Also called: Stratigrapher
Reads layers of sand, mud and ancient reefs to reconstruct lost landscapes and find underground resources.
You log a drill core inch by inch, noting ripple marks and fossils, and decide whether it was once a river, beach or deep sea. Energy and water companies use your maps to predict where good reservoirs are.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Master's or PhD in geology.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Geology.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years). Geoscientists overall.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI now logs cores from photos and scans; field interpretation and reservoir judgment stay human.
Classes: Earth science, AP Environmental Science, Statistics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2042.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.