For many of us, a career starts with some kind of necessity, to support a family, save up some money, maybe scratch an itch of curiosity, or feed a desire for success.

But we can also use our jobs to address other, broader needs, like the needs of our communities and our planet.

For Amanda Souter, her career actually started with a love. In this case, a love of rocks.

Because you're first and foremost an Earth scientist when you're a geologist, right? You have a love of the outdoors.

You have a love of rocks.

Yeah.

For me, it was porous rocks, which kind of was what led me to working in oil and gas.

But I think it wasn't the path that I would have chosen to work in oil and gas. It's just kind of the opportunities arose, and that's where I ended up.

And we also live in a world where you graduate with hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan

debt. And the industry comes to you like, hey, we're going to offer you six figures to come,

you know, come hither. And I'm grateful for the training that the industry did provide me.

I learned a lot,

but at the same time, I was really unhappy, so I'm glad I've pivoted. Amanda built a career in oil and

gas, with stents and big corporations and small private firms. And as she analyzed, modeled,

and mapped, she saw behind the industry's heavy curtains.

And one day, she decided she just couldn't do it anymore.

I was having this midlife crisis of like, okay, I've been doing this for almost 10 years now.

Like, I understand the impacts now.

And I just had this huge guilt. I have to make a change. I have to make a change and I just had this huge guilt.

I have to make a change.

I have to make a change.

This is a matter of degrees.

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