How is geology going to even help me in life if I want to follow a business/entrepreneurship career?

Hey Jose!

I get it man. I started college wanting to be an entrepreneur, but I was getting an engineering degree with tons of technical classes.

Geology could benefit you in that you may pursue a business in the Oil & Gas industry or geology may not benefit you. It's not so much about the subject you are studying but the work ethic and grit that you learn from doing something that you don't feel like doing.

I guarantee that if you become an entrepreneur, you will have to do TONS of things that you don't want to do. From cold calling to emails to even firing people, none of that will be fun for you, but the lessons you are learning now about putting your head down and charging through what you don't enjoy, will pay off!

So as you go through this class, or any class where the subject isn't aligned with your dream of what you want to do in life, think of it has an opportunity to strengthen your "execution muscles." Being successful isn't about doing the things you want to do, it's about getting through the things you don't want to do.

Hang in there man!

An education is never wasted. Learning occurs in all different topics and is applied in many ways. Here are a few things to think about…

It is great that you have a plan – being a business/entrepreneur is a good goal to have. Many people in high school and early college don’t know what they want to be. Having a passion for something is very important, so congratulations on knowing what you want to do.

First, while you have a plan, life will throw curve balls at you. You may face obstacles achieving your goal that may cause you to pivot and take another direction. Having knowledge and skills in other areas will be very useful if/when this occurs.

Second, what type of business/entrepreneur do you want to be? It is a large field and you will have to specialize in something. Geology has many aspects – geology, geophysics, ear science, space science, hydrogeology, engineering geology, etc. As you develop and grow your company you might find that learning about these things will be helpful to your business.

Third, everyone needs a hobby. When I was in second grade I used to collect rocks.  One day I lost my box of rocks and was in tears. My mother used to work in a jewelry store. When her boss heard the story he gave me a set of sample polished stones that were extracted from South Africa. I still have the set 40 years later. When I travel for work or pleasure I still take rocks the locations I visit. Understanding the evolution of the earths surface and how rocks are categorized is very interesting. 

Lastly, businesses change due to demands from the environment – people, regulations, policy, change in the earth’s atmosphere/environment, etc. Geology informs commercial efforts to extract oil, gas, and ore. Currently there is a lot of press around acclimatization and fracking. While you may not be interested in these topics now, these are things you may find you are passionate about later in life. 

Hi Jose!

I know you wanted advice from a business person but I thought I'd give you some perspective from a geoscientist. I had a different goal and a different major before I took my first geology course. To me that course was just a means to an end, a science elective I needed as part of my course requirement. It was a class I had no interest in taking. Little did I know that course would change my course in life. As the days went on and the more I learned about the environment around me, it was like someone had taken the blinders off and I stumbled into my passion. 

As a businessman no amount of knowledge will hurt your career. You may find your knowledge of geology to be an asset in networking or as a point of conversation to generate a lead. This is especially true in Houston and Texas in general where no matter your industry you will have clients that are in the oil and gas sector. You need to have the basic knowledge and background to communicate with these clients or you may lose their business to someone who can better understand their needs.

I hope you continue to learn about many different things because nothing is more valuable to companies that a well rounded individual.

Best of luck!

At this stage in your life I would not be concerned with "career specific" choices in course work. It is much more important, I believe, for you to get a broad academic perspective, and to "learn how to learn". The subject matter I don't believe is critical, and you find some very interesting things in every field that you study. The specific knowledge and skills which you will need for your chosen profession will come later, and you be better prepared for that if you have pursued a well rounded education.