If you’re looking for a career path in oil and gas industry, you’re pursuing a rewarding career with opportunities for growth, advancement, and in-house training. However, finding out where to start can seem daunting.
This article will look at the available paths in an oil and gas career and guide you through the choices available and what expertise you need to bring to the table.
Key Sectors in the Oil and Gas Industry
The first step toward a career path in the oil and gas industry is identifying what part of the oil and gas refining process appeals to you.
The key sectors of the oil and gas industry and all the jobs available can be divided into the three stages of the petroleum value chain: upstream, midstream, and downstream.
Upstream
The upstream stage focuses on obtaining raw materials needed by the midstream and downstream stages. Here, you explore, find, and extract potential crude oil and gas reserves.
Whether you’re doing geographical surveys or drilling, you may work on onshore and offshore reserves. You may use processes like exploratory drilling, hydraulic fracking, and oil recovery from underground wells.
Possible jobs for a career upstream include:
- Drilling engineer
- Automation engineer
- Floor hand
- Pipeline technician
- Surveyor
Plus, any job that involves creating geological surveys and office positions dedicated to obtaining land rights.
Midstream
The midstream stage has jobs that involve transporting and storing crude oil and natural gas before processing and converting it. In this stage your connect upstream to refineries through an extensive network of pipelines.
Working in this stage may include job titles such as:
- Pipeline engineer
- Oilfield service operator
- Midstream operator
- Pipeline contractors
Downstream
Downstream operations take the crude oil and natural gas that has been extracted, transported, and stored in other streams and then converts it into thousands of finished products, including fuel before it’s delivered to consumers.
You would help raw oil to be turned into gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, and petrochemical products, including plastics, chemicals, and lubricants.
Common job titles include:
- Refinery operator
- Gas station manager
- Fuel distributor
- Quality control technicians
Overall, jobs in the downstream industries focus on refining, processing, and distributing hydrocarbons.
Common Career Paths in Oil and Gas
Regardless of which stream you choose to focus on, oil and gas careers can be further divided into five broad career paths with similar education and skills requirements.
1. Engineering Path
Engineers play an important role in the oil and gas industry. They work on everything from drilling operations to improving refining operations by creating equipment and processes.
- Electrical Engineers: Performs engineering duties, including planning and designing electrical schematics.
- Chemical Engineers: Designs chemical plant equipment and devises processes for manufacturing chemicals and products from petroleum.
- Petroleum Engineers: Creates ways to improve oil and gas extraction and production. Oversees drilling and offers technical advice.
2. Operations and Maintenance
Workers in operations and maintenance run the machinery and processes needed to bring hydrocarbons in, refine them, and create petroleum products.
- Petroleum and Gas Engineering Technician: Works in a support role with engineers to find the safest and most efficient ways of obtaining and refining natural gas and crude oil.
- Plant Operators: Manages the refinery and plant functions.
- Heavy Equipment Operator: Operators loaders, dump trucks, etc., and ensures that the heavy machinery used is safe and in good working order.
3. Exploration and Geosciences:
Exploration and geosciences examine the earth to find hydrocarbons and determine the best way to extract them.
These jobs typically involve at least a bachelor’s degree in geology, although many applicants will have a Master’s degree.
- Geologists: Study rock formations and help to determine potential drilling sites through sub-surface surveys.
- Geophysicists: Evaluate geophysical data (seismic, gravity, magnetic) to determine potential exploration sites.
- Geological Sample Test Technician: Test and analyze samples of crude oil and minerals to detect the presence of petroleum, gas, or mineral deposits.
4. Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE)
Often holding the title of occupational health and safety specialist, they review, evaluate, and analyze work environments to design programs and procedures to increase safety and reduce incidents.
HSE may also conduct inspections and be employed privately or publicly.
5. Business & Commercial Support
While not interacting directly with oil and gas extraction, if you work in these support roles you ensure workers get paid, that operations run smoothly and that finances are handled efficiently.
- Accounting and Auditing Clerk: Responsible for handling financial transactions ensuring finances comply with local laws and regulations.
- Cost Estimator: Prepares cost estimates for product manufacturing, construction projects, and services to aid in bidding.
- Project Manager: An administrative support role that coordinates the activities of workers.
Education and Qualification Requirements
Due to the large number of job titles available in the oil and gas industry, the easiest way to find out what background a job requires is to read job listings and see what the company hiring requires.
These are broad outlines to get you started.
- High school diploma/GED: Entry-level positions that focus on physical labor, like floor hands and roughnecks in oil extraction, with no other experience necessary. Training is done in-house according to the company’s policies.
- Certificate: The technician title usually requires a certificate from a one to two-year course that focuses on the physical side of a job. Hands-on repair and maintenance experience is valued, and companies may train in-house.
- Bachelor’s degree: The engineering and geology career paths need a degree in a related field. Industry associations may have professional designations available for those who qualify.
- Positions in administration and management may hire those with years of experience in the company or recruit professionals with degrees in project management or energy management.
Internships and Apprenticeships
Getting experience in the oil and gas industry before landing your first job can be difficult, but networking opportunities exist thanks to schools and industry conferences.
These opportunities can lead to internships and apprenticeships where you can get hands-on experience often working for a company that will then hire you in an entry-level position.
Skills Need for Success in the Energy Industry
The most in-demand skills for the energy industry will vary depending on what stream you’re applying for.
However, two skills that employers look for are knowledge of safety and adaptability. The energy industry can be dangerous if regulations are not followed.
Adapting to a changing landscape, especially with the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, will also ensure you aren’t left behind.
Technical Skills
- Mathematics, engineering, and physics skills
- Data analysis
- Software expertise related to your role
- Risk management
- Financial modeling
Soft Skills
- Leadership
- Teamwork
- Communication skills
- Problem-solving abilities
- Attention to detail
When in doubt, consult job listings and see what qualifications or requirements companies mention.
Opportunities for Advancement
Professional development is important to the energy industry regardless of your role.
After being hired to an entry-level position, you may be able to train in another position within the company, either moving from a floor hand to a technician or up to a supervisory role.
Professional development is particularly important for engineers, who need to know the industry’s latest technologies and advancements.
Challenges and Opportunities in an Oil and Gas Career
Market volatility and depleting resources can threaten job security for those in the traditional energy sector. Petroleum and natural gas are finite resources that many are lobbying to move away from entirely and transition to renewable energy.
The renewable energy industry is experiencing growth as new technologies are being discovered. This doesn’t need to replace traditional energy.
Thanks to evolving technology renewable energy is being integrated into traditional practices, which could allow workers to move from one to another.
Conclusion
The oil and gas career path has plenty of opportunities for workers, and it’s always expanding as the industry evolves.
Whether you hold a high school diploma and want to work on an offshore rig or pursue engineering, there are jobs available for those with the right skills that also hold opportunities for advancement.
If an oil and gas career sounds like the right fit for you, check out energy job listings or learn more about the roles that make up the industry.
