Geology / Geosystems Engineering

[HookEm 2467]

Last night my son found out that he was accepted into UT's Geology department, which came as a surprise to him.  He is excited about getting in to UT, but doesn't really know much about the career options for Geology.  He was originally planning to study Mechanical Engineering.

Any UT Geology or Geosystems Engineering students or grads in here? Wondering if you can provide some insight into the job outlook and such.  

I'm a UT ChemE myself, but I don't really deal with this field to a great degree.

[Js1 85488]

[HamsterHookah 112]

13 minutes ago, HookEm said:

Last night my son found out that he was accepted into UT's Geology department, which came as a surprise to him.  He is excited about getting in to UT, but doesn't really know much about the career options for Geology.  He was originally planning to study Mechanical Engineering.

Any UT Geology or Geosystems Engineering students or grads in here? Wondering if you can provide some insight into the job outlook and such.  

I'm a UT ChemE myself, but I don't really deal with this field to a great degree.

Lots of application in O&G, at least historically the last 15 years. I do wonder if that wanes as the shale/fracking boom seems to have subsided and all the big investments are going offshore in deep water.

[CooterBrown 18022]

Outside of O&G, mining companies and large project engineering/construction companies hire geologists. 

 

Edited February 1, 2023 by CooterBrown

[HookEm 2467]

He was mainly interested in Mechanical Engineering because he wanted to be a project engineer.  So it is good to hear that is an option.

Any feedback on Geology vs. Geosystems Engineering?

[CooterBrown 18022]

36 minutes ago, HookEm said:

He was mainly interested in Mechanical Engineering because he wanted to be a project engineer.  So it is good to hear that is an option.

If you're referencing my post, I meant large project engineering to mean big shit like dams or construction that requires major earthworks. 

When I worked for an environmental engineering company, many of our consultants were PGs. I don't remember them doing anything I'd consider geology.  They mostly worked on environmental remediation projects for all kinds of clients from the DOD to dry cleaners (every older dry cleaner facility is a borderline superfund site).  They also did a lot of hydrology work for various water authorities.

[Grimas 670]

Congrats to your kid!  That being said, O&G jobs are where the real money is made in the field but he’ll need to get a Masters if he wants to get hired by the big operators. If he wants to go the geo engineering route, he’ll probably be required to become a professional geologist and pass the test once out of school. (It’s a bitch and I’m glad I was grandfathered and don’t need to take the test)

im a second generation geologist and I told my kid to get a different degree when he asked if he should go into geology especially with the whole green energy/ESG movement as well as the roller coaster career ride you should expect in O&G… (better to be a Petroleum engineer these days- no Masters required and slightly more stable as the wells always need to be worked on…)

on the flip side, I chatted with one of my old UT geo professors who just retired and he said that only a small percentage of geology grads actually get O&G jobs but do have successful careers in other industries as what you learn in the program gives you a very good skill set in critical thinking that make you successful and those aren’t things you learn in other programs (in general).

PM me if you want to discuss offline…

 

[tx 3 putt 77279]

3 hours ago, HookEm said:

Last night my son found out that he was accepted into UT's Geology department, which came as a surprise to him.  He is excited about getting in to UT, but doesn't really know much about the career options for Geology.  He was originally planning to study Mechanical Engineering.

Any UT Geology or Geosystems Engineering students or grads in here? Wondering if you can provide some insight into the job outlook and such.  

I'm a UT ChemE myself, but I don't really deal with this field to a great degree.

get a mechanical engineering degree, some good engineering programs in Texas. ALL their grads get jobs, most are good jobs and that engineering degree is for life. I’ll guess that Lamar, ut RGV and Tamuk have 100% job placement rate, before graduation. Every school that recruits at ut, recruits at those 3 schools. The days of only hiring from ut and am are long gone. Dow used to be the worst about schools and such, they’ve found out they love ut RGV engineering grads 

for the rest of his life he’ll be applying for jobs that either require an ENGINEERING DEGREE or one is preferred. There is no comparison between a geology and engineering degree in terms is jobs 

next level, get the mechanical engineering degree and then go straight to law school 

all that, hope your son does great in college and enjoys it. Great time in their life 

[tx 3 putt 77279]

2 hours ago, HookEm said:

He was mainly interested in Mechanical Engineering because he wanted to be a project engineer.  So it is good to hear that is an option.

