Geology Spotlight with Cait Randerson
Brooke Auxier
Issue date: 3/8/10 Section: Features
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Like most geology majors I did not start off as a geology major. I made that decision after I took my general studies intro geology class my first semester. I actually came in as a history major. I decided to become a geology major because I was good at identifying rocks and minerals in my intro geology class and I really liked learning about how the Earth works. But what really sealed the deal was when two upper class geology majors told me that I could spend the rest of my time at SNC going on fun trips full of outdoor adventures and get class credit for it, and that sounded pretty good to me. They also told me that I would never have to sit in a cubicle and I could hike around outdoors for the rest of my life and get paid for it. I was pretty much sold after that.
What do you plan to do with your geology major after graduation?
Well if I get accepted into the grad school program I applied to (I'm still waiting on that) I'd get my masters in Glacial Geology. With that I would probably get a job monitoring glaciers around the world.
What are the typical routes for someone pursuing a major in geology?
At SNC if you are a geology major you have to take courses in mineralogy, petrology, structural geology, sedimentology and stratigraphy, historical geology, hydrogeology, geomorphology and glacial geology. You also need to take a year of chemistry, physics and calculus (calc I and II). You also have to take a six-week long summer course called Field Camp where you learn basic wilderness and geology field skills. I went to Utah for six weeks and had a blast but other students have had their field camps in various places out west and one guy I know did his in Italy. It's pretty intense. The department also usually does a trip once a year. Every other year there is a week long spring break trip worth two credits (this year we're going to the Florida Keys for a week) and the next year we do a big trip worth four credits during J-term, last year we went to the Galapagos but other big trips have included Hawaii and Costa Rica.
Typical routes for SNC geology major graduates are varied. Graduates could go on to pursue jobs in volcano monitoring, earthquake monitoring, working for various types of mines (copper, platinum, diamonds, etc.), geologic consulting, working for companies that drill for and sample groundwater for public use and many more. Most geology majors go on to get their masters in the area that they would like to specialize and then try and get jobs in the field of their interest.
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