Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/142338
miningreview Graduate perks Graduate Lauren Howard didn't know exactly what she wanted to do when she finished university – but she knew clearly what she didn't want to do. "I couldn't think of anything worse than a 9-to-5 job and I wanted to travel with work," says Howard, now 24. After completing a Bachelor of Science majoring in geology at University of Adelaide in 2010, she took up a job with coal producer Peabody Energy. As part of Peabody's graduate program, the young geologist spent six months in Brisbane in the Australian head office, then a six-month stint at the company's Wilkie Creek Mine near Dalby in Queensland. She has been working at Peabody's Wambo mine in the Hunter Valley for the past year. "Working in this industry has given me the opportunity to have a job that provides travel and moving around as part of it," she says. Among other tasks, Howard's roles as project geologist are to run exploration programs, find the right locations for coal drilling and create models for engineers. "This is where it all starts; we won't have a mine if we don't drill in the right place," she says. The best part of her job is fieldwork, she adds. "It's challenging; there are so many aspects to geology. I've only just scratched the surface, as a 24 young geologist early in my career. I look forward to gaining more experience." Entering the industry via a graduate program has given Howard a solid base to build on, she says. As a young woman starting out in an industry predominantly run by males, she acknowledges that she's the only female geologist on site and most of her colleagues are male – but it's not something she thinks about too often. "I get treated equal to everyone else. There are also more women than when I started," she notes. Howard says to be a good geologist, you have to be able to think outside the box and be persistent. "Sometimes you can interpret things, but someone gives a different opinion and you have to relook and assess it again." Howard has lived in two different states in the past two years, and while the role has more than fulfilled her hopes, it hasn't quenched her thirst for adventure. Down the track, she hopes to travel internationally with her work. "It's challenging; there are so many aspects to geology. I've only just scratched the surface." Top: The Hunter Valley is a region known for its wine, but also has mining operations. Above: Lauren Howard works as a geologist for Peabody Energy.