What type of miner are you and how long have you been mining?
I am currently working at a small surface gold mine in Nevada between Reno and los Vegas. I’ve been in the mining industry for 17 years, the first 8 years was working in Denio Nevada at a small underground molybdenum mine. The rest has been surface doing everything from running equipment, ADR process plants to running and or being a mechanic on a crusher.
What makes or breaks a job’s success from your experience?
What makes a successful mining career in my opinion is leaving your feelings at the gate and listening to those old timers when they are trying to teach you something. learning is cheap, all you have to do is shut up and pay attention as Jim reeves told me when I was just starting out underground.
What task do you love most on the job?
I absolutely love mining which makes it hard for me to choose just one task that I love the most, I guess my favorite part of the job is passing along my knowledge and experience to a young new miner that really wants to learn and excel.
What are your favorite things to do outside of work?
Being a single father with majority custody of my little girl is my world! I like camping, fishing, 4wheeling, shooting, and most of all (besides hanging out with my kid) getting on my Harley with my buddies and going for a ride.
If there was one thing you could change about the mining industry, what would it be?
Are you trying to get me fired? Lol! This is a hard one for me to answer because I’ve been working so long and have had the absolute privilege to to do so much in the industry that I wouldn’t change much. But since I have to pick something I’ll pick schedules, I think that places that work a rotating 54321 or a rotating 4/3 even a rotating 5/4 should stop. Those schedules in my opinion don’t allow for a hand to spend enough time with their families and friends. When I was working them I was always fatigued and never felt like I spent enough time with my kid. I prefer the 7on 7off myself.
That’s all I got everyone stay safe out there! ✊
