Andrew Long

What do you do at Geosoft?

Work is mainly divided into solving problems or creating material. The fun part is helping our users solve problems, and we have a great team to resolve even the most complex issues. At the end of the day we are in the business of customer service so we aim to listen more than anything else! Geosoft has earned trust over many years with customers. We are acutely aware how easy it is to lose trust, hence striving to maintain standards and respect for faithful supporters is a strong part of our focus. My satisfaction comes from belonging to Geosoft’s substantial and diverse technical team, which offers me the chance to engage with many experienced professionals working within the sphere of geoscience. Day to day I am involved in technical support, preparing training material and a range of special projects for marketing and internal training.

What is unique about your role at Geosoft? 

You learn to multitask at Geosoft. My primary activity is to engage with our users and offer training on our suite of software. Our users’ training requirements are varied and I find the benefits mutually rewarding. I also spend my time creating technical content for internal and external use, but of course most importantly, like the majority of the Geosoft team, I deal with our specialized users daily offering support and input as to how to best use our tools and applications for their needs. They may call or email, and on the odd occasion drop into the office! The type of support can range from simple license administration issues to more involved ongoing technical projects. Working in the support team is a great foundation to understanding and learning the practical concepts in geology, geophysics and geochemistry.

What do you think potential employees should know about Geosoft? 

If you enjoy learning and serving geoscience, Geosoft can offer you a great opportunity to engage with many different scientists working across the whole spectrum of industry and non-industry sectors, whether this be extractive resources such as mining and energy, offshore surveying, or assisting national government surveys, or even applying our services to geothermal/volcanic studies. Geosoft life offers you diverse choices as to how you get the most out of your day; and for the most part it is up to you as to how much you want to achieve or learn. We are a very resourceful company and hence the rewards are great for the willing. Having a good sense of prioritization will enable you to make wise choices as to which of your own projects get put on the backburner, time will fly!

What do you like best about the company? 

Geosoft has a strong, communicative management structure so that everyone can relate company philosophy to their own individual working requirements. Since we are not so large, you will be surprised how much you feel part of an integrated global team. We also pride ourselves on our ability to change and grasp new technology. We are a dynamic company, but with that comes a concrete foundation of strong principles.

Why do you enjoy working at Geosoft? 

There is no dreaded Monday morning syndrome! Seriously though, you do not know what one week to the next will bring, and there is plenty to get involved in - to satisfy even the most enthusiastic appetites. Of course, most importantly, it’s the people you work with that make the difference.

Outside of working hours, where might we find you? 

Keeping away from the LCD screen can be difficult, so I try to restore my inner calm by doing a few laps down at the local pool. In fact, most days I will try to do an honest mile, but like a clogged-up hard drive, sometimes it becomes too overwhelming so I waste no time in planning an escape over to France to sip some new season wine, or seeking out an interesting terrain to explore. Usually this involves assessing a foreign land, with promising short-term sunny forecast, for a fairly climbable mountain (no greater than 3-5km altitude), to fulfill my moment of wonderment. Otherwise, I am a keen follower of cricket, and I enjoy attempting to explain (confuse) the predominantly non-cricket population of the world. The rest of my time is spent worrying about the reliability of my beloved Alfa Romeo, and attempting to fix it, mostly unsuccessfully, since I am not a mechanic.