Any feedback on Geology vs. Geosystems Engineering?

project engineer is a great job. I started in that role and never looked back. I still reference projects and things I learned 20 years ago 

 

small school chemE here. My degrees have never been verified for any job, and I’ve worked for two of the biggest rotating equipment oem’s in the world. The downstream world could not exist without those two companies 

[Grimas 670]

@tx 3 putt You write like my aggy brother-in-law… it’s “UT”, not ut…. 😂

[tx 3 putt 77279]

 he’ll need a masters in geology and his professional license. Being limited to only o/g jobs is brutal, it’s a roller coaster for sure and 100% he’ll be laid off at least once (probably twice) due to a down cycle 

[tx 3 putt 77279]

1 minute ago, Grimas said:

@tx 3 putt You write like my aggy brother-in-law… it’s “UT”, not ut…. 😂

Auto correct, too lazy to change it 

back to Lamar, I’ll bet the majority of those kids have jobs before their jr year. hell of a price to pay for going to college in Beaumont 😂😂😂

[Grimas 670]

1 minute ago, tx 3 putt said:

 he’ll need a masters in geology and his professional license. Being limited to only o/g jobs is brutal, it’s a roller coaster for sure and 100% he’ll be laid off at least once (probably twice) due to a down cycle 

Yup, I’m riding that train…. Of the 45 of us in my graduating class in the early 90’s, only 3 of us went on to get MA Geology degrees and only 2 of us still employed in E&P… (for now…)

[tx 3 putt 77279]

I’d be curious how many geology students are there because they couldn’t get into UT / am engineering vs want to be there 

Edited February 1, 2023 by tx 3 putt

[HamsterHookah 112]

Not to derail, but we had a family friend whose son was hyperfocused on wanting to be a very specific type of ME-- theme park/roller coaster engineer-- and so when he was waitlisted at UT ended up doing an ME somewhere small and doing a Masters at a school in Ohio who focused on that and had a pipeline to the rollercoaster companies via Cedar Point.

I guess the point is like Tx3putt said-- better to get an ME somewhere other than UT than get a geology degree at UT if he has a focused interest and knows what he wants to do an needs an ME to do it.

[tx 3 putt 77279]

12 minutes ago, HamsterHookah said:

Not to derail, but we had a family friend whose son was hyperfocused on wanting to be a very specific type of ME-- theme park/roller coaster engineer-- and so when he was waitlisted at UT ended up doing an ME somewhere small and doing a Masters at a school in Ohio who focused on that and had a pipeline to the rollercoaster companies via Cedar Point.

I guess the point is like Tx3putt said-- better to get an ME somewhere other than UT than get a geology degree at UT if he has a focused interest and knows what he wants to do an needs an ME to do it.

That’s pretty cool that you can focus on theme parks / rollercoasters 

[HamsterHookah 112]

2 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

That’s pretty cool that you can focus on theme parks / rollercoasters 

I thought so too, but seems very niche and too narrowly focused for my blood.

But also theme parks are killing it these days, so what do I know.

[tx 3 putt 77279]

1 minute ago, HamsterHookah said:

I thought so too, but seems very niche and too narrowly focused for my blood.

But also theme parks are killing it these days, so what do I know.

those physics and theories can be applied to other industries 

Edited February 1, 2023 by tx 3 putt

[Grimas 670]

How many actual openings are there in those roller coaster companies... I mean how many new ones are actually built every year?  😀 I've always joked that my perfect job - after expat wife - would be a women's bike seat designer at a lesbian nudist colony but I've never seen that job posted... Or maybe that I hoped to become a bicycle seat there in my next life...

