Are there any geologist here? I'm curious to why someone would choose to study geology outside of paleintology (misspelled)? I just don't find rocks interesting. I don't see how secondary features in in-situ clay is interesting. It just doesn't seem creative to me. Engineers are creative. Poets are creative. Business grads are creative. Historians are creative.....men walking on the moon, whatever. Athletes are creative. Geologist for the most part dig up stuff that was there. Where's the creativity? Outside of studying extinct species of plants and animals and postulating their environment, I see a genral lack of creativity in geology. Can someone enlighten me?
geology these days is more than studying rocks. i know a geologist and she does nothing with rocks except drill through them. she does site assesments for new construction, along with groundwater studies. she also oversees hazardous waste clean up. rH
There's a lot of good paying geologist jobs in the petroleum industry. That fact coupled with the understanding that a geology degree is easier to attain than an engineering degree motivates many slackers to become geo-dudes. (or so that's what engineers tell me.)
Geology is very creative. The rocks provide you with sort of a 'record' of what came before any you have to sort out this puzzle to find where oil might be, or find where ore deposits like gold and silver might be. It's like being a forensic detective, to some degree. Now I personaly feel that the 'day to day' of it is pretty boring, but thats just my opinion.
My education is in history and I'm wondering, how is history creative? I mean we always make up stuff about history to see if people will believe it, but geologists could do the same with rocks.
Rockhead, This is actually a similar type of work that I see my geologist coworkers do, except for the over see hazardous waste cleanup. It amazes me how soil borings can excite them so before construction. Groundwater studies just look boring, and yet geologists seem to get giddy over it. The best explanation I've gotten why they like their work so much is that its like apple jacks, they just do. I understand that its complicated work. I just never understood what their motivation to get into this line of work and really am interested in understanding. Does she have red hair? I've meet someone a month or two ago that worked at trainwreck that does this.
I don't know how people find taking depth measurements of a creek in yourcellphoneisdead, texas and plotting it on a computer interesting. That's what I had to do for a Geographic Information Science class at UT. I was planning to pick up GIS as a second major to boost my GPA. Basically its geography/geology with a computer emphasis. Worst class I ever took.
Joe Joe, Being the overeducated slug that I am, I have a degree at Rice in Geology among other boring things (Anth/Ling..lol) leading up to my reluctance to do programming...which is probably my best paying skill...yet writing crap is what I love. Hey....I can do that in Java!!! You didn't explain why non creative people like me going to Jamaica for weeks at a time to stare at rocks is not creative, or going on long boat rides to Antartica is boring...sea sick yes, but boring. Why do you ask. First there are basically 3 types of geologists, academically speaking. Hard Rocks Soft Rocks and Oil What are you asking about? Your emphasis on Paleontology is weird because it is limited. ps: what does red hair have to do with this....now you have me curious.
Hey, this is turning into a Kelvin Cato thread! sorry, couldn't resisist getting in a jab against Cato...carry on...
crispee, Curiosity started this thread because I don't know much about geologists and want to know more about them. Think of it as a challenge. I know almost every profession has creativity and there must be somethings about geology that I just don't know about or appreciate. How is staring at rocks in Jamaica creative? What are you creating? Getting to go to cool places would be a plus, but other jobs do the same. I hate to travel so I'll leave the Antartica to you and your kind. I just honestly want to know what's cool about geology. Rockhead described a female geologist who does the same thing as a red haired geologist I meet at a meeting a month or two ago.
