• Question: What did you study at University? What advice would you give to someone to pursue a career as an Earth Scientist?

    Asked by laurahazel to Angus, Christian, Hannah, Laura, Simon on 17 Jun 2013. This question was also asked by laurenshep21.
    • Photo: Angus Ferraro

      Angus Ferraro answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      I studied Meteorology because I have always been interested in weather and the atmosphere in general. It’s quite specific but I still learned quite a bit of general Earth & Environmental science. If you have a specific area you are interested in, you could do a degree in that. If you aren’t sure yet (which most people aren’t!) you could think about a more general degree like Physics or Environmental Sciences. But eveen if you do a degree in a specific subject you will still be able to switch to a different one. I know lots of people who changed their minds about what kind of science they wanted to do.

      Think about what you’re interested in and what excites you. The one thing you can’t learn is enthusiasm, and that’s the most important thing for a scientist to have!

    • Photo: Laura Roberts Artal

      Laura Roberts Artal answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      Hi Laura!
      I studied Geology at University, but my PhD is now in Geophysics (a sub branch of geology). So, Angus is right, you can often change what kind of science you want to do even after your degree. My friend did a geology degree and is now doing a combined archaeology and geophysics PhD, so there is plenty of scope for changing your mind! Most courses within Environmental Science will give you a good enough grounding that you can become an Earth Scientist at the end.

      Think about what course you choose at University depending on what is important to you. Does the course offer plenty of fieldwork training? Does is give you lots of practical experience so that you learn through examples and exercises? That sort of thing!

    • Photo: Christian Maerz

      Christian Maerz answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      I studied Geology in Germany. And if you want to become an Earth Scientist, there are a number of things I would suggest:

      Have a look at various Earth Science departments, check what kind of research they are doing (because it will be the researchers who do the teaching as well, and they usually teach what they know best – that is, what their research is about).
      Try and go to some university open days, and chat to people. Also try to talk to students within this respective department, they can provide you with valuable first-hand information.
      Check out if the Earth Science department has a strong focus on field courses. Field education is really crucial for Earth Sciences, as there are so many things you only really understand when you see and touch (sometimes even taste…) them in nature.
      And last but not least, go to some place with a good quality of living. Nothing worse than being stuck in a horrible place where you do not feel comfortable, it will mess up the whole experience for you.

      Hope this helps… Good luck!

    • Photo: Simon Holyoake

      Simon Holyoake answered on 18 Jun 2013:

      I’m a little different as I studied Electronics at university…

      My advice would be to read as much as you can about earth science. This will hopefully give you some understanding of the various areas of interest which make up the discipline of earth science, and help you decide which you want to study.

      Most areas of classical science (physics, biology, chemistry) are applicable to earth science, so studying those at school will help you get a feel for which areas you might like to study further.

      There are also many different courses and departments at universities and colleges, and most would be happy to give some advice if you contact them!

    • Photo: Hannah Bentham

      Hannah Bentham answered on 19 Jun 2013:

      I studied Geophysics – great course. Big mixture of geology, physics, maths and geophysics.

      The others have written great advice.

      My only extra piece of advice have a think about whether you enjoy travelling and if you are willing to move around for employment. Industry jobs are concentrated in certain areas of the UK (mainly London and Aberdeen) although this is slowly changing. Academic jobs (university researcher, lecturer, prof, BGS) are more limited and there are only a few UK universities/organisations that have Earth Science departments. It’s quite likely you will spend sometime working abroad. So just keep that in mind. I love travelling but it isn’t for everyone 🙂

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