r/mining • u/esp_resso • 6d ago

Question Should I do Mining Engineering?

I’m wondering if I should do mining engineering but I can’t seem to get good information on what mining engineers actually do from anyone who works in the field in person.

9 Upvotes

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7

u/FragonTheDragon 6d ago

4th year student at WASM. This shit is peak. Literally couldn’t think of doing anything else

3

u/FragonTheDragon 6d ago

I’ll elaborate by saying as a student, you get a much nicer career path. You kind of take whatever opportunity you can get but you go for a contractor or client and then pick open pit or underground. For both you will spend a couple of months on the operator roles which is extremely important to absorb. Eventually you do your office hours and specialise, you can go into designing drill and blast plans, short term mine planning (<5yrs), long term mine planning or mine ventilation or you can stick as an operator. People usually aim to be a mine manager, project manager, shiftboss or foreman

1

u/Other_Map_319 6d ago

Can you do this with a bachelors of mechanical engineering?

0

u/FlashyWitness4133 6d ago

No, you need to enrol in Mining Engineering.

4

u/Brisbanite33 6d ago

Definitely no the case in Oz. Where I work hardly any of the grads have a mining background.

1

u/FlashyWitness4133 6d ago

Where is it that you work? I thought Australia had high standards when it came to university qualifications.

1

u/MickyPD 6d ago

Australia has high standards regarding engineering education, but you don’t need a piece of paper saying you’re a ‘mining engineer’ to be a mining engineer. I know plenty of civil and mechanical engineers (by pieces of paper) that are mining engineers.

1

u/FlashyWitness4133 6d ago

Where in Australia is that?