Also called: Fossil Quarrier, Commercial Fossil Collector
Splits layers of rock on private land to find fossil fish, leaves and insects, then sells them to collectors and shops.
At quarries near Kemmerer, Wyoming, workers lift thin slabs of 50-million-year-old lake rock and split them with knives and hammers, looking for fossil fish. When they find one, they mark it, carry it to the shop, and slowly scrape away rock to expose it. Some quarries also let tourists dig for a fee.
Owners earn more from selling top specimens.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
No formal education, about 0 years after high school. Trained on the job at the quarry.
Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Geology, Paleontology.
Growing slowly. A small number of private quarries.
Low risk for 10 years. Splitting rock and preparing fossils is handwork; AI might only help with sales listings.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply for summer jobs at commercial fossil quarries near Kemmerer, Wyoming; they teach splitting
Classes: Earth science, Biology, Art.
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.