Career
Path Forecast
 According
to the U.S. Department of Labor,
Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment
growth of 18 percent is expected for geoscientists and hydrologists
between 2008 and 2018, which is faster than the average for all
occupations.
The need for energy,
environmental protection, and responsible land and water management will
spur employment demand. Employment in management, scientific, and
technical consulting services should continue to grow as more
geoscientists work as consultants. These services have increased their
hiring of geoscientists in recent years because of increased government
contracting and private corporations' need for technical assistance and
environmental management plans. Moreover, many geoscientists and
hydrologists monitor the quality of the environment, checking for
problems such as deteriorating coastal environments and soil and water
contamination—all of which will create employment growth for them. An
expected increase in highway building and other infrastructure projects
will also be a source of jobs for engineering geologists.
 Many
geoscientists work in the exploration and production of oil and gas.
Historically, employment of petroleum geoscientists has been cyclical
and affected considerably by the price of oil and gas. When prices are
low, oil and gas producers curtail exploration activities and may lay
off geologists. When prices are high, companies have the funds and
incentive to renew exploration efforts and to hire geoscientists in
larger numbers. In the long term, continued high oil prices are expected
to maintain demand for workers who can find new resource deposits.
Geoscientists who speak a foreign language and who are willing to work
abroad should enjoy the best opportunities, as the need for energy,
construction materials, and a broad range of geoscience expertise grows
in developing nations.
Demand for
hydrologists should also be strong as the population increases and moves
to more environmentally sensitive locations. As people increasingly
migrate toward coastal regions, for example, hydrologists will be needed
to assess building sites for potential geologic hazards and to mitigate
the effects of natural hazards such as floods, landslides, and
hurricanes. Hydrologists also will be needed to study hazardous-waste
sites and determine the effect of pollutants on soil and ground water so
that engineers can design remediation systems. Increased government
regulations, such as those regarding the management of storm water, and
issues related to water conservation, deteriorating coastal
environments, and rising sea levels also will stimulate employment
growth for these workers.
 Graduates
with a master's degree in geoscience should have excellent
opportunities, especially in consulting firms and in the oil and gas
industry. In addition to demand resulting from job growth, replacing
those who leave the occupation for retirement, managerial positions, or
other careers will generate a number of jobs. A significant number of
geoscientists are approaching retirement age, and without increases in
the number of students earning master's degrees in the geosciences, job
openings may exceed the number of qualified jobseekers over the 2008-18
projection period. However, geoscientists with doctoral degrees, who
primarily work as college and university faculty or do research, may
face competition. There are few openings for new graduates with only a
bachelor's degree in geoscience, but these graduates may have favorable
opportunities in related occupations, such as high school science
teacher or science technician.
 There
will be fewer opportunities for geoscientists in Federal and State
government, mostly because of budget constraints at key agencies, such
as the U.S. Geological Service, and the trend among governments toward
contracting out to consulting firms instead of hiring new government
employees. However, departures of geoscientists who retire or leave the
government for other reasons will result in some job openings over the
next decade.
Geoscientists may face
layoffs during periods of economic recession, but the prices of
commodities are a much more important source of volatility; for those
working in the oil and gas or mining industries, the cyclical nature of
commodity prices determines demand. When prices are high, jobs are
plentiful, but when prices fall, positions become scarce.
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by the
American Geological Institute
and the US Department of Labor,
Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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