Also called: Quarry Geologist, Construction Materials Geologist
Finds and maps the rock, sand and gravel that become roads, bridges and buildings, and plans how a quarry digs it.
You climb quarry benches with a rock hammer, log drill cores, and test samples to see if the limestone is hard enough for highway gravel. Back at the office you build a 3D model showing how many decades of rock are left, and help the company apply for permits to expand.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in geology or geological engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Geology, Geological Engineering, Mining Engineering.
Growing about average. Steady; road and building projects need billions of tons of rock a year.
Low risk for 10 years. Drones and 3D models speed mapping; walking the pit, reading the rock and planning blasts with miners stay human.
Classes: Earth science, Chemistry, Algebra II.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2042.
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