Employment Opportunities
One great aspect of being a Geology or Environmental Geoscience Undergraduate student is the fantastic summer job opportunities in our discipline! Geoscience-related job advertisements are frequently received and posted in the hall near the student study room and on the TV screen as you enter the Department of Earth Sciences in College West. Below, we have listed several common job opportunities that arise inside and outside the department for our undergraduate students.
Departmental geology and environmental geoscience jobs:
Sometimes professors have summer job placements available in their labs. If you have a professor who does research that interests you, let them know! Professors generally won’t advertise these opportunities, so take the initiative to contact them to see if they might have positions opening up. Professors may also have other sources of funding to support summer students that they can tap into so reach out early and start the conversation. The Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) program is one way that professors can fund summer students in their labs, and it is due in early January, so make sure you contact your professor(s) in the fall semester to allow them time to apply for this program with you.
Teaching assistantship (TA) positions (for graduate students and advanced undergraduate students) are often available within the Department of Earth Sciences. While graduate students are generally given priority for TA appointments, senior undergraduate students are also sometimes eligible to TA. Download the TA application form (Word Document).
Saskatchewan Geological Survey:
The Saskatchewan Geological Survey (SGS) presents an annual summer job session in our Department. Look for information posted on the departmental announcement boards about this program in early January each year, and/or speak to the Departmental Advisors for more information. For more information on the SGS and summer jobs with the SGS check out their website.
Industry jobs:
Exploration and other companies often hire undergraduate students for summer positions in the field. If this is interesting to you, watch out for information posted on the departmental announcement boards, and speak to the Departmental Advisors. Companies sometimes advertise on their webpages for summer positions, and the (free!) Saskatchewan Geological Open House in late November/early December each year is also a great place to connect with company representatives about opportunities that may come up the following summer. Networking is a really important skill to help you with the transition from being a student to working in industry – opportunities such as the Open House are great for practicing your networking skills!
Other jobs:
Information about job opportunities, career fairs, and career development support can also be found at the University’s Career Centre.