Difficulty: Challenger (Level 2)
Carol Ho spends six days a week at construction sites across Hong Kong. She works as an assistant geologist from 8am to 6pm in conditions that are often tough.
For example, during a typhoon, she waded through muddy water for hours to document the rocks as wind and rain struck the site. The 24-year-old still remembers being knocked over and ending up covered in dirty water.
But Ho’s work is important for keeping construction projects safe. When she visits a site, she analyses its rocks and creates reports about what lies beneath the surface.
“For instance, Yuen Long has a lot of marble. If there are significant [amounts of] marble, the design approach differs from traditional methods,” Ho said.
Working outdoors and travelling across the city also fit Ho’s personality, as she prefers to be on the move. She said a regular office job would never be the right fit for her.
“I love exploring,” she said. “Because geology involves so many field projects, we have been to all sorts of places – Lamma Island, Cape D’Aguilar and Sharp Island – to do field mapping. It really suited my ‘wanderer’ personality.”
A day in the life of a geologist
Each site Ho visits offers a different glimpse into the ground beneath Hong Kong.
“In my daily routine, I see many types of rock that you’d never encounter on the surface,” she said.
“Hong Kong actually has a huge variety of rock types, and they’re not easy to differentiate. When I identify them correctly ... I feel like my knowledge is truly expanding.”
Respect for all jobs
Ho is part of a group called Dream Girls. It is a social media platform created by a construction company to show the careers of young women in Hong Kong’s engineering and construction sectors.
Working in a field that has mostly men can be challenging.
“I’ve heard people say things like, ‘You’re a woman – just stand aside and don’t get in the way,’ or they’ll flat-out refuse to help you carry things,” Ho said.
Despite these negative experiences, Ho has also met workers who have been kind to her.
“In summer, I’ve met wonderful workers who would point their own fans towards me. When I’m logging rocks, they’ll help me move the samples into a shadier spot,” she said.
Ho believes people should appreciate all workers regardless of whether they went to university. She said society often looked down on construction workers, despite the skill and endurance required in their jobs.
“I believe they have their own professional expertise ... [and] every single job deserves to be respected,” she said.
