Careers in Geosciences

As you ponder your field of study keep in mind these definitions of geoscientists told to me by Al Engel back when I was in graduate schoool.  Granted, we were sipping whiskey in front of a fire on a spring break field trip (ok, we were actaully drinking it straight out of the gallon bottle), so take these with a good sense of humor.  Nevertheless, there is some truth here …

A geophysicist is someone who would rather calculate than be correct.

A geochemist is someone with a technique of dubious relevance and certainty in search of money, an idea and a sample. [note:  despite the “Rube Goldberg”-like nature of this device, it was actually used on the Challenger expedition (1872-6) to determine the concentration of carbonic acid (dissolved CO2) in seawater]

A geologist is someone who is not that bright but has a good sense of direction and a good pair of hiking boots.

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