💡 Why it matters: Minerals, energy and underground water all have to be found before they can be used, and geologists are needed to find them and develop them responsibly.
🌍 Around the world
- Nigeria: Nigeria has gold, lithium, limestone and oil underground, so geologists are needed to find and responsibly develop them.
- United States: Jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦1.8M – ₦4.5M
- Mid-career
- ₦4.5M – ₦12M
- Senior
- ₦12M – ₦28M
≈ ₦375k – ₦1M a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Typical starter to experienced salary (profile: Geoscientist, also called Geologist). National Careers Service, 2026
🇺🇸 United States
Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Hourly median wage x 2,080 hours. Job Bank page gave only the median for geoscientists and oceanographers. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Study rocks and maps in the field
- Collect samples and test them
- Find places likely to have minerals or water
- Use satellite and computer data
- Advise mining and oil companies
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Observation
- Fieldwork
- Analysis
- Physical fitness
- Map reading
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Join a mining, oil or government survey team after your degree
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Geotechnician or mining apprenticeships
- Start as a lab or field technician and study part-time
🇺🇸 United States
- Summer field camps and internships with mining, oil or survey companies
- Geological technician jobs to gain experience
🇨🇦 Canada
- Field technician jobs and co-op placements in mining or energy
- Master's degree for specialist roles
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Study Geography, Chemistry and Physics
- 2Take a degree in Geology
- 3Do field trips and a placement
- 4Join a mining, oil or government survey team
- 5Specialise in minerals, water or oil
⏰ A day in the life
You drive out to a field site with your team, hammer samples off a rock face and mark them on your map. Back at camp you compare notes and enter findings into your computer.