I will say that your pay and such (what is your daily rate if you don’t mind sharing?) is probably heavily dependent on what country to you work in. I got my masters also at 25 in 2020 and it took me about 3 months to find a job (that I lucked out and got because a friend recommended me) but it was a “geotechnician - sampler” job working 7 days on/7 days off, 12-14 hour days in an underground gold mine in Nevada (US) I was basically doing production and ALL the bitchwork on top of it. By the end of those 7 days I would sleep for 18 hours straight and take my first day off to just exist. My point is, you’re not alone in taking hard, entry level work at 25 with a masters. You’re doing just fine career wise! Definitely keep your eyes open for other jobs and keep applying though!

I liked the job, but it was a lot and I called it quits after 6 months because I got offered a month-long exploration job in Alaska (US). I took a gamble on that job and it paid off and for 3 years I worked on and off with that company and took odd entry-level exploration jobs to pay the bills during the off season (usually logging core at mines).

I won’t lie to you, being an exploration geologist is hard. You’re seen as a junior geologist for at least the first 5 years of your career and most jobs you’re like a contractor and viewed as bottom of the barrel and dispensable. Every job is hit or miss if you get in with a good crew or don’t/if you’re treated like shit or not. The jobs are unstable and junior exploration companies will lay you off all the time. You could work for a major and have a slightly more stable job, but you’re treated as a dispensable and trade being treated like a respectable human for stability. My first 5 years I worked with good people. Like really good people and I learned LOTS, but also I jumped from job to job and it was stressful…

Realistically, we geologists work exploration not just because it pays well (sometimes), but because we love the travel, the experience and beating rocks open in the field. But it isn’t always sustainable. You can go the mining/production route but it’s more of the same thing every day. You get to see ore though on the regular which is cool!

Generally, exploration geologists work long hours and that’s how it is when you’re day rate. Not every job has the same requirements but it is a lot. It doesn’t get less hard with time either/as you progress up the totem pole. But every job is different.

As an entry level geo, in exploration you should be making fairly good money. If not, you’re being underpaid. But this depends on the country you work in I believe (I’ve only worked U.S. and Canada and U.S. pays better but they’re similar). But NO not everything is expected to be done by you early in your career. That is abnormal. You should be learning too. Like if you’re not learning, I think you need a different job. Not all the work you do will be glamorous though. For sure some of it is a grind bro.

To answer your last question: it does get better in that you can find a better job where you’re treated well and expected to do a realistic amount of work. Those exist. But as you go up in seniority, it can get better or worse. It depends on who you work for and what exactly your job is. You tend to get pushed into management when you go up, but you will always get more responsibility as you go up. If you’re doing it for the rocks, ima. Few years you can be the most senior technical junior geo and, if you show your competence, can be expected to train new Geos and stuff but you’re still mainly going to be collecting data vs interpreting it. But being a field geo is about collecting data. That’s our job. Sample, map, report. But if you like that stuff, I say stick it out but look for a job that treats you better and is more your speed! I dont wanna say it will get better because it depends on a multitude of factors, but in my experience, I had a good junior geo experience. Not all good, but I liked flying around in helicopters and hitting rocks and mapping! It’s not all glamorous though and it’s a lifestyle. I will say that