To become a mining engineer, you need to obtain a relevant degree, a license, develop personal and professional skills, and apply for a job with a mining agency.
Mining is fascinating work. You can unearth precious materials and objects sold at very high prices or used to make valuable items such as planes.
And being a mining engineer is even more enjoyable. There are many interesting things you can do and several challenges you need to overcome. If you seek excitement in your work, a career in mining engineering should be the right choice for you.
What does a mining engineer do
The main job of mining engineers is to identify potential mining sites and observe the characteristics of the mining site. They also estimate the total amount of material present at the mining site and find any risks associated with mining at that site and how to mitigate that risk.
After identifying these things, subsequent activities include selecting the right equipment. Selecting the right equipment is very important because the wrong equipment in the wrong configuration can be fatal. This is why mining engineers need to be very careful and attentive.
After selecting the equipment, engineers decide the entire mining process and how the team and miners will act within the mining area. Engineers will also decide how materials will be extracted.
So, in short, all processes related to mining are planned by mining engineers. And sometimes mining engineers also determine how they can return mining sites to their natural state.
The salary of a mining engineer
The salary range in a Mining career can vary from place to place. And professional experience also determines the salary of each mining engineer. On average, each mining engineer's starting salary is around $45,000 to $55,000. Over time, the salary will increase.
After two to three years, the salary can increase up to $100,000. From this, you can understand that being a mining engineer can be financially beneficial. And not only that, some mining agencies also provide additional services. These services include home-to-work transportation service, medical fees for workplace injuries, and so on.
How to Become a Mining Engineer
Now let's get to our main topic on how to become a mining engineer. Well, the steps are simple – but doing them is the hardest part. Steps include:
- Earn a bachelor's degree.
- Obtaining a license from the state.
- Apply for the job.
- Developing your skills even further.
And in this article, we will look at these steps in detail.
1. Get a degree
The first thing you need to do is get a degree. You need to have a degree in any of these disciplines: Geology, Mine Design, Metallurgy, Mining Operations, Fluid Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Chemistry and Environmental Restoration.
Basically, any course that has subjects related to geology, environment and mining is required to be a mining engineer. If you have this degree, your first step is complete.
2. Obtain a State License
Obtaining a government license means you are qualified to be a professional mining engineer. Each state has its own requirements. If you meet these requirements, you will have to pass some tests.
These tests will determine whether you will obtain a license. And after obtaining a license, you can apply for a government mining engineer job.
3. Developing your skill
This is something you need to do after getting a job. We mentioned before that you would receive a salary increase after working for about two to three years, but this salary increase is not for nothing. You need to develop some skills that will be organized by the agency.
If you improve these skills and pass some tests, you will receive a pay increase. Therefore, this step is not applicable before getting a job, but it is necessary if you want to further develop your skills and role as a mining engineer.
4. Personal Skill Requirement
Having a degree isn't the only thing that will get you a job. You also need to have some soft skills if you want to really succeed in your job as a mining engineer.
These soft skills are very common and you need to develop them for all types of jobs.
First, you need to have good problem-solving skills. You need to think creatively and find a solution to even the most difficult situations. Since mining is a very difficult job, there will be many challenges. You will have to resolve worker complaints and even manage workplace conflicts should they arise.
Another soft skill would be having good design and computing skills. Mining requires you to design many things like mining route, extraction route. It also requires you to calculate the total resources available and the number of resources that can be extracted without harming the environment and ensuring the safety of workers. Therefore, having these soft skills is essential for mining engineers.
5. Applying for a job
You have gone through the difficult stages. Now all that's left is to get that lucrative job. This is not very difficult because there are many job opportunities for mining engineers. You can get a job at a government-owned public mining agency or a public mining agency owned by a company or individual.
Public mining agencies have better benefits, while private ones have a higher salary scale. Choose what you prefer and sign up.
Final thoughts
Being a mining engineer is a very lucrative job. In addition to the salary being good and the benefits excellent, you will also have the opportunity to work with high-tech equipment. All of this makes this work very unique. The thrill of discovering a huge deposit of gold or titanium will never cease to amaze you.
