Exploration Geologist or Geophysics

[Hanyuye]

Hi all,

 

Here I go again with graduate applications. Hopefully, I can acquire some clarification about everything. 

 

1) As I'm graduating with my Math BA and three courses in geology by May, I was aiming towards MS Geology programs as I ultimately want to be an exploration geologist/exploration geophysicist. Is it more feasible for me to go towards the geophysics route with my lack of geology courses? 

 

2) Can someone with a MS in Geophysics become a exploration geologist and vice versa?

 

3) My professor who said she will provide me a recommendation hasn't responded to my emails for a month. I passed by her classroom three times but have seen a different professor/substitute. I don't know if she's ill or just hasn't seen my emails, should I continue to email her and ask the department of her whereabouts? I really need to finish one application by December 1.

 

 

[Hanyuye]

bump!

[rricenator]

What is your undergrad?  With a math background, or physics, you can make the jump to geophys with no problem, and yes you can be an exploration geophyscist.  I recommend joining SEG, and attending an event or two.  Network, make connections.  (Society for Exploration Geophysicists)

[Hanyuye]

What is your undergrad?  With a math background, or physics, you can make the jump to geophys with no problem, and yes you can be an exploration geophyscist.  I recommend joining SEG, and attending an event or two.  Network, make connections.  (Society for Exploration Geophysicists)

 

Thank you for the encouragement! I am a math undergraduate and so far, I've taken Geology 101, Fossil Fuels Geology, and Field Geology of New York State. 

I've been networking but gotten very few responses and they were not helpful at all. 

[Hanyuye]

Question, if I were to graduate with a international MS, lets say in Leeds University or Imperial, then come back to the USA for work, will I have a hard time finding work if my gpa and research was fine and dandy?

 

Also, is a petrophysicist a career with no advancement possible into other related fields?

Edited December 10, 2013 by Hanyuye

[RockSniffer]

Hey Hanyuyue, sorry for the delayed response. I see that your deadline was 1st of Dec... I agree with rricenator's suggestion regarding SEG. You never know who you'll meet. People always remember your face or the event if you run into each other in 2-3 years' time. It worked for me, so far. The oilfield is a small world and I keep bumping into people I haven't seen for ages. There is the annual meeting in Denver in the last quarter of 2014, for instance. SEG is not the only group/society out there. There is AAPG, AGU, BGS, SPE. Most of these will take you as a student member with no costs or a minimal entrance fee.

 

There are many graduate schemes, offered by operator and service companies. I will suggest you to try your luck with those after you get your MSc. I'm sad to admit, if you are American or British, your chances are greater than other nationalities. However, it doesn't mean they will just accept you with open arms. I would recommend doing internships with operators or slightly smaller geophsysical companies during the summers to increase your chances. Attend seminars, show your interest in your CV that you didn't spend the past x number of years doing whatever.

 

Go to career days. I swear by them. It's how I got my internships, my current job. Those recruiters are there to hire folk! Even if you don't get hired in the end of the process, it will be a great opportunity to see how the interviews go. I recommend using glassdoor.com, to learn what to expect. See what Baker Hughes, Schlumberger do when they hire graduates, for instace.

 

To answer your question about Leeds/Imperial... To be honest, I don't think much of Leeds in respect to geophsyics. Imperial has a mad petroleum geoscience department though. Some lectures are given by guests from Shell, BP, Schlumberger. You get to make connections and learn about the sector directly from the people who work in it. I can't stress enough how much this matters, when you compare it to a lecturer who has no connection to the industry. Logging tools change every other month. There are new technologies.

These being said, I don't know how a Masters degree form Leeds or Imperial would put you ahead when you return to the States. Based on what would you think Imperial is any better than other universities in USA? Going international to UK may not be the solution.

 

Regarding the petrophysicist question: By itself, yes, there will be little advancement within the job. You will get amazing training though. Putting that aside, normally there is a fixed-step training programme that companies love to assign you. Normally people won't be doing the same job for over 5 years. Unless you insist on staying in your current department, there is always a grading system. For example, one can start as a field engineer (data acquisition), move to a support center (helping the field population, quality check data etc.) after a few years, then move to consulting (interpretation, where the petrophysicist would be), then maybe assistant domain champion etc.. I have not met anyone who got hired as a petrophysicist directly, normally, like I said, you would go through other steps to get to an interpretation position.

 

It's all a big race.

I am currently working for one of the 3 major service companies, if you want further information, I can gladly help you persoanally. By no means, I am an expert in anything, I've been doing this for about 2.5 years.

[Hanyuye]

Hey guys, question about SOP. 

I'm really interested in exploration geophysics and seismology. Though my school and no school near me offers seismology, I really don't know how to convince professors that I want to enroll in it. 

Do I have to be specific in my research focus in my SOP, or jsut say along the lines of I want to study basin analysis, seismology for exploration geophysics under Professor X and reservoir characterization under Professor P.

[uchelouis]

please could you assist me, I have been asked to write

a feasibility study on co2 sequestration. do you have

any idea how I may go about it