Graduates in Petroleum Engineering Will See Big Job Supply

Many Oil Industry Jobs Require Specialized Training

Students with a strong aptitude for science and mathematics may find challenging careers in the oil and gas industry. Petroleum engineering jobs will see rapid growth over the next decade as worldwide demand for energy increases. As the recession eases, the booming economies of India and China will join the rest of the developed world in competition for available energy supplies.

During the time it takes for climate-friendly alternative energy technologies such as wind, solar and geothermal to mature and take on a greater role in the energy economy, crude oil and natural gas will be important transitional fuels since they emit less carbon dioxide than coal for the same amount of energy output. Petroleum employment opportunities will be strong for workers in all phases of the oil and natural gas industry.

Petroleum Engineering Jobs Will Support Major New Projects

The oil and natural gas that the world consumes today was much easier to find and bring to market than future supplies will be. The new oil and gas supplies of tomorrow will come from technologically challenging and capital intensive projects in deep marine environments offshore, ecologically sensitive onshore areas, and even in extreme climate conditions in the Arctic. These projects will require a large, well educated work force at a time when many present workers in the oil industry are reaching retirement age.

The big players in the industry -- the national oil companies, the major oil corporations, and large independent oil and gas producers -- have aggressive plans for expansion in the near future. According to an article in the Oil and Gas Journal, March 2, 2010, by Paula Dittrick entitled "BP Seeking to Boost Profits by $3 Billion," the international oil giant BP plans to start over 40 major projects in the next five years in an effort to increase their oil production by over one million barrels per day.

This kind of commitment will not only require billions of investment dollars, but also many trained professionals in all phases of petroleum employment, including petroleum engineers, petroleum geologists, skilled construction workers, and expert drilling rig operators.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the number of petroleum engineering jobs will increase more rapidly than the average growth expected in other occupations. Petroleum engineers will work closely with people in many disciplines to bring fossil fuel supplies to the world market. They will interact with geologists, geophysicists, heavy construction specialists and drilling rig hands in every phase of oil and gas development from drilling wildcat wells to bringing giant production platforms into service.

Oil and gas jobs for college graduates with petroleum engineering degrees will offer entry into challenging, rewarding careers helping to supply the world's energy needs.

This article was originally published at Suite101