💡 Why it matters: Gold, lithium, limestone, tin and other minerals are used in everything from phones to roads, and someone has to plan how to dig them out. Mining engineers plan how to do it safely and responsibly.
🌍 Around the world
- Nigeria: Nigeria has gold, lithium, limestone, tin and more, and the government wants to grow legal mining.
- United States: Jobs for mining and geological engineers are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, about as fast as average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦1.6M – ₦4M
- Mid-career
- ₦5M – ₦12M
- Senior
- ₦12M – ₦28M
≈ ₦417k – ₦1M a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Closest UK profile: Quarry engineer. Typical starter to experienced salary. 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 wage low/median/high x 2,080 hours. 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
- Plan mines and quarries
- Study where minerals lie underground
- Make sure blasting and digging are safe
- Reduce harm to land and water
- Manage crews and equipment
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Problem solving
- Maths
- Safety awareness
- Teamwork
- Resilience
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Do SIWES (Students' Industrial Work Experience Scheme) at a quarry or mine
- Short courses in mine safety and surveying
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Quarry or mining company graduate scheme
- Engineering apprenticeship with a quarrying or minerals company
🇺🇸 United States
- Summer internships at mines or quarries
- Short safety training such as MSHA (Mine Safety and Health Administration) courses, required for mine work
🇨🇦 Canada
- College diploma in mining engineering technology, then work as a technologist
- Co-op programmes with mining companies
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Study Maths, Physics and Geography
- 2Take a mining or mineral resources degree
- 3Do a work placement at a quarry or mine
- 4Join a mining or cement company after your degree
- 5Move into mine planning or management
⏰ A day in the life
At a limestone quarry you plan today's blast with the safety team, checking everyone is clear. After lunch you review surveying data on a laptop to decide where to dig next week.