Career Spotlight: Petroleum Engineers
Petroleum engineers rank high on some “best job” lists. Salary levels are significantly higher than the national average for all salaries, and demand is good. Positions are available in the United States and in many countries around the world.
About half of all petroleum engineers work in the oil and natural gas industry, where they play a critical role in helping energy companies profitably extract deposits of oil and gas from below the surface of the earth, working as reservoir engineers, drilling engineers and production engineers.
Other opportunities for petroleum engineers include careers in the mining industry, and in petroleum and coal products manufacturing.
Petroleum engineers in the oil and gas industry work with geologists to understand the geologic formation of the rock where the reservoir is located. They evaluate potential oil and gas reservoirs, often using computers in the analysis of exploration data, and in performing a simulation of reservoir behavior. They then determine and implement the drilling methods to be used in a particular application, which may include the need to design and develop specialized drilling equipment.
Petroleum engineers also look for new and better ways to extract oil and gas from new and older wells. They make sure that wells, well testing and well surveys are complete and are properly evaluated. They must also ensure that oil field equipment is installed, maintained and operated correctly.
Traditionally, most oil and gas jobs, including petroleum engineering, were filled by men. However, career opportunities for women in the energy industry have been increasing, and energy companies are increasingly open to hiring qualified women as petroleum engineers.
The employment outlook for petroleum engineers between 2010 and 2020 is expected to be about 17 percent, which is average to slightly-better than average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.
- Falcon Oil Declares Commercial Flow Test Results for Shenandoah Well
- Macquarie Strategists Expect Brent Oil Price to Grind Higher
- Japan Failing to Meet Corporate Demand for Clean Power: Amazon
- Pennsylvania County Joins List of Local Govts Suing Big Oil over Climate
- UK Oil Regulator Publishes New Emissions Reduction Plan
- PetroChina Posts Higher Annual Profit on Higher Production
- US, SKorea Launch Task Force to Stop Illicit Refined Oil Flows into NKorea
- McDermott Settles Reficar Dispute
- Russian Navy Enters Warship-Crowded Red Sea Amid Houthi Attacks
- USA Commercial Crude Oil Inventories Increase
- New China Climate Chief Says Fossil Fuels Must Keep a Role
- Oil Demand Outpaces Expectations, Testing Calculus on Peak Crude
- House Passes Protecting American Energy Production Act
- TotalEnergies Restarts Production in Denmark's Biggest Gas Field
- USA Oil and Gas Job Figures Jump
- Republican Lawmakers Say IEA Has Abandoned Energy Security Mission
- Blockchain Demands Attention in Oil and Gas
- Houthis Warn Saudi Arabia of Retaliation If It Backs USA Attacks
- Macquarie Sees USA Oil Production Exiting 2024 at 14MM Barrels Per Day
- Summer Pump Prices Set to Hit $4 a Gallon Just as Americans Hit the Road
- New China Climate Chief Says Fossil Fuels Must Keep a Role
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Major Oilfield Discovery
- VIDEO: Missile Attack Kills Crew Transiting Gulf of Aden
- Norway Regulator Blasts Proposal to Halt New Oil and Gas Permits
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Another Major Oilfield Discovery
- What Is the Biggest Risk to Offshore Oil and Gas Personnel in 2024?
- Vessel Sinks in Red Sea After Missile Strike
- Exxon Rights in Stabroek Do Not Apply to Hess Merger with Chevron: Hess
- Equinor Makes Discovery in North Sea
- Analysts Reveal Latest Oil Price Outlook Following OPEC+ Cut Extension