[HookEm 2467]

Quote

get a mechanical engineering degree, some good engineering programs in Texas.

He got accepted into Texas Tech's Mechanical Engineering program and was all set to go there before hearing from UT.  I would bet a lot of Geology majors at UT are there because they missed out on their first choice.  As a UT ChemE myself, I haven't done chemical engineering in 20+ years.  I ended up in Technology, managing software projects in an adjacent space. 

A Geosystems Engineering degree seems like it would be more versatile if you want to bounce to a different career. But I'm not sure whether it is viewed as an actual engineering degree or not.  It isn't a degree I come across. He also has some interest in law school, and I'm not sure whether any of the geology degrees would be good for that.

Being a UT grad, it is hard to send him up to Tech if he has an opportunity here. I suppose he can always try to transfer majors within UT if he doesn't like it.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Mentioned a dozen times, but obviously O&G is the likely industry for him. And could make some serious bank.

I try to only pay enough attention to the industry as I have to stay employed, otherwise it’s depressing, so I don’t know if shale is on its way out. But, the company I work for has invested $1.5 billion into the Eagle Ford. We have 2 full time geologists on our project team.

As I known geo in this O&G world, I like being invited to their meetings as it’s quite fascinating.

[Grimas 670]

1 hour ago, HookEm said:

He got accepted into Texas Tech's Mechanical Engineering program and was all set to go there before hearing from UT.  I would bet a lot of Geology majors at UT are there because they missed out on their first choice.  As a UT ChemE myself, I haven't done chemical engineering in 20+ years.  I ended up in Technology, managing software projects in an adjacent space. 

A Geosystems Engineering degree seems like it would be more versatile if you want to bounce to a different career. But I'm not sure whether it is viewed as an actual engineering degree or not.  It isn't a degree I come across. He also has some interest in law school, and I'm not sure whether any of the geology degrees would be good for that.

Being a UT grad, it is hard to send him up to Tech if he has an opportunity here. I suppose he can always try to transfer majors within UT if he doesn't like it.

Going through this with my kids - you need to see what credits in geo engineering would be able to be transferred if he decided to switch to a ME major... I looked at getting out of geology my 2nd year when oil as at $10/bbl and realistically, most of my credits would only count in the School of Natural Sciences...  I actually took one day of Home economics - which is in the Nat. Sciences department - and went back to geology on day 2...  I would suspect that several of the classes he takes for geology won't count towards a ME degree if he decides to make the switch.  So more base courses for him and more $$ for you... (In my day, I think I (my dad) paid 500/ for 15 hours so it was no big deal...)  Chem and Biology 101 may transfer but probably not "rocks for jocks"...

[Grimas 670]

And for the record, I got my Masters (Geo) from Tech but hated living there after 5 years in Austin and got it done in 3 semesters just to get out of there...

[HookEm 2467]

I'm originally from the panhandle and my parents still live in Lubbock.  I actually like it up there, but realize that it isn't for everyone, including my son who wasn't that excited about the prospect.

Of course with a geology degree, he may eventually find himself somewhere like Midland.

[CooterBrown 18022]

How many actual openings are there in those roller coaster companies... I mean how many new ones are actually built every year?   I've always joked that my perfect job - after expat wife - would be a women's bike seat designer at a lesbian nudist colony but I've never seen that job posted... Or maybe that I hoped to become a bicycle seat there in my next life...

I looked at Disneyland careers once and was shocked at the number of engineers they hired across many disciplines. It makes sense though. They’re a self contained city that balloons to 100K people daily. They need civil engineers, mechanical, wastewater, etc.

