What can you be?

You can be any number of things as an Earth Scientist. From the Earth’s core to the cosmos there is a career for you to discover! Earth Scientists have a wide range of job titles, working in one or many of the W.H.E.R.E. career sectors that make up the Earth Sciences:

Icon of a water drop with text: WATER Groundwater, glaciers, oceans, lakes, clouds (essential for all life)
Icon of a volcano erupting with text: HAZARDS Interactions with natural phenomena (protecting the public)

Icon of leaves with text: ENVIRONMENT Natural systems and spaces (climate and sustainability)

Icon of a diamond with text: RESOURCES Rocks, minerals, metals, mining (non-renewables that we rely on)

Icon of a windmill with test: ENERGY Wind, solar, tidal, geothermal, fuels (sustainable extraction and use)

Within these W.H.E.R.E. career sectors, Earth Scientists can be found working:

In the field – on ocean research boats, at helicopter-based exploration camps, in submarines, piloting drones, mapping landscapes, driving ATVs, hiking ridgelines, sampling lake beds, skidooing across frozen tundra, taking river samples, flying in airplanes, visiting work sites.

In the laboratory – analyzing rock, sediment, and ice cores taken from Earth’s different layers and environments, conducting chemical experiments, building models to run experiments, running equipment to date the age of ancient rocks and organisms, breaking apart mineral deposits in rocks, cleaning dinosaur bones.

In the office – interpreting field data, analyzing lab results, reconstructing ancient environments, researching future resources, writing reports or papers to share the science, mapping deposits or geological features, coding programs to do research, consulting with clients, studying land imagery.

In public – teaching in classrooms, attending workshops, curating at museums, hosting field trips, attending international conferences, working with school groups, presenting science talks in person or in webinars, being interviewed on the radio as a scientific expert, creating educational websites.

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A career in Earth Science can take you in several directions, and down many different paths. Once you have some geoscience education, the sky is the limit!

Depending on your skills and interests, as an Earth Scientist you may have many different job titles throughout your career.

Take this quiz below to discover some Earth Science jobs that might be right for you.

EXPLORE JOBS

Please select a work setting.

Where would you like to work?

  • Outdoors

    Outdoors

  • Outdoors

    In the lab

  • Outdoors

    In an office

  • Outdoors

    In public

Please select your intended duration for post-high school education.

After high school, you might go to school for the following?

Please select three (3) activities.

What do you enjoy doing? (pick your top 3)

Go with the flow!

There are many different directions your career path may take you. To learn more…

ESC Careers