Top 10 Jobs for Petroleum Engineering Graduates
The oil and gas industry is one major player in the world’s economy. Because of this a lot of preparation, planning and estimation are carried out by oil and gas firms yearly. The Engineering aspects of these firms are usually managed by competent engineers who have a bachelors degree in preferably petroleum engineering although other fields are acceptable.
As an employee, you might have to work offshore for long hours which might be demanding in terms of spending time with your family, but if they are understanding you would be able to find a work-life balance.
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Educational Qualifications of a Petroleum Engineer
Starting out, an interest in mathematics and other sciences such as physics, chemistry, and biology would give you the chance to have a science-related background at the end of your secondary education. With this, you can apply to any university of your choice both at home and abroad for a chance to study petroleum engineering.
Some people usually apply for other engineering courses at their undergraduate level while later specializing in petroleum-related courses for their graduate programs. whichever route you decide to take the most important thing would be to demonstrate a willingness to learn during the course of your education.
Skills Needed for your Job Description
Having these skills would help you handle your daily responsibilities appropriately. They include:
- Technical Skills
- Analytical and Critical thinking abilities
- Ability to adapt quickly to environmental changed
- Good theoretical knowledge of operating procedures
- Complex solving and Presentation skills
- IT-literate
Top 10 Jobs for Petroleum Engineering Graduates
Having obtained the appropriate educational qualifications and skills for the job, here are some of the areas you might work in as a petroleum engineer;
1. Architectural Engineering
Functioning properly in this capacity, you would need to have further qualifications in architectural engineering, this would equip you with adequate skills to design and plan the production process of equipment used in the oil and gas industry.
2. Chemical Engineering
With a degree in petroleum engineering, you can work in industries where chemical engineers are required due to your analytical and problem-solving skills. Furthermore, your knowledge of physics, chemistry and biology can be used in proffering solutions within the food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
3. Geoscience
The field of Geoscience is particularly a large one as it deals with understanding the components of rocks and other structures present on the earth surface. This is very important especially for oil and gas firms because they need to understand the topography and composition of the area they would be drilling oil from so they can make use of appropriate equipment. sometimes during undergraduate/graduate programs, petroleum engineers are required to take a course in geology in a bid to make them understand how the topography of a region can affect the oil drilling process.
4. Industrial Engineering
All engineering disciplines are taught some major basic concepts that can be applied in any field they find themselves, this has been very useful especially when taking on another field quite different from your area of specialisation. Some engineers take positions within manufacturing industries where the oversee production processes, equipment maintenance and quality control.
5. Health and Safety Specialists
Health and safety are quite important in all industries, this is why companies invest a lot of resources into training their staff and making sure they understand the concept of safety within industries. Sometimes you can start a career as a health and safety specialist by taking professional courses and certifications to enable you to work as an HSE officer even onshore and offshore.
6. Project Manager
Moving into senior-level position would require more responsibilities on your part, some of which include planning, budgeting and overseeing the works of your team. this is better carried out when you devote time into learning how technical projects can be handle. Professional project management courses are always good learning options to consider during this mid-career process.
7. Drilling Engineer
Drilling Engineers most times work off-shore to extract oils and its by-products from oil wells. this is always carried out in conjunction with a team of other engineers and scientists to ensure safety both for the environment and people living in the environment.
8. Academia
We constantly need people who would contribute to the knowledge we have. As an academic, you can help to come up with much more easier and eco-friendly processes which can be taught to students after a series of research has been carried out on the methods.
9. IT-Related skills
The internet age makes it quite impossible for different occupations to survive without knowledge of technology. Services of It-experts are required in not only oil and gas but in every sector, therefore having a degree/certification in any desired IT area would keep you in demand at all times.
10. Marketing
You might be wondering how marketing made the list, well oil products won’t sell themselves, will they?. A team of experts would always be required to come up with marketing strategies for prospective clients and having a degree in petroleum engineering would give you an advantage in marketing such products since you are already familiar with the products. You can consider it as a career switch if you get bored with working off-shore and would still like to remain in the industry.
Conclusion
Having a degree that enables you to enjoy a wonderful career in oil and gas is quite good if you love to experience new cultures and environments. However, you should also know that these types of jobs are quite demanding and might require that you work overtime especially in the early days of your career.