[tx 3 putt 77279]

Is Geosystems Engineering an abet credited degree    ?  If it include hydrology, that has to be an interesting field the next 20 years 
 

 

[tx 3 putt 77279]

6 hours ago, HookEm said:

Of course with a geology degree, he may eventually find himself somewhere like Midland.

you’re not finding a place to live out there though 

[tx 3 putt 77279]

7 hours ago, HookEm said:

He got accepted into Texas Tech's Mechanical Engineering program and was all set to go there before hearing from UT.  I would bet a lot of Geology majors at UT are there because they missed out on their first choice.  As a UT ChemE myself, I haven't done chemical engineering in 20+ years.  I ended up in Technology, managing software projects in an adjacent space. 

A Geosystems Engineering degree seems like it would be more versatile if you want to bounce to a different career. But I'm not sure whether it is viewed as an actual engineering degree or not.  It isn't a degree I come across. He also has some interest in law school, and I'm not sure whether any of the geology degrees would be good for that.

Being a UT grad, it is hard to send him up to Tech if he has an opportunity here. I suppose he can always try to transfer majors within UT if he doesn't like it.

he should ask both departments for the job  lists of the last two years graduating classes 

Hell, I’d be interested to see them. I know tech grads end up in Chem plants / refineries. Good starting point for new grads 

[HookEm 2467]

When we went up to Tech, they said 98% of their grads had jobs lined up. I didn’t get a list of companies though. That’s a good idea.

[HamsterHookah 112]

13 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

I looked at Disneyland careers once and was shocked at the number of engineers they hired across many disciplines. It makes sense though. They’re a self contained city that balloons to 100K people daily. They need civil engineers, mechanical, wastewater, etc.

Theme Parks seem to be recession proof: https://variety.com/vip/why-theme-parks-are-proving-recession-proof-1235352281/

Saw this infographic the other day about NBCUniversal (obviously Disney is king):

 

NBCUniversal’s theme parks biz is on the up

Chances are, when you think about Comcast, the first thing that comes to mind probably isn’t a log flume.

But the telecom company has a hot theme parks business where revenue — which increased ~12% YoY to $2.1B in Q4 2022 — is far beyond even its pre-pandemic numbers, per Variety.

Today, Comcast’s NBCUniversal operates theme parks in the US, Tokyo, Singapore, and Beijing.

Planned expansions include a Super Nintendo World in California, a $1B Epic Universe in Orlando, and smaller children’s and horror concept parks in Texas and Las Vegas.

Theme parks are often regarded as recession-proof businesses. For companies like Comcast and Disney, they also provide cash that helps weather losses in their streaming units.

These conglomerates are also becoming increasingly good at monetizing visitors.

While these parks offer much more than they did in 1960, Zack’s fantastic analysis on Disneyland’s rising prices found the cost of parking has jumped 11.9k% since then, or 13.5x the rate of inflation.

Last year, per capita spending at US Disney parks was up 40% from 2019.

[HookEm 2467]

This thread has taken a turn from O&G being a roller coaster to talking about actual roller coasters.

  

[YChang 3460]

13 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

Is Geosystems Engineering an abet credited degree    ?  If it include hydrology, that has to be an interesting field the next 20 years 

This seems exciting: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/140319-5-technologies-for-greener-fracking

[tx 3 putt 77279]

3 minutes ago, YChang said:

This seems exciting: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/140319-5-technologies-for-greener-fracking

honestly if you want to get into o/g, I highly, highly recommend a mud engineer job. I’ve seen the career track of many mud engineers - if you show some spark and have the smarts the options are unlimited. Two of my classmates are ready to retire at 50 just riding out this last wave of business. Another can retire but he just loves drilling all over the world and makes a damn mint doing it for a top 3 OG company. Currently drilling like a mad man in Africa and living life. 

[tx 3 putt 77279]

200% they’d hire a geology degree for that 

[HookEm 2467]

Good info thanks.

 

[tx 3 putt 77279]

16 minutes ago, HookEm said:

Good info thanks.

 

I was also a chemE grad, but our dept also had the petroE program 

I’ve also never worked 1 day as a chemE, no idea what they even do 😂😂

[luke duke 6413]

My wife is a UT Geo grad. She’s been an Environmental Consultant for most of her career. She just recently took a job with the federal government.