watsondoodle

Should we make a new one?

I think so. I had it bookmarked and the page doesn't exist anymore. I wonder why?

Somewhat off topic, but what happened to the 2017 results thread?

In my experience, this isn't true at all. I've met so many people in engineering or the heavy sciences that have no job after graduation, despite half of their unit loads coming in as math/heavy science/programming. It's all about networking, having good relationships with past employers or professors, and being persistent. "Major superiority" isn't true unless you're comparing apples to apples.

I tend to agree with this thinking- it's not worth it if you have to pay, especially with the current geoscience job market. Hard rock, exploration, O & G, minerals are all doing bad. Government agencies have scaled back alot lately and pay poorly. Only environmental is doing OK. Is oil/hard rock/minerals going to recover in 2 years? Probably not. Sometimes I even wonder about my decision to go to grad school with my current funded offer. A potentially 50k+ loan isn't worth a M.S. in Geology right now.

If you do get a TA from SJSU, they do waive tuition(i remember it being a 75% tuition waiver). I really don't like the SJSU campus, so it's a good idea to visit if you haven't yet. I'd email Manny at SJSU and ask for a update, he's pretty easy going. SDSU doesn't waive tuition but the TA packages are pretty good, and it has a better rep than SJSU.

I will be attending CSULB in the fall since I recently learned I received a Fellowship + optional RA/TA there. Good luck to everyone waiting till April 15!

I think it can be good to give your POI heads up that you are waiting on another school. Both of my POIs at different schools know each other, talked about my situation, and understand that I should go with the school that has the best financial offer.

Congrats! It's less about the school, and more about your research and advisor's connections. I expect the next few years to be lean for oil and gas, so be patient.

SDSU admission is out for those wondering...I'm "in state" so they were curious if I will take the offer before they send the official letter. Apparently they can only take a few in state students this year due to budget cuts. I'm at the point of deciding between CSULB and SDSU, but I think next week's fellowship decision for CSULB will sway me one way or the other.

Sorry to hear that Columbia09....I hope it's a mistake. Sometimes institutions don't communicate very well, so it could be a mistake.

It was even better, around 6 figures, but i worked during the height of the fracking revolution. I worked on wildcat wells which usually had really good field bonuses. I got out right before the layoffs, but I hear all the big companies are letting people go. Hopefully oil recovers in the next few years for employment sake.

Got into CSU Long Beach today with TA for 1st semester, followed up by RA funding. Fellowship under consideration still. Hope everyone hears back here soon too.

I was working around 100 hrs/week on some pretty dangerous rigs. Burned out quick, and was too far from home. If you work in operations after getting your M.S., you don't have to worry about these things!

There's pluses and minuses to both sides. O & G is more volatile but the pay and benefits are very good. I currently work for the federal government and although the stability and work/life balance is great, the pay and the benefits are both very poor. Compared to when i worked for O & G (mudlogging), I probably now make $50,000 less but work 50 hours a week less. The USGS isn't any different than my comparable agency.