Petroleum Industry Careers

[Billinsd]

I saw oil $100 a barrel in the early 80s in high school. I dove into a geology/geophysics major shortly after graduation thinking I could strike it rich. I was a day late and a dollar short. LOL The petroleum industry was super cyclical back in the 90s. I haven't been looking much, but there was another boom about 10 years ago in Eastern Montana/Wyoming, Western North Dakota. I looked then, but it seemed short lived.

Who here works in the Petroleum industry in the US? Where do you work, Texas, Rocky Mountains? Are there any Petroleum Engineers, Geologists/Geophysicists/Geochemists? Or Civil Engineers? Or how about other careers in the Petroleum industry?

What's it like? Super crazy, up and down, moving a lot, changing jobs a lot? I've read that we have more reserves than Russia or Saudi Arabia. I believe all the "easy" petroleum has been found and recovered. I believe a lot of the reserves are difficult to recover and require a high dollar per barrel to make recovery possible and profitable.

Thanks
Bill

 

[jspradley]

I work for a pipe flange manufacturer that sells into the Petro industry and our sales are very much tied to oil prices.

 

[dirtytough]

I work in the oil fields in ND. It slowed down hard in 15-16. Its been picking up again. I have been here since 2011. I've seen a lot of guys come and go. Most guys can work a 2 and 1 schedule and make $110k-$130k starting out.

If you are an engineer than you will easily be able to get a job. From what I have seen the wages in ND are better than TX, WY, CO, etc.

 

[Bbell12]

I saw oil $100 a barrel in the early 80s in high school. I dove into a geology/geophysics major shortly after graduation thinking I could strike it rich. I was a day late and a dollar short. LOL The petroleum industry was super cyclical back in the 90s. I haven't been looking much, but there was another boom about 10 years ago in Eastern Montana/Wyoming, Western North Dakota. I looked then, but it seemed short lived.

Who here works in the Petroleum industry in the US? Where do you work, Texas, Rocky Mountains? Are there any Petroleum Engineers, Geologists/Geophysicists/Geochemists? Or Civil Engineers? Or how about other careers in the Petroleum industry?

What's it like? Super crazy, up and down, moving a lot, changing jobs a lot? I've read that we have more reserves than Russia or Saudi Arabia. I believe all the "easy" petroleum has been found and recovered. I believe a lot of the reserves are difficult to recover and require a high dollar per barrel to make recovery possible and profitable.

Thanks
Bill

Your last statement is inaccurate. I work in the Permian Basin and at the current pace, there is enough reserves to drill for the next 30 years. Horizontal wells are extremely economical even at low oil prices.

As far as everyday work, I love it. It’s a very fast pace environment where you get to experiment with different ideas. And due to the current economy, it’s a very stable industry unlike past decades.


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[jwatts]

I work in the Gulf of Mexico in the oilfield. I'm on the production side of the business. It has its ups and downs, but the closer you work to the wellhead the more stable your job will be. I know we cycle tons of engineers through here. If you want a job where you can live anywhere, and work a 14/14 rotation, the GOM is a good spot to look.

 

[Cant hit em]

I drive a Gas Tanker , we are super busy

 

[Dcoryn]

I am a wildlife biologist for a gas and oil engineering company that develops the fields. We are really busy and it looks like it will be steady for a while. There are several hotspots just in wyoming right now that are cranking up as well as development in portions of colorado and wind energy expansion all over the place.

 

[BackCountryMulies]

I've worked in the patch since 07 been really fortunate to stay working through the down turns. Ive had to work all over the country from Texas to Alaska and California to New York. Im currently back home working in the Rockies. I am a mud engineer and work 14/14 and usually find away to take most of hunting season off

 

[Billinsd]

Your last statement is inaccurate. I work in the Permian Basin and at the current pace, there is enough reserves to drill for the next 30 years.

How about in the rest of the US and Alaska, off shore and on shore? Thanks Bill

 

[MtGomer]

There are billions of barrels of recoverable oil in North Dakota. The price needed is higher than it is in the Permian basin, mostly due to lack of workforce and infrastructure, but things are getting more efficient and that price is dropping.

 

[Fitzwho]

I have a BS and MS in Environmental Engineering. I grew up in West Texas and I came back to the oilfield in 2012 for a completion/downhole tool company. I ran tools for 2 years and am now the manager of the largest district in my company (22 direct report employees). I have not changed companies in the 7 years I have been here, but I have had quite a bit of turnover in my entry level employees. We have had some ups and downs for sure, but we have gotten through them mostly whole.

Depending on your background, there are a lot of different sides to get into. I have buddies that I grew up with and new friends that run the full spectrum from driving water haulers, running wireline trucks, Land Men, engineers, company men, etc. Safety and water resources are a big side of it that a lot of people don't think about as well.

The Permian Basin (West Texas and Southeast New Mexico) is the busiest oilfield in the world. With proven reserves and a surprising amount of ground that has yet to be drilled.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

I started in the industry straight out of college in 2012 when oil prices were in the triple digits and anyone with a pulse and a willingness to relocate could immediately start making good money. My degree is in mechanical engineering, and I've held several different roles within the facilities/operations/production engineering discipline for two different E&P (exploration & production) companies. I spent my first 2 years in west Texas and the past 5 in Oklahoma City.

