How to Become a Petroleum Engineer

Petroleum engineering requires the application of several engineering and scientific disciplines. Engineers in this field are paid generously, and there are always jobs available. Follow these steps to get one.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Prepare yourself for a diverse undergraduate education by getting good grades in high school. Courses in a variety of disciplines will prepare you for your undergraduate program including math, computer science, chemistry, physics and economics.

2. Apply to a college with a petroleum engineering program. The Colorado School of Mines and Louisiana State University both offer undergraduate programