Day in the life of
Mineral Exploration Geologist – Paul Gordon
I’m a mineral exploration geologist, with >25 years experience. In my time, I have worked for small and large mining companies, governments and agencies. I’m a competent/qualified person for public reporting purposes (i.e. technical reports for companies listed on a stock exchange). I have led teams of people from all age groups and levels of experience, and I continue to do so. In my current role, I work for a global consulting firm called SLR Consulting, where I lead the Geology Team in the European Region.
My Job Title
Technical Director, Geology
My Typical Day
These days, I am involved in leading or contributing to multiple projects and no two days are the same. That being said, I will typically do the following:
- Check in with team, either to ask questions or make sure people know what they’re doing
- Gather geoscientific information and display it using GIS. I will either use GIS to help understand something and interpret it for a client, or to output maps which will be used in a report
- Write up my findings, see what’s missing, and figure out how to get that. It might be already held by my client, in which case I ask for it, otherwise I have to source it from colleagues or third parties.
- Talk to clients and colleagues about current or future projects (this is part of business development, a key aspect of my role)
- There’s almost always some admin in there, like budgeting, forecasting, billing, HR, etc
- I don’t get out into the field as much as I used to, particularly not in the last 18 months or so, given COVID-19 restrictions, but I do still get to get out and look at rocks from time to time.
Pros
The pros are that there’s a huge variety in what I do, I could be looking at a sand and gravel pit just up the road, or writing up the geology on a gold project in Kyrgyzstan, or sitting in a Teams meeting. I work with great people, both colleagues and clients, and I have opportunities to learn from all of them.
Cons
The cons are that the consulting business can be tough, you need to be focused not just on the job at hand, but making sure that there’s enough work coming in the future to keep people busy, not just yourself. When you’re young, it’s pretty easy to go to obscure places to work, but when you have small kids, it’s a lot more difficult, and it puts pressure on your partner, as well as being difficult to be away from the people you love.
Advice to aspiring Geologists
If you’re interested in becoming a geologist, there are lots of things you can do.
- It’s a science, so even if Geology is not available to you as a class, take another science class. The principles of scientific thinking and the process will stand to you. The fundamental sciences of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology are all important to understand in Geology.
- Physical geography gives a decent grounding in the fundamentals of Geology, so if you can study that, do.
- Think about what’s important to you – are you passionate about the environment? Environmental Geology or Hydrogeology might be the things for you. Would you love to travel to all sorts of obscure places? Mining and Mineral Exploration can get you there. I’m from Ireland, and that’s where I live, but I’ve been to Australia, Sweden, Finland, France, Armenia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Romania, and Canada for work. If it wasn’t for Coronavirus, I’d have been in Greenland last year.
- Reach out! There’s probably a local geologist in your area and there’s no knowing what they can tell you. Without exception, every Geologist I know is enthusiastic about their subject and will be more than happy to talk to you. You can get in touch in lots of ways, including:
- Just Google ‘Geologist’ and your local area – most independent geologic consultants have a web presence
- Get in touch with the nearest Geological Society, again, Google is your friend
- Get in touch with a professional association, you’ll find that they will be very happy to put you in touch, and may have their own outreach programme
- Ask your school to get someone in to talk to your class, they may find it easier to get in touch with a Geologist, or there could very well be one in the extended circle of families.
- Some municipalities employ a Geologist, either full time or on contract, so they might be happy to put you in touch.
- If none of this works, get in touch with me. I’ll talk to you, or find you someone to talk to.
Here are a few resources:
- https://aipg.org/page/SectionESWresources
- https://geoscientistscanada.ca/
- https://gac.ca/about/who-we-are/
Each individual state or province has its own professional body (e.g. https://nyscpg.wildapricot.org/). There will almost certainly be an association as well (open membership, not just for professionals) and you’ll often find that cities have their own society or association (e.g. https://www.rmag.org/). Note that these guys have an ‘Ask a geologist’ Insta handle and email address.
