Why did i choose GEOLOGY?

“You don’t look at a rock as having a life, but it really does. It’s splitting and moving and changing constantly.” Mona, junior, geology, university of California, Berkeley. Speaking enthusiastically, geology is a magnificent and unique science. A good geologist has to know something of everything which mean you will learn a lot of knowledge – physic, chemistry, geology, math, biology, bioengineering and many more -  that will make up your personalities as a geologist. Geology is a major that includes the study of Earth, the materials of which it is made, and the processes acting upon them, including the solids liquid and gases that make it up such as landslides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and the formation of the rocks which influence by  pressure and temperature. A part from that, a study of organisms that have inhabited our planet also fills up the content of geology major. An important part of geology is the study of how Earth’s materials, structures, processes and organisms have changed over time. The universities that I would like to pursue my study in geology major are California Institute of Technology and UC Berkeley.

There are factors and reasons that trigger up my enthusiastic to choose this major. The first reason is I like to learn the fundamental processes that are related to our own habitat that place about 7.4 Billion of people. How did Mount Everest, the highest place on Earth, come into being? Why do the rocks of the Andes Mountains in South America contain fossils of ocean fish? How does the climate change occurs?. These are the questions that often come up in my mind. I believe that this major can fulfil my curiosity as it contains a lot of useful knowledge that can be the answer for those questions. For example, in this major, you will learn about the movement of the earth that causes the formation of the mountain and theory of plate tectonics that explain the land masses, such as continents, are on plates that move across the surface of the Earth.

The second reason is that this major offers a broad style of learning that suit me as I am an adventurous type of person. This major will require the students to carry out outdoors activity such as hiking and camping despite spending three to four hours a week in a lab to uncovers the mystery of the Earth. Doing research on the a field trips is one of the thing that most geology students will be experiencing to make a clear understanding about the behaviour of our mother nature. For instances, in California Institute of Technology in United States, the student were given a chance to carry out their field trips to such nearby locations as Death Valley and San Gabriel Mountains ,this expeditions gives students first hand experiences with an understanding of  geological phenomena that most people never encounter outside of a laboratory or classroom.

Next, the future of geologist or geoscientist is quite promising. The economic argument for geoscience is a strong one, especially in this economy. There is a strong demand for new geoscientists, because many employers have an aging workforce. A recent study from Georgetown University noted that, "In today's challenging jobs economy, there are some fields with virtually no unemployment: Geological and Geophysical Engineering; Military Technologies; Pharmacology, and School Student Counselling. While majors with the highest unemployment rates are in the fields of: Social Psychology (16 percent); Nuclear Engineering (11 percent); and Educational Administration and Supervision (11 percent)."

Last but not least, a student who took geology as their major can have a job opportunity as well as other students does. In Malaysia, a geology student can find their job opportunities in the oil and gas field. Big companies such as PETRONAS hire such geologist to locate petroleum and natural gases which are needed by the society nowadays. Other than that, in Malaysia, geologist student also can work as Reservoir Engineer, Geophysicist, Head of Geophysicist and Engineering Geologist. Other than that, there are also job opportunities on the international level such as researchers, senior analyst, and petroleum geoscience leader, lecturer in Clastic Sedimentary Petrology and Sedimentology and Reservoir Engineer.