"I knew Otago was one of the better universities for studying sciences. The city is so student oriented it's the perfect place to study hard AND have a life."
"In my first year, I took eight papers in seven different subjects. I enjoyed Geology the most, and got my best marks in it, and so the way forward seemed clear. Geology gives you an appreciation of things in four dimensions; you can look at a three-dimensional landscape and think “wow, that's beautiful” but as a geologist you learn to 'read the rocks' and get doubly blown away by all the events created that landscape through time, and then imagine the changes over the next few million years!
"I liked the department because staff lectured to their classes and not at them, and were the most approachable people. Another great thing about Geology: field trips.. Every semester you'll be whisked off into the countryside, out on the uni boat, or even just taken for a walk around town, to look at the rocks and learn how it all came to be. I got to see parts of the country I never would have otherwise, had some pretty exciting encounters with NZ wildlife!"
"The compulsory papers incorporate almost all the skills I now use on a daily basis. Making the most of the other papers on offer will give you a thorough basis in all aspects of geology from which you can branch out in any number of directions — it's your choice!"
"I was interested in field work and so began pursuing a job in exploration. Otago proved to be the best place I could take geology as it is the only place (that I'm aware of) that incorporates an independent mapping project into its undergraduate degree. That's proved invaluable; I probably wouldn't have been up to working on some of my early projects without it."
"My first job was as an exploration geologist, working for Venture Minerals on tin and tungsten skarns. Fresh out of uni I was based in Tasmania and spent much of my time logging drill core and routinely identifying over 30 different minerals and more than 50 different rock types. I regularly went 4-wheel driving to collect core, or worked with 3D modelling software when in the office. Summers meant fieldwork and I went on several helicopter-supported trips, getting dropped in and out of remote areas to do mapping and stream sediment sampling. Such trips definitely made for some fantastic outdoor experiences! Being based in a remote area also meant work covered my living expenses; with nothing to spend money on I managed to save up and pay off my student loan within a year.
"But best of all, my job has enabled me to travel…in my second year out of uni I was seconded to Avonlea Minerals and spent two months camping in remote northern Namibia, amongst the local tribes-people, springbok and ostrich, and spent my days scrambling up ridges to map iron-bearing rocks in the blazing desert sunshine. My third year out of uni I moved to Perth, then spent a month mapping and stream sediment sampling for copper and gold in the cassava fields, rubber plantations and bamboo forests of northern Thailand. Most recently, my work for RSC Consulting has seen me present a paper at the 2015 Deep Sea Mining Summit in Aberdeen, Scotland – a great learning opportunity, and a chance to take a few weeks off to go backpacking around the UK."
"What can I say? Life's an adventure and geology really does rock!"