Bob Komarechka thinks he knows why so many mining school graduates leave the industry after relatively few years (and a sad observation):
"The answer to your query is obvious to us in this industry. Initially young men and women desire the adventure and travel opportunities to far-away places that this industry often offers. As new mines open and close, relocation is often required. In the exploration industry this timeframe is shorter and relocations more frequent. After a few years people develop relationships, get married and have children. The desire to be with family often supersedes the desire to travel and seek adventure. I know of one offshore oil engineer who after working a long term of almost a year on a rig came home to a child who did not recognize him and was afraid of this stranger. That engineer quit his lucrative job and now spends much more time with his family."
This observation comes from Barbara Welsh:
The real problem in the mining industry is that mine closures have been outstripping new mine openings at an alarming rate for about the last 15 years or so, and industry leaders aren't doing enough about it. My husband and I have spent our lives in the mining industry and do freelance prospecting work now. Junior companies tell us to bring them "proven, drilled-off deposits", but we can't do that without grassroots work first, and that takes money. No one wants to take on the risk of grassroots exploration, just sure bets. No such thing in mining.Barbara Welsh, geological engineerCherryville, B.C.www.monshee.com/krv/index.html
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