I love creativity in all its forms. I love new stories whether it's in the children's section of the book shop or a new webseries. When I first stumbled upon Janelle Monáe's music, I was entranced.
Janelle Monáe's songs not only cover a range of topics, but different musical styles as well. But the best part is where the music comes from. She has created this entire fictional world in which the songs are actually by the main character. A story within a story. I love it! Without giving too much away, I really recommend getting your hands on both her albums - Metropolis and The ArchAndroid. The album art beautifully illustrates this new world as well. One of the first singles, Many Moons (link to official music video), recreates Monáe's universe and is a short film in itself.
Again, the depths of people's creativity has amazed me. I can't wait to see what else is out there!
Here I share my experiences of working as a coal geologist across the world. I also share what's currently catching my attention from the latest book to the weirdest webcomic.
Sunday 1 July 2012
The Perfect Geologist
I had a very interesting conversation with my manager the other day. We were going to inspect one of the furthest pits and were in the light vehicle for quite some time. I took the chance to try and find out how I've been doing at my new job - I was being very subtle, of course. The conversation turned to how potential candidates are being interviewed and what skills are considered crucial. My manager had a list of three things in the following order:
1) Safety behaviours - critical in the mining environment. Does the geologist put himself or others in danger with his attitude towards safety?
2) People skills - how the job is done. Is the geologist a good fit in the current team? Will he fit in or at least be willing to work within the team?
3) Technical skills - geological knowledge and related skills.
It was interesting that the technical skills landed at the bottom of the list. But, I have heard this argument before. One can teach technical skills, but people skills are trickier. Either you're a good communicator and get the necessary information across or you can't. Geology is a service to the production and planning teams. As a geologist you have to be able to convey the right information at the right time in the right manner. Learning how to use software can be done with a few training sessions. How not to aggravate your co-workers isn't something a session with Oprah can fix :-).
In the current job market with its boom and numerous opportunities, you need to show you're a cut above the rest. Your confidence in yourself and your ability to do your job may become more crucial than your actual technical skills. So don't be scared of moving between different mining operations or commodities. A good geo is a good geo - no matter if you're Vulcan or Minex proficient. (And, yes, I only added that last sentence to be able to describe someone as Vulcan. My Star Trek roots run deep :-)
1) Safety behaviours - critical in the mining environment. Does the geologist put himself or others in danger with his attitude towards safety?
2) People skills - how the job is done. Is the geologist a good fit in the current team? Will he fit in or at least be willing to work within the team?
3) Technical skills - geological knowledge and related skills.
It was interesting that the technical skills landed at the bottom of the list. But, I have heard this argument before. One can teach technical skills, but people skills are trickier. Either you're a good communicator and get the necessary information across or you can't. Geology is a service to the production and planning teams. As a geologist you have to be able to convey the right information at the right time in the right manner. Learning how to use software can be done with a few training sessions. How not to aggravate your co-workers isn't something a session with Oprah can fix :-).
In the current job market with its boom and numerous opportunities, you need to show you're a cut above the rest. Your confidence in yourself and your ability to do your job may become more crucial than your actual technical skills. So don't be scared of moving between different mining operations or commodities. A good geo is a good geo - no matter if you're Vulcan or Minex proficient. (And, yes, I only added that last sentence to be able to describe someone as Vulcan. My Star Trek roots run deep :-)
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