SAGE 2YC Supporting and Advancing Geoscience Education in Two-year Colleges Careers in the Geosciences

What do geoscientists do? Natural resource exploration and production Environmental assessment and remediation

What do geoscientists do? Natural resource exploration and production Environmental assessment and remediation Atmosphere, hydrosphere, and natural hazard observation and forecasting Earth system investigation and modeling

What do geoscientists do? Natural resource exploration and production Environmental assessment and remediation Atmosphere, hydrosphere, and natural hazard observation and forecasting Earth system investigation and modeling Education and public outreach Scientific writing, editing, and multimedia production

What do geoscientists do? Natural resource exploration and production Environmental assessment and remediation Atmosphere, hydrosphere, and natural hazard observation and forecasting Earth system investigation and modeling Education and public outreach Scientific writing, editing, and multimedia production Law, forensics, software development, and public health

They work in the field … Oceanographer sampling water in Puget Sound Geologist Erica Lentz examines a coal seam in West Virginia USGS Environmental scientist downloading data from HOBO weather station

They work in the lab … Atmospheric scientist processes global air samples for analysis Geochemist analyzes water quality Volcanologist Allison Payne selects volcanic ash grains for chemical analysis USGS NOAA

They work in the office … Biogeochemist Lisa Robbins reviews her report on the effects of acidification on coral reefs Volcanologists review seismic data at USGS volcanic hazard operations center in Menlo Park USGS

Job Opportunities Based on Degree* * The general case – there are definitely exceptions AS/AASBA/BSMA/MSPhD Hydrologic technician XX Geospatial technician XX Oil and gas technician XX Marine technician X Mine geologist X Earth science teacher X Broadcast meteorologist X Natural resource regulator XX Environmental consultant XX Petroleum geoscientist XX Faculty member 2YC X X Research scientist XX Faculty member 4YC X

AS/AAS Jobs in Austin USGS hydrologic technician City, county or state environmental technician College geology lab technician City geospatial technician County park ranger

BA/BS Jobs in Austin City or state environmental regulator or manager City or state natural resource regulator or manager Public school science teacher City, county or state geospatial technician or analyst Broadcast meteorologist Soil testing lab technician Consultant with prior government or private-sector experience

Starting Salaries Associates degrees - technicians –Hydrographic Survey $25,100 –Physical Oceanographic $28,700 –Environmental Monitoring $29,500 –Geological Data & Sampling $31,600 Gonzales and Keane (2011) using statistics; 2005 data from National Association of Colleges and Employers

Starting Salaries Associates degrees - technicians –Hydrographic Survey $25,100 –Physical Oceanographic $28,700 –Environmental Monitoring $29,500 –Geological Data & Sampling $31,600 Bachelor’s degrees –Environmental and Hydrogeology $31,366 –Environmental Inspector $33,900 –Geology and related sciences $39,365 (2005) Gonzales and Keane (2011) using statistics; 2005 data from National Association of Colleges and Employers

Median Income All geoscientists = $79,160 –Lowest 10% <$41,700 –Middle 50% $54,470 to $113,390 –Highest 10% >$155,430 U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics UCAR

Median Income All geoscientists = $79,160 –Lowest 10% <$41,700 –Middle 50% $54,470 to $113,390 –Highest 10% >$155,430 By industry: –State government $57,700 –Management, scientific, $62,070 & technical consulting services –Architectural, engineering, $66,770 & related services –Federal Executive Branch $90,220 –Oil and gas extraction $127,560 U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics