Julie (Codispoti) Crawford earned her BA and MS in Geological Sciences from SES in 2006 and 2011, respectively. After working in the geology field for 13 years, she began on a new path in 2021, by starting her own Professional Home Organizing business, Time to Organize.
Contact: juliecrawford131@gmail.com
"If you know what you want to do after graduation, get experience doing it BEFORE you graduate. Even if that means volunteering several hours a week."
Where has your degree taken you?
Studying geology sent me in a lot of different directions. I did a lot of traveling because of studying geology and got to see things I would never have seen otherwise. The trip to San Salvador, Bahamas was a highlight!
After I graduated with my BA, I had the fantastic opportunity to be the Assistant Curator of the Polar Rock Repository, part of Byrd Polar Research Center. It was such an amazing experience, I learned so much, and had a lot of fun, too. While in that position, I did a lot of educational outreach and intended to continue that path, however, I ended up in oil and gas, an industry I never expected to be in! That happened because I moved to Oklahoma City in 2011 with my then boyfriend, Kevin Crawford (also an SES alum), who is now my husband. I started out doing educational outreach with Science Museum Oklahoma, but ultimately ended up with Chesapeake Energy in 2013 working in their Reservoir Technology Center (RTC) until the fall of 2020. The RTC is Chesapeake’s on-site lab and I ran permeability and porosity measurements, compiled the data, qc'd that data and worked in their MICP (Mercury Injection Capillary Pressure) lab.
How do you feel your experience, specifically as an SES/geology student at OSU, prepared you for your career or life in general?
It gave me general geology knowledge to pull from and great field experiences, especially field camp. I never intended to go into oil and gas, so I did not prepare myself for that kind of work. I only had one class that was specific to oil and gas and it taught me some information that was helpful when I got into the industry, but I’ve had to learn a lot on the way, too.
I really feel the field experiences were the places I learned the most. Not just about geology, but about other people and myself. The trips were such a good time and gave me wonderful memories that I still drawn upon today.
What is your favorite memory as a student?
Field camp. It was the most physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding thing I have ever done, and I am so grateful for the opportunity. As a BA undergrad, I was not required to go to field camp to graduate, but Dr. David Elliot was insistent that I “come to field camp!” as he so often said to me during Petrology class. I am glad he was insistent because it was his encouragement that ultimately made me decide to go. It was an extreme challenge for me in so many ways, but also an unbelievable experience, even though Dr. Elliot always marked my maps with LOTS of red pen!
What advice do you have for current and future students?
Get experience doing things in the field(s) you are most interested in BEFORE you graduate. Even if that means volunteering several hours a week. Employers are looking for people with previous experience and if you do not have experience, you have a harder time getting a job to gain experience. It is a negative feedback loop! So, do what you can to get all experiences possible and learn as much as you can!