Career Details :: Petroleum Engineers
Description
Devise methods to improve oil- and gas-well production and determine the need for new or modified tool designs. Oversee drilling and offer technical advice to achieve economical and satisfactory progress.
Experience
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Education
A bachelor's degree is the minimum formal education required for these occupations. However, many also require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Training
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Tasks
- Designs or modifies mining and oil-field machinery and tools, applying engineering principles.
- Develops plans for oil- and gas-field drilling and for product recovery and treatment.
- Confers with scientific, engineering, and technical personnel to resolve design, research, and testing problems.
- Conducts engineering research experiments to improve or modify mining and oil machinery and operations.
- Evaluates findings to develop, design, or test equipment or processes.
- Analyzes data to recommend placement of wells and supplementary processes to enhance production.
- Coordinates activities of workers engaged in research, planning, and development.
- Assigns work to staff to obtain maximum utilization of personnel.
- Inspects oil and gas wells to determine that installations are completed.
- Writes technical reports for engineering and management personnel.
- Tests machinery and equipment to ensure conformance to performance specifications and to ensure safety.
- Interprets drilling and testing information for personnel.
- Assists engineering and other personnel to solve operating problems.
- Monitors production rates and plans rework processes to improve production.
Related Careers
- Aerospace Engineers
- Electrical Drafters
- Geologists
- Industrial Engineering Technicians
- Marine Engineers
- Materials Engineers
- Mechanical Engineering Technicians
- Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
Important Abilities
General Work Activities
- Getting Information Needed to Do the Job
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Analyzing Data or Information
- Processing Information
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
Important Skills
Frequent Work Context
- Consequence of Error
- Importance of Being Sure All Is Done
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Job-Required Social Interaction
- Frustrating Circumstances
Related Majors
| Major | Add to XapPack |
|---|---|
| Chemical Engineering/Petroleum Engineering |  [ add ] |
| Engineering of Mines | [ add ] |
| Mechanical Engineering/Petroleum Engineering | [ add ] |
| Mineral Economics | [ add ] |
| Mineral Engineering | [ add ] |
| Mineral Engineering Management | [ add ] |
| Mineral Processing | [ add ] |
| Mining Engineering | [ add ] |
| Nursing/RN | [ add ] |
| Petroleum Engineering | [ add ] |
| Petroleum Engineering Technology | [ add ] |
| Petroleum/Natural Gas Engineering | [ add ] |
Institutions Offering Related Majors
No institutions found.