can you actually make a career out of blasting in mining?

[mining15life]

I’m a mining engineering student heading into my first co-op, and I’m curious about the longterm path for blasting
is it just an EIT rotation you do on the way to your P.Eng, or can you actually specialize as a blasting engineer?
I’d love to hear from all the pros

 

[rockbreaker7]

My first co-op had me trying a bit of everything, blasting included. Honestly, if you get into it, you can specialize, get certified, and even be in charge of big blasts. It's the kind of field where experience is super valuable.

 

[Zivon]

At first, I also thought blasting was just a temporary thing. But you can actually specialize in it, lead difficult blasts, and become the main explosives person on location. It's a crazy combination of planning and actually doing the work.

 

[Alan]

Blasting is one of those rare paths where you can specialize, but it usually sits inside a bigger mining engineer role rather than a lifelong standalone track.

 

[Goldshark]

I’m a mining engineering student heading into my first co-op, and I’m curious about the longterm path for blasting
is it just an EIT rotation you do on the way to your P.Eng, or can you actually specialize as a blasting engineer?
I’d love to hear from all the pros

For the last 30 years, I have made a career out of drilling and blasting. I specialize in all kinds of blasting from residential to heavy highway. Not a lot of mining jobs for me, but a couple of them. Mines like to have subs come in for their blasting, usually an explosives distributing company. As far as a stand alone blast designer, those jobs are far and few between. If you pursue a job as a blaster, either work with a large company, or be a 1 man band. Middle size has gone the way of the dinosaur.