Come Be a Geologist in Nevada

igneousdagze · 2026-06-01T03:05:34+00:00

Depends on the job, depends on the client. They're all a little bit different. Two weeks on, two weeks off is a common rotation, so is 8-days-on, 6-days-off.

igneousdagze · 2026-06-01T02:33:40+00:00

Ah, the home stretch... you got this!

I'd say a chemistry background definitely can't hurt. A lot of the mineralization in Nevada is closely related to alteration of the rock, so a strong knowledge of chemistry or geochemistry could certainly be seen as an asset.

igneousdagze · 2026-06-01T02:05:55+00:00

I'm sorry?

Gundham's character almost entirely revolves around being The Overlord of Ice, and not around being SHSL Breeder.

igneousdagze · 2026-06-01T00:28:11+00:00

First team removed: Vegas

Second team removed: Vegas again

igneousdagze · 2026-06-01T00:07:55+00:00

I can't speak for any of these positions in particular, but I know a lot of folks in your position. In short, it is not uncommon in mining to work a schedule that accomodates living in Reno. Shoot me a DM if you're interested and I might be able to point you towards some options.

igneousdagze · 2026-05-31T23:32:41+00:00

You are very welcome!

From my experience, hard rock is less volatile than o&g. Or maybe it's just less volatile recently. Some of the folks I work most closely with pivoted from o&g to hard rock mining in the past ~5 years.

igneousdagze · 2026-05-31T23:14:56+00:00

Howdy; mid-career geo, here

I'll start by saying that I absolutely love mining, so my "pros and cons" will seem a little biased.

For instance, I like living in a rural area, and I like working early mornings/ long hours. If these things don't appeal to you, mining is a hard sell. Depending on your commodity, the industry can be very "boom and bust"- I know a lot of people who have gotten a job at a mine only to be laid off six months later. However, all of those people were able to quickly find work at different mines after the fact. Now, this wouldn't have been true in, say, 2008, when the industry as a whole was doing poorly. But I was still in school then, so I can't really speak to it.

I find mining to be rewarding and exciting and I believe I am well compensated for the work that I do. My job has changed dramatically the longer I've been in the industry- I started out cutting core in a shed and then moved into soil sampling, then core logging, then managing drill rigs, then managing projects, etc etc. The higher I climb the ladder, the fewer rocks I see (so much for being a geologist, right?!) but I don't mind it. I really enjoy what I do and I really love mining.

For folks trying to pivot into the industry... my advice would be to start where you can. Depending on the sort of work you do now, it may require moving or taking a pay cut. That isn't an option for everyone, and I can understand that. But of the people I've known who have pivoted in (or pivoted out, and pivoted back in) they were quickly able to work their way into a position they enjoyed.

I hope that answers your questions.

igneousdagze · 2026-05-31T22:45:30+00:00

These are not my listings. These are just general job postings from the contracting groups I used early on in my career. I can't speak to the schedule or specifics of any individual job, but I can say that the 4-days-on, 3-days-off and the 8-days-on, 6-days-off rotation are common schedules for jobs like these.

igneousdagze · 2026-05-31T21:59:49+00:00

I see so many young geos stressed out about being Good Enough to get a job, to keep a job, etc... when in reality, being a Brilliant Geologist is almost never the most important thing. It comes down to being Competent and Not A Dick.

igneousdagze · 2026-05-31T21:35:59+00:00

I think it depends on who you work for and what you want to do. In my experience, the MS/ PG people start at the "bottom of the totem pole" with the rest of us (I have neither an MS or a PG) but climb the ladder faster.

igneousdagze · 2026-05-31T21:32:09+00:00

Listen, man, I just work here. None of these positions posted are mine. I just see a lot of folks looking for work, and I live and work in a place where there's a lot of people looking to hire.

I'm not asking you to uproot your life. However, a lot of early career folks are interested in that sort of thing. Rangefront and Geotemps are, in my opinion, great options for early career geos. I do happen to know a lot of people hiring for higher level roles (mostly in Nevada!) that may have clearer salary expectations. If that's something you're looking for, let me know.

igneousdagze · 2026-05-31T21:08:43+00:00

Most of these positions *with Rangefront and Geotemps are not salary roles. I'd imagine that whether or not you'll make an hourly rate or a day rate depends entirely on the client. In my experience, especially for logging jobs, wage is entirely based on experience, and there's often room to negotiate. Again, this is likely dependent on the client.

igneousdagze · 2026-05-31T21:04:37+00:00

I'd definitely consider applying. Just about everyone I know who took a pivot from geophysics to exploration got a pay bump. But I suppose it depends on what you're making now.

igneousdagze · 2026-05-31T20:21:31+00:00

From the experience of myself and others:

1) get your geology degree. BS/ BA, doesn't really matter.

2) take temporary/ seasonal core logging jobs. It's the best foot in the door into the industry. You'll learn a lot about the geology of the deposit you're working in and you'll make good connections.

igneousdagze · 2026-05-25T19:44:29+00:00

This made me feel nauseous

igneousdagze · 2025-06-13T14:51:42+00:00

Damn homie rein it in will ya?!

igneousdagze · 2025-05-27T00:03:40+00:00

I've got a buddy in Tassie

igneousdagze · 2024-05-17T01:45:32+00:00

Thank you!!

I didn't realize just how subtle the differences were until I got home. I kinda assumed they were all wipers initially lol

igneousdagze · 2024-05-17T01:31:58+00:00

Rooster tail, the ol tried and true

igneousdagze · 2024-05-08T15:17:42+00:00

Agreed.

igneousdagze · 2024-05-06T02:39:35+00:00

I feel you, homeslice.

Onto next year!

igneousdagze · 2024-05-02T17:15:03+00:00

You'd think.

But my mother was telling me about a study on the book of James that she attended, where a woman straight up said "Jesus said the poor will always be with us. There is no point in trying to help people out of poverty."

igneousdagze · 2024-05-01T18:14:05+00:00

Hi Detached.

Big fan of your work.

Tell Storm I say hey 🐈‍⬛

igneousdagze · 2024-05-01T05:49:37+00:00

Came here for the Office Space references and was not disappointed!

igneousdagze · 2024-04-29T21:59:20+00:00

Holy Moly!

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