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Oil Exploration & How it Works:
The
Oil industry is always the talk of the media, but the articles are usually
focused on barrels produced, pipelines being built and maintained, and refining
capacity. We don't hear much about oil exploration, which is the search
for new sources of oil underneath the ground. A wide range of career possibilities
in oil exploration exists, with many oil exploration jobs requiring degrees
in geology or petroleum engineering. Among all engineers, those working
in the petroleum industry can expect the highest starting salaries. Experienced
professionals can choose to live almost anywhere in the world: Canada, south
and central America, Europe, Eurasia, Africa, and of course the middle east.
In the United States, a large number of petroleum engineers work in Alaska,
California, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and Alberta.
A Very Lucrative Career Choice
Oil prices continue to soar, petroleum reservoirs that were not economically viable in the past are now attractive to smaller, independent producers. Both the smaller and bigger companies are looking to hire more than a few good men and women. According to Hart’s E&P Magazine, the oil and gas industry will need nearly 30,000 new petroleum engineers by 2009 to replace aging employees and account for increased growth.
Starting salaries for petroleum engineers with bachelor’s degrees exceed $50,000, plus signing bonuses. Even before graduation, petroleum engineers can earn about $4,000 per month by working for oil companies during the summer. The average annual salary among all petroleum engineers is more than $70,000 after five years on the job.
OilJobFinder members get the full salary breakdown and find out how the hiring is being done by the oil companies.
Engineers Needed: Petroleum Engineers, Geoscientists
Here are some of the following oil exploration job titles can expect to earn over $100,000 within a few years of starting out:
- Jobs in Geophysicist - Geophysicists, study the Earth’s internal and external composition. Geophysicists usually have a strong background in geology, physics, mathematics or chemistry.
- Jobs in Palynologist Jobs - Palynologists study microscopic evidence dating back a billion years. Palynology is a branch of paleontology, but palynologists are more concerned with organic evidence of pollen, spores and microplankton than with dinosaur bones.
- Jobs in Oil Land Agent - Land agents are responsible for obtaining permission to drill a well.
- Jobs in Oil Well-Log Analyst - Well-log analysts take core samples and measurements during the drilling process and after a well is completed.
- Jobs in Oil Drilling Engineer - Drilling engineers design a strategy for drilling a well as economically as possible.
- Jobs in Production Engineer - Production engineers take over after a well is completed. They are in charge of determining the best way to bring the petroleum to the surface.
- Jobs in Oil Reservoir Engineer - Reservoir engineers use complex computer models and mathematical formulas to determine reservoir pressures
- Jobs in Oil Facility Engineer - Facilities engineers are responsible for separating, processing and transporting the petroleum after it reaches the surface.
- Jobs in Energy Economists - Energy economists are involved with risk assessment and profit evaluations.
- Jobs in Other Oil Exploration
If you join OilJobSearch.com you'll have access to even more information about oil exploration careers, the specifics of each job type, and how people working in exploration interact with production workers and others in the industry.
Join and start getting the whole story!