Career Compasses

Career preparation awareness and information for many geoscience students begins when they choose their major in college or university and begin to attain practical skills such as internships, leadership positions, or have research experiences. Often, geoscience alumni engage with academic institutions to help and share their success stories and current trends and information within their industry, but it can be limiting in terms of its scope, distribution, and sector. Faculty mentors and advisors strive to help students recognize and articulate these skills that they have mastered while a student’s engagement at professional society meetings and exploring professional society resources helps build their networks and add to their social capital. Often students land their first job or first internship but fail to understand which competencies are most important for long term employment and advancement into higher level positions.

AGI along with its many partner societies and geoscience organizations and employers are committed to creating defined pathways for success in various industries and sectors. These pathways begin with tips and strategies as a student gains critical skills, experiences, and competencies, then transition into entry level positions into the workforce and ultimately lead up to higher levels within the organization. These pathways while linear and well defined during the early years especially while a student, can diverge and create complex networks and avenues for entry into and transitioning to different positions as one advances to more mid-level and senior level positions.