Becoming a metallurgist in mining is a great career choice; Benefits and scholarships abound by Jim Wickens, Secretary-Treasurer, MPD Executive Committee

I often get asked, “How did you get into mining?” I knew I was going to be an engineer since high school. My folks didn’t have a lot of money, so I knew I was on my own to find a successful career. I was athletic and smart, but a pro career in hockey was going to be a stretch target. It came down to being a doctor, lawyer or engineer. The first two options were not of interest. Math and science were my favorite subjects. Thus, it was going to be engineering, and more specifically, mechanical engineering. At the time, I only knew of the big three — mechanical, electrical and civil. I loved auto shop and working on cars, so mechanical was the logical choice. I was going to design cars that someone could work on without having to be a yoga expert to get that one bolt you had to get to for changing out that engine mount. When I got to university, the program at the University of British Columbia (UBC) did not allow you to select your engineering major until the third year. The first year was all core math, sciences and humanities. It weeded out a lot of wannabes, but if you got past that, you got into engineering. The second year was advanced math and core engineering. It weeded out a lot more wannabes. One of the classes we had to take in that second year was a series of lectures from each department highlighting what careers looked like and the opportunities available if you decided to choose that discipline. It was a recruiting class, and it occurred right before lunch. After the class, you could go to the department for a tour and have lunch. Free food for students, I knew I could not pass that up. It was probably the only class I had 100 percent attendance even though most of the presentations were yawners. What really stood out from the mining presentation was that the lecture wasn’t a lecture. All the mainstream disciplines had the department heads give the lecture. The mining presentation was given by the seniors in the program. They highlighted the career opportunities and how they all had summer jobs at mines making really good money. They were obtaining valuable work experience that helped them secure good jobs after graduating. They talked about the plethora of scholarship money available. They pointed out that the mainstream disciplines had 150 graduates a year, but mining had only a handful of graduates each year, and all of the graduates had great jobs. Most seniors already had multiple job offers even before graduating, some in exotic overseas locations. I did not know about mining before this, but I sure was interested. What sealed the deal for me was the after-lecture department tour. It was obvious that industry really supported the department. I don’t know if that was unique to UBC, but the investment in infrastructure was impressive. At the time, mining was the only department to have a personal computer available for students to use. Yes, that was a long time ago, so it might seem silly by today’s standards, but it was a big deal way back then. The students were exceptionally well organized and worked together on assignments. The student “library” had a copy of every midterm and final examination going back a dozen years or more. Unlike the other departments that gave out finger sandwiches and cups of soda, the miners gave you full-sized subs and a whole can of soda. But the real kicker was these guys had an old coke machine stocked with beer. I knew then that these were my people. That’s how I got into mining. It has been a fantastic career choice. I graduated with almost no debt. I have had the pleasure of working at many different operations located in multiple places. I’ve made good money. But most of all, I have worked with many fantastic people. We have a wonderful community; one which embraces you from before you even graduate. What’s different from the time I went to school to now? I would say not much. The beer machine is gone, an unfortunate casualty of societal change, but the opportunities are still there. If you are adventurous, the whole world is your stage. The scholarship monies are still plentiful, and the family atmosphere that we have in mining is as strong as ever. One thing that has not changed is our industry’s love of students. We need more young talent. Old washed-up metallurgists like me need smart energetic engineers to take up the torch.How can you help? Go out and recruit. Talk about the small mining community, and how you will never be a number. Talk about the camaraderie (and that you won’t have to wear a tie). Explain the ability to see the world. Tell others that there is a lot of help available from SME and other mining-related organizations. The cost of an engineering degree was significantly less when I went to school than it is today, but you can explain how one can still graduate with little or no debt and with a high probability of a high-paying job upon graduation. Here is a short list of where students can look for help if they choose this great industry: The Mineral & Metallurgical Processing Division (MPD) and other SME division scholarships and awards (MPD and MPD subsections gave out more than $16,000 to eligible and deserving students in 2025). Section and Subsection scholarships and awards. The WAAIME Division. The SME Foundation. Women in Mining. In closing, mining has, and continues to be, a wonderful career choice for myself and many of my friends and colleagues … and hopefully, many others going forward.

Becoming a metallurgist in mining is a great career choice; Benefits and scholarships abound by Jim Wickens, Secretary-Treasurer, MPD Executive Committee

Authored by: Jim Wickens

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To view the past issues of the UCA magazine you must be a member of SME/UCA.

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