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Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians

It's a bright outlook for

This career will grow rapidly in the next few years.

Learn more about what they do.

Assist scientists or engineers in the use of electronic, sonic, or nuclear measuring instruments in laboratory, exploration, and production activities to obtain data indicating resources such as metallic ore, minerals, gas, coal, or petroleum. Analyze mud and drill cuttings. Chart pressure, temperature, and other characteristics of wells or bore holes.

Related: Calibration Technologists & Technicians Environmental Engineering Technologists & Technicians Environmental Science & Protection Technicians, Including Health Geodetic Surveyors Surveying & Mapping Technicians

Industries: Professional, Science, & Technical Mining, Oil, & Gas

Summary
Details

Supervise well exploration, drilling activities, or well completions.
Interview individuals, and research public databases in order to obtain information.
Record readings in order to compile data used in prospecting for oil or gas.
Interview individuals, and research public databases in order to obtain information.
Compile, log, or record testing or operational data for review and further analysis.
Test and analyze samples to determine their content and characteristics, using laboratory apparatus or testing equipment.
Participate in the evaluation of possible mining locations.
Measure geological characteristics used in prospecting for oil or gas, using measuring instruments.
Inspect engines for wear or defective parts, using equipment or measuring devices.
Set up or direct set-up of instruments used to collect geological data.
Collect or prepare solid or fluid samples for analysis.
Assemble, maintain, or distribute information for library or record systems.
Prepare or review professional, technical, or other reports regarding sampling, testing, or recommendations of data analysis.
Prepare notes, sketches, geological maps, or cross-sections.
Plan and direct activities of workers who operate equipment to collect data.
Adjust or repair testing, electrical, or mechanical equipment or devices.
Operate or adjust equipment or apparatus used to obtain geological data.
Assess the environmental impacts of development projects on subsurface materials.
Adjust or repair testing, electrical, or mechanical equipment or devices.
Set up or direct set-up of instruments used to collect geological data.
Collaborate with hydrogeologists to evaluate groundwater or well circulation.
Plot information from aerial photographs, well logs, section descriptions, or other databases.
Participate in geological, geophysical, geochemical, hydrographic, or oceanographic surveys, prospecting field trips, exploratory drilling, well logging, or underground mine survey programs.
Prepare or review professional, technical, or other reports regarding sampling, testing, or recommendations of data analysis.
Evaluate and interpret core samples and cuttings, and other geological data used in prospecting for oil or gas.
Read and study reports in order to compile information and data for geological and geophysical prospecting.
Create photographic recordings of information, using equipment.

Critical Thinking
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
Complex Problem Solving
- Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Coordination
- Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
Time Management
- Managing your time and the time of other people.
Active Learning
- Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
Persuasion
- Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
Instructing
- Teaching people how to do something.
Learning Strategies
- Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
Management of Financial Resources
- Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Equipment Selection
- Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
Management of Personnel Resources
- Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
Negotiation
- Bringing people together to solve differences.
Technology Design
- Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
Quality Control Analysis
- Testing how well a product or service works.
Social Perceptiveness
- Understanding people's reactions.
Writing
- Writing things for co-workers or customers.
Operations Analysis
- Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
Judgment and Decision Making
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
Service Orientation
- Looking for ways to help people.
Troubleshooting
- Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
Speaking
- Talking to others.
Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
Operation and Control
- Using equipment or systems.
Equipment Maintenance
- Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
Science
- Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
Programming
- Writing computer programs.
Systems Evaluation
- Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
Reading Comprehension
- Reading work-related information.
Systems Analysis
- Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Management of Material Resources
- Managing equipment and materials.
Active Listening
- Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
Mathematics
- Using math to solve problems.
Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
Monitoring
- Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

