University students wanting a career in the oil and gas field should consider engineering as a gateway to a world of jobs. The petroleum industry, despite environmental criticism and opposition to the continued use of fossil fuels, still presents a variety of career choices for university engineering graduates.
There are hundreds of specialized engineering disciplines that apply to the oil and gas industry. In all cases, however, the minimum educational requirements for engineers working in oil and gas careers is an undergraduate degree. Students whose skills are most in demand, and who are best paid, are engineering graduates with a master’s degree.
Oil and Gas Engineering Jobs are Hot Careers
Petroleum engineers remain in hot demand because of the application of skills across the oil and gas sector. For the most part, oil and gas engineers design and supervise the process of extracting oil and natural gas from the earth and stored for consumption.
Most engineers work for petroleum companies while others have jobs in marketing and sales in the field, consult to government and industry or teach in a university or college.
Salaries for oil and gas engineers remain competitive. According to payscale.com, the average salaries for petroleum engineers range from $86,550 to $148,648. The site lists the most popular employers for oil and gas engineers:
- Chevron Corporation
- Shell Oil Company
- ExxonMobil Corporation
- British Petroleum (BP)
- Schlumberger
New engineering graduates seeking employment worldwide should begin by identifying several firms known in the industry. As with any industry, the oil and gas field is filled with job scams that target young graduates with promises of large salaries. Watch for, and stay away from, any recruitment tactics that require payment for work visas or travel expenses.
Jobs in Oil & Gas Industry Plentiful for Engineering Graduates
A successful recruitment strategy is to contact recruitment firms in a geographic area or region. Send the recruiter an email indicating interest in securing an engineering position, areas of specialization and the desired location.
Talk to other engineers to find out the best locations and best employers. Some engineers find a career with one oil or gas industry company and plenty of interesting opportunities for years. Other engineering graduates find career satisfaction by working for several firms over a number of years.
Pursuing engineering in the oil and gas industry is a career choice that can lead to a world of opportunities. Most importantly, new engineering graduates should understand that these skills are in hot demand and can command excellent salaries and career choices.
Shelley Aylesworth-Spink - Shelley Aylesworth-Spink has worked in support of communications, marketing and advertising for nearly 25 years in the private and public ...
