Careers in Mining
MiningVoice Article "The Many Faces of Mining"
MiningVoice Article 'Covering the Waterfront'
Chapter 1 of 'Is There an Engineer Inside of You?'
A Career in the Crushed Stone Industry
Why choose a degree in Mining Engineering from Mackay School of Mines?
University of Nevada Career Day Presentation
Mackay School of Mines Presentation
Careers in the Mining Industry: A pre-college guide for students,parents and teachers
Mining engineers primarily work in the mining industry, planning, designing and operating surface and underground mining operations. These mines, which are located in all 50 states and every country of the world except Antarctica, produce the minerals needed to help clothe, feed, and house the world's population. These minerals vary from sand and gravel, pumice, gypsum, and coal, to copper, lead, zinc, tungsten, iron, and more exotic minerals such as gold, silver, diamonds and rubies.
Since mining engineers have a broad training, there are many other career opportunities open to them in the construction and tunneling industry, banking and finance industry, engineering consulting companies, equipment manufacturers, and federal and state agencies, to name a few.
Many mining engineers, when they first graduate, go to work in an operating mine. The work can vary from supervising a small group of people who operate large and complex equipment, to developing a computer model of a mine and using it to plan the daily operation.
A recent career example is Cindy Moore who graduated in 1997. She was the first woman to win the National Senior Design Project which awarded her $1000. She has this to say:
"I enrolled in mining engineering at the Mackay School of Mines. It was probably the wisest decision I have made. Following graduation I became a mining engineer at Mine Development Associates in Reno, responsible for providing engineering services for a variety of clients. I specialized in mineral resource estimation and mine planning and design using Surpac, a sophisticated computer software package. Currently, I am a grade control engineer at the Rosebud mine near Winnemucca. It is a small underground mine and I have been given a variety of responsibilities.
Mining is a very fast-paced, exciting career. I feel it is an excellent career choice for both men and women. There are very few women in this industry, but I believe if a woman has the determination to succeed, she can progress to the upper levels in the industry."