The oil price crash of late 2015 slowed the industry way down, and a lot of folks got laid off. Things have ramped back up considerably since then, but we're still nowhere near the pace of drilling and hiring when oil was $100+ per barrel. My expectation is that oil prices will float in the $40-70/barrel range for the foreseeable future. There's a lot of proven, undeveloped reserves all over the US that could be brought to market quickly and counteract any sustained price rise. Breakeven prices vary by basin with the Permian having the lowest due to good geology and extensive infrastructure in place.

Despite price-related uncertainties and somewhat limited geographic possibilities (corporate office jobs concentrated in Houston/Midland/Denver, field jobs more diverse), it's still a good industry with above average pay.

 

[Billinsd]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm not planning on changing my job now, but nothing is off the table. The reason I'm asking is my daughter is in high school and I'm thinking about her. But I'd imagine the petroleum field is still super dominated by men? What would it be like for a young woman? My son is younger, but he might like it.
Thanks

 

[Huntin wv]

I have been in the oilfield in West Virginia since 2004. We seem to go through a downturn here about every 4 or 5 years that lasts about a year and then booms again. The production in this area is mostly natural gas which has been around $2-3/MCF the last few years after being $14/MCF in the early 2000’s. The price drop was due to a very large increase in production volumes from horizontal wells in the Marcellus and Utica shales that started around 2012. There are currently 3 large pipelines being built from WV to deliver gas to other parts of the country.

My company also has operations in the Permian basin in west Texas. Things are booming there.


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[BigBird69]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm not planning on changing my job now, but nothing is off the table. The reason I'm asking is my daughter is in high school and I'm thinking about her. But I'd imagine the petroleum field is still super dominated by men? What would it be like for a young woman? My son is younger, but he might like it.
Thanks

I'm a petroleum engineer doing reservoir engineering.

The industry is still dominated by men but that's changing in the field and the office. I would have no reservation about my daughter working in the industry. Especially for a larger company.

I wouldn't recommend going to school for petroleum engineering. She would be better off studying mechanical or chemical engineering. If she graduates during a downturn it will be easier for her to find a job in a different industry. Most oil companies hire mechanical and chemical engineers at the same rate as petroleum engineers so she wouldn't be at a disadvantage.

 

[oldgoat]

I grew up in the Permian Basin, one thing I'll tell you is make damn sure to put some money aside, if you can put a lot of money aside even better, then buy up shit when it goes bust! And sooner or later it will go bust again! And then it will boom again! I know a couple guys that live in low cost areas and fly down and work then go home. My nephew works for Haliburton, mud engineer, think he does pretty good but works crazy hours. I'm glad I joined the Navy when I did (1984) and got out of the oil fields, because they went bust big time right after I joined!

 

[Billinsd]

I wouldn't recommend going to school for petroleum engineering. She would be better off studying mechanical or chemical engineering. If she graduates during a downturn it will be easier for her to find a job in a different industry.

Yes, I was thinking the same thing. How hard would it be for a civil engineer graduate to get a job, training for petroleum engineering? I remember Rex Tillerson had a degree in civil, I thought he had worked as a petroleum engineer? Thanks

 

[BigBird69]

Yes, I was thinking the same thing. How hard would it be for a civil engineer graduate to get a job, training for petroleum engineering? I remember Rex Tillerson had a degree in civil, I thought he had worked as a petroleum engineer? Thanks

Civil engineers are much more rare in the industry. I think it would be a lot more difficult to get hired on depending on the job. If she happens to graduate during a big boom then companies will be hiring almost anyone.

The best way to ensure getting hired out of college is to do summer internships. It is almost a requirement for employment. I know my company hires almost exclusively from the intern pool for new graduates.

 

[Hoot]

all I’ll say is technology within the industry is far behind the rest of the world but it’s catching up quickly. I’ve worked more my company for 11 years and 8 years ago I moved into the automation field, because I saw the writing on the wall, low prices haven’t helped, but it’s finally coming around and more and more companies are turning to tech for efficiency in operations and safety...

I’ve worked myself into a niche and made a good living at it, I’m not concerned with the cyclical nature of the industry, there’s stability if you know where to look and stay away from the dollar chasing that happens when companies are hiring...

 

[Mighty Mouse]

I wouldn't recommend going to school for petroleum engineering. She would be better off studying mechanical or chemical engineering. If she graduates during a downturn it will be easier for her to find a job in a different industry.

Good advice here. A mechanical or chemical engineering degree is relevant to a wide array of industries, whereas a petroleum engineering degree tends to pigeonhole you a bit. Once in the petroleum industry, it doesn't really matter what engineering branch your degree is in; the practical skills you need to be successful will be learned on the job and opportunities to move between different engineering sub-disciplines within the industry will be available to those who can prove their merit.

How hard would it be for a civil engineer graduate to get a job, training for petroleum engineering?

Most of my engineering colleagues/acquaintances in the industry have degrees in petroleum, mechanical, or chemical engineering. I've known a few with civil engineering degrees, but not many. An engineering degree is really just a signal to employers that the candidate has good analytical skills and is capable of working hard to complete a fairly rigorous academic regimen. I don't think any employer actually expects a new hire to come straight out of college with the knowledge/skills needed to be a successful engineer. But it makes sense to seek candidates with degrees in the most closely related engineering field(s), which would tend to put civil engineers at a disadvantage amongst candidates for a job in the petroleum industry. The best chance of getting into the industry with a civil engineering degree would probably be with one of the integrated supermajors (Exxon, Chevron, Shell, BP), which tend to have larger, more diverse engineering staffs than independent energy companies.