Mining and Geological Engineering Salary and Career Outlook
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS,) “employment of mining and geological engineers is projected to grow 12 percent from 2012 to 2022,” which according to their data puts it on par with most other occupations in terms of projected growth. With the average salary for mine and geological engineering professionals being reported at $86,870 annually (or $41.76 hourly) as of 2013, the range between the lowest and highest paid percentages of the industrial professionals was between approximately $49,000 and $140,000 depending upon industrial focus, employer, position and experience.
A recent 2013 BLS study found that in regards to median salary, differences in respect to specific locations also existed. In the metropolitan area of Huston Texas, the annual mean average for geological and mining engineers, including health and safety professionals, was $147,880, with the same occupations earning between $118,450 and $121,350 in the Bakersfield and Oakland California markets, respectively. These salaries, when compared to the $84,140 mean of the St. Louis metropolitan market and the $69,970 measured in the Colorado Springs market, show that sometimes drastic disparities exist in respect to salary, dependent upon location and industrial focus.
The working and academic lives of a mining and geological engineer are one of constant problem solving, exploration, attention to detail and communication. As one of, if not the primary coordinator for digging and mining operations, the engineer is charged with the planning, logistics, safety assurance and contingency/emergency management of their projects. In addition to the technical engineering skills required for the surveying, planning, digging and extraction or study of materials, the project engineers are quite often also required to maintain strong lines of communication with the crews of professional miners or students they are working with. As such, and especially with respect to safety or emergency management, the number of women entering the fields has been steadily increasing.
Former University of Arizona mining student and captain of the women’s mine rescue team, Allison Hagerman was interviewed by the school news site UANews.org in 2013, during one of its mining and geological engineering drilling competitions at the school’s San Xavier underground mine. Speaking about her experiences, she highlighted that safety in the field was not only paramount but also presented a specialization. One which, following her graduation in May of 2013, inspired her to take the reigns as the captain of the women’s rescue team at the San Xavier Mining Laboratory. While talking to UANews about her studies of the mining and geological sciences, Hagerman eagerly pointed out that along with a 100% program graduation rate, her skills and studies allowed her to transition directly out of school into a stable, high paying position in the private sector.
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