David Rojas
Educ. 1300, 2060
Dr. Bryant
11/5/14
Petroleum Engineer I chose Petroleum Engineering, because it is a fascinating field in engineering which helps the community by providing a supply of power in an efficient manner. Additionally, it is a job that is bountiful in Texas and as a plus the pay is amazing. Petroleum Engineering is basically drilling and producing petroleum and natural gas in an efficient, safe and profitable way. They also do a lot of planning, which includes looking for yields in production, cost of drilling and production, and simulating future oil field performance using computer modeling techniques. In addition, they design and apply recovery processes and equipment to optimize oil and gas production. Furthermore, they supervise the drilling of other operations in the field. Moreover petroleum engineers can specialize in drilling, completions production operations, reservoir engineering, and economic evaluations. Job duties include keeping up with developments in the field, conducting research, performing economic evaluations of oil reservoirs, optimizing production, planning drilling and production operations, and performing initial reservoir evaluations. Educational requirements include a minimum of Bachelor’s degree. Master’s or Doctorate degrees are usually required for research positions and also provide an advantage in every area. A Doctorate is required for university teaching. It would also be wise to take the fundamentals of engineering exam shortly before or after graduation. Those who pass the exam are given the designation engineer in training. Practical experience in the field work under guidance of experienced engineers, which is frequently provided by summer internships for college students on a competitive basis through the campus interview process. Some petroleum engineers are required to be licensed depending on where you work. In most states, registration criteria involves having a degree from a certified engineering program, four years of experience, and passing both the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination upon graduation and the Principles and Practices exam after several years of experience. Becoming a registered professional engineer is very advantageous and usually required for private consultants. All petroleum engineers must keep up with changes in technology through education and attendance of workshops and professional meetings. Petroleum engineers must also have a strong aptitude for math, science, analytical thinking, a capacity for detail, and creative problem solving skills. Additionally they must have the ability to work under stressful conditions, tolerate cultural differences, and work as a team member. Good judgment, decisiveness, willingness to accept responsibility and take initiative. Good communication skills. Ability to supervise and direct others is essential for many but not all positions. This industry has the second highest of 5 tiers income of more than 92,000 and job security is average. Earning varies with experience, degree responsibility, employer, specific skills, education, geographic location and additional sources of compensation such as bonuses or remote location allowances. Also, becoming a professionally registered engineer may increase salary. According to the wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the beginning hourly pay ranges from $37.91 to $49.69, for those with more expertise, the average pay would be $66.82 and the top pay would be greater than $90.00 per hour. Job growth for petroleum engineers for 2012-22 is 26%, which is exponentially faster than average. A behemoth advantage of petroleum engineering is the extremely high income. However, the disadvantages include less than average leisure time. Another advantage includes a high contribution to society by providing a steady supply of oil and gas in an environmentally safe manner. There also includes high variety in prospecting techniques,