Soo... what CAN you do with coastal geology? I'm super curious now, and google didn't turn up much.
Coastal geology is really open because there are so many aspects of it that someone can specialize in. Depending on what their specialty is, a coastal geologist can do a lot of different things, such as working with government agencies (geological surveys, environmental quality agencies, and even fish/wildlife groups) to assess the quality and dynamics of natural resources, working for private environmental consulting agencies to assess water and land resources for businesses and residences, doing research as part of a university or research institute, or even working in education at a museum, aquarium, or other outreach facility. Certain other specialties can lend themselves to specific jobs- for instance, my undergraduate thesis in micropaleontology was funded by the ACS Petroleum Research Fund because the marine microorganisms I studied are commonly used by paleontologists to locate oil reserves. Therefore, I could potentially get a job with an oil company, examining fossil assemblages to determine where oil may be deposited.
As examples, some of my mentors in the field have the following jobs:
professor for a university- performing research, writing grants, teaching classes, etc.
owner of a private environmental consulting business- locating and evaluating groundwater resources, building and repairing wells, rehabilitating wells that have become contaminated by pollution or saltwater intrusion, etc.
director of a nonprofit museum- running day-to-day operations, creating educational programs, managing fossil collections, seeking funding for outreach, etc.
geologist for a state geological survey- performing local research, assessing natural resources, mapping, developing new techniques for soil profile logging, etc.
While I really want to have a job that involves education and public outreach, there are many directions I could go in, all of them exciting and fun (from my point of view, at least!) I hope that helps!