Reaction Time
- Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
Glare Sensitivity
- Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
Gross Body Coordination
- Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
Far Vision
- Seeing details that are far away.
Sound Localization
- Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Keeping your arm or hand steady.
Originality
- Creating new and original ideas.
Mathematical Reasoning
- Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
Fluency of Ideas
- Coming up with lots of ideas.
Speed of Limb Movement
- Quickly moving your arms and legs.
Dynamic Flexibility
- Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Gross Body Equilibrium
- Keeping your balance or staying upright.
Speed of Closure
- Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
Problem Sensitivity
- Noticing when problems happen.
Flexibility of Closure
- Seeing hidden patterns.
Near Vision
- Seeing details up close.
Auditory Attention
- Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
Spatial Orientation
- Knowing where things are around you.
Depth Perception
- Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
Deductive Reasoning
- Using rules to solve problems.
Category Flexibility
- Grouping things in different ways.
Time Sharing
- Doing two or more things at the same time.
Visualization
- Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Selective Attention
- Paying attention to something without being distracted.
Peripheral Vision
- Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
Oral Expression
- Communicating by speaking.
Number Facility
- Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
Inductive Reasoning
- Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
Oral Comprehension
- Listening and understanding what people say.
Static Strength
- Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
Speech Clarity
- Speaking clearly.
Rate Control
- Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
Hearing Sensitivity
- Telling the difference between sounds.
Stamina
- Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
Dynamic Strength
- Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
Perceptual Speed
- Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Control Precision
- Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
Response Orientation
- Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
Written Expression
- Communicating by writing.
Wrist-Finger Speed
- Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
Trunk Strength
- Using your lower back and stomach.
Memorization
- Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
Extent Flexibility
- Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Manual Dexterity
- Holding or moving items with your hands.
Speech Recognition
- Recognizing spoken words.
Information Ordering
- Ordering or arranging things.
Explosive Strength
- Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
Multilimb Coordination
- Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
Visual Color Discrimination
- Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
Written Comprehension
- Reading and understanding what is written.
Finger Dexterity
- Putting together small parts with your fingers.
Night Vision
- Seeing at night or under low light.

Sociology and Anthropology
- Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
Production and Processing
- Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Public Safety and Security
- Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Mathematics
- Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Telecommunications
- Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Food Production
- Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Design
- Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Communications and Media
- Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Administrative
- Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Sales and Marketing
- Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Physics
- Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
English Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Education and Training
- Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Engineering and Technology
- Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Philosophy and Theology
- Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
Psychology
- Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Foreign Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
Customer and Personal Service
- Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
History and Archeology
- Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Medicine and Dentistry
- Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Personnel and Human Resources
- Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Administration and Management
- Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Economics and Accounting
- Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Mechanical
- Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Law and Government
- Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Geography
- Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Chemistry
- Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Biology
- Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Building and Construction
- Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Transportation
- Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Fine Arts
- Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Therapy and Counseling
- Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Computers and Electronics
- Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Education

Associate's degree

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

1 to 12 months on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

Washington Annual Salary

60540/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

29.11/hr

Currently Employed

9,500

Yearly Projected Openings

1100

Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:

Attention to Detail
Integrity
Dependability
Analytical Thinking
Independence
Initiative

Augers
Bi distillation units
Binoculars
Calorimeters
Clinometers
Conductivity meters
Darkfield microscopes
Desktop computers
Digital cameras
Dissolved oxygen meters
Distance meters
Dropping pipettes
Drying cabinets or ovens
Electronic toploading balances
Extracting equipment for laboratories
Fluorescent microscopes
Gas chromatographs
Geological compasses
Glass crucibles
Global positioning system GPS receiver
Gravimeters
Hammers
Height gauges
High pressure liquid chromatograph chromatography
Hydrometers
Inductively coupled plasma ICP spectrometers
Infrared spectrometers
Jaw crushers
Laboratory bailers
Laboratory balances
Laboratory beakers
Laboratory burets
Laboratory crushers or pulverizers
Laboratory flasks
Laboratory funnels
Laboratory graduated cylinders
Laboratory sifting equipment
Laboratory vacuum pumps
Levels
Magnetic stirrers
Magnetometer geophysical instruments
Magnifiers
Map measurers
Mass spectrometers
Measuring rods
Multi gas monitors
Notebook computers
Organic carbon analyzers
Peristaltic pumps
Personal computers
Picks
Pneumatic rock drills
Polarizing microscopes
Portable data input terminals
Pressure sensors
Radarbased surveillance systems
Rangefinders
Robotic or automated liquid handling systems
Rock cutters
Salinity meter
Scanning electron microscopes
Scientific calculator
Seismic recorders or seismographs
Single gas monitors
Soil core sampling apparatus
Spectrofluorimeters or fluorimeters
Spectrophotometers
Still cameras
Sulfur dioxide analyzers or detectors
Test sieves
Theodolites
Turbidimeters
X ray diffraction equipment
pH meters

Analytical or scientific software
Computer aided design CAD software
Data base reporting software
Data base user interface and query software
Electronic mail software
Enterprise resource planning ERP software
Geographic information system
Graphics or photo imaging software
Inventory management software
Map creation software
Mobile location based services software
Office suite software
Presentation software
Spreadsheet software
Word processing software

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Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians

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