientific career path
or the management career path is best suited to your skills and talents.
Selling
Yourself
Science rarely sells itself. You will learn that in most business
enterprises there are many more ideas than the available funding will
support. You need the courage of your convictions to sell your ideas. And
you need to be persistent in selling the ideas that you have. In many
cases, selling your ideas is the life-blood of your job. You may be
selling yourself and your ideas to the management of your company to get
an oil or gas well drilled or a project approved. You may need to sell
your idea to a client if you are working for an environmental consulting
firm, or you may need to sell your ideas in the form of grant proposals.
Be aware that many times you will need to sell your ideas and yourself to
people who do not have the same technical background or expertise. To be
effective you need to develop effective communication skills and take the
time to understand your audience.
Gender
 As
in many other fields, women have historically experienced career obstacles
in the geosciences. Today, experienced women feel that there is less
prejudice than in the past and that in the competitive business world the
issue is more competence than gender. Women represent about 20% of the
workforce in the geosciences and a higher percentage of geoscience majors
in the colleges and universities. Problems of balance between work and
family, childcare and maternity leave are issues that are being addressed
throughout the workplace. It is important to research the organizations
you are interested in and to find out what their policies and actions are
on these issues. As today's society changes, these are issues not solely
of interest to women, but to men as well as families rely on two-incomes
and non-traditional family situations develop.
Diversity
We live and work in a multi-cultural world. To be a part of a profession
that is truly global in perspective requires that we understand people
different from ourselves. This effort can and should begin in school and
continue throughout one's life. The workforce is increasingly diverse, and
although this requires challenges in understanding one another, it offers
a rich source of new ideas and new perspectives on geoscience issues. The
richness of diversity can be a major tool in collaborative, creative
problem-solving, particularly when you may be the "outsider" in a project
that is in a foreign country.
Like
Best
 Everyone's
career has highs and lows as do the organizations and industries that
employ them. At times downsizings and organizational restructuring caused
job loses, representing career lows for some. However, employment
expansion occurs as well, and many times, with some flexibility, new and
exciting opportunities are encountered. The key to weathering the peaks
and valleys of one's career is a focus and understanding of one's personal
goals, flexibility in the means to achieve those goals, and an attitude of
continued learning.
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by
the
American Geological Institute and the US Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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