Remember the good old days, when geologists went to work for a large oil company right out of college and 40 years later retired with that same company? Fuhgidaboudid.
We all know the score.
Brace yourself. Downturns. Downsizings. Outsourcing. Survival. Whew!
But while everybody recognizes that layoffs and downsizing creates turmoil and anguish for those involved, these cycles of change also can be -- and have been -- opportunities to explore new career paths that might not otherwise have been considered.
In the mid-1980s when the oil industry went through a wrenching contraction, hundreds of geologists were displaced. Some left the industry all together, some found new jobs in the industry and some found new and creative ways to apply their geologic background and love for the science.
Yes, there are thousands of stories in the Naked City. These are just some.
Teaching Young Minds
Growing up in Rochester, N.Y.,
[PFItemLinkShortcode|id:239|type:standard|anchorText:Jim Clark|cssClass:asshref|title:Article titled - Teaching Yound Minds|PFItemLinkShortcode]
always had two interests -- working with kids and geology -- so when he went off to college he pursued a dual major in geology and secondary education.
Cave New World
[PFItemLinkShortcode|id:240|type:standard|anchorText:Jeannie Place|cssClass:asshref|title:Article titled - Cave New World|PFItemLinkShortcode]
was laid off in the mid-1980s as a result of a merger, and she and geologist husband, Blaze Cunningham, left the stressful world of big oil behind to operate a cave in her home state of Wisconsin.
Consulting on a Choice
[PFItemLinkShortcode|id:241|type:standard|anchorText:Bob Cluff|cssClass:asshref|title:Article titled - Consulting on a Choice|PFItemLinkShortcode]
wasn't laid off from an oil company, but when his wife got hit by the downsizing trend and lost her job with a large independent oil firm in Denver in 1985 the couple had to make some hard choices about their future.
A Business-Like Approach
[PFItemLinkShortcode|id:242|type:standard|anchorText:Jane Woodward|cssClass:asshref|title:Article titled - A Business Like Approach|PFItemLinkShortcode]
was impacted by the contraction in the oil industry in the mid-1980s, but for her the impact was actually positive.
Pollution Exploration
Like Woodward,
[PFItemLinkShortcode|id:243|type:standard|anchorText:Ken Vogel|cssClass:asshref|title:Article titled - Pollution Exploration|PFItemLinkShortcode]
made his career change voluntarily -- but the instability in the oil industry certainly was a factor when he decided to move into the field of environmental geology.