Physics Career progression in Geophysics?

[Eats Dirt]

Hey All,

I am a soon to be graduate (this spring) from my masters degree in particle physics in Canada, I do not want to do 4+ more years of school for a PhD, so I am job hunting at the moment. I was looking for jobs in finance and or tech approaching graduation, however I fear tech job prospects and pay will be getting worse in Canada soon with imported labour. So I was gearing up to attempt a career in finance but was having no luck in getting job offers.

Recently an on campus recruiter offered me a position in geo-imaging, however I had some questions about this career path. If any geophysicists could give me some guidance that would be great, especially pertaining to the following:

1. Does it seem that a shift towards renewables could disrupt the industry and future job prospects? I have read elsewhere people stating that "Oil&Gas is a dying industry", "get out while you can", etc. My feeling is this is mostly fear mongering but I am not sure.

2. For someone who considers themselves ambitious finance appealed to me because the opportunities for career growth. However with that being said geophysics seems like a much more interesting and rewarding field, one I could see myself doing happily. So my main question which I could not find many good answers online to is what does the career and pay growth look like for a geophysicist? I was offered in the 70k range to start, but what i am slightly afraid of is that I start my career as a jr geo-imager and 20 years later I am doing essentially the same thing as a sr-imager making marginally more. So my question to geophysicists, does there seem to be good opportunities to move up in these companies after 5-10 years of experience for example to project-managers and higher, do you seem to be pigeonholed to your unique skillset and if so does pay increase as experience is gained or does it stagnant?

Thanks!

 

[jedishrfu]

I think it will take some time for oil and gas to hit the dust bin.

It would need a revolutionary product to change things like:
- a battery that charges as fast as gas can put into a car or
- a battery that is easily swappable (which means there's a recharging system that can keep up with demand)
- a battery that can last 1000 miles and recharge overnight in eight hours or so.

Alternatively, it would mean a shift to self driving cars, mass transportation and telecommuting all designed to cut emissions.

You should go with your interest and then see if you can also make more money. Doing the other way you will make a lot of money and you will long for your passion and be miserable until you retire. Just sayin...

 

[Dr. Courtney]

Oil and gas are alive and well in many places like Louisiana.

 

[Choppy]

what i am slightly afraid of is that I start my career as a jr geo-imager and 20 years later I am doing essentially the same thing as a sr-imager making marginally more.

I understand the concern, but one thing to remember is that if you really don't like it, you always have the option of changing careers. It's not like you have to stick with one field once you make a decision. There are far worse positions to be in than employed in a $70k job, while figuring out what to do.

The Canadian oil and gas sector is certainly subject to fluctuations. I don't think there's a serious concern of it dying anytime soon, but there is a reality of boom and bust cycles that people in that field have to contend with.

I can't speak to the specifics of geophysics career progression. I haven't kept in touch with the geophysics grads that I've known. But I think a lot can really come down to making sure that you keep yourself marketable so that you have the flexibility to change positions if you're not liking where you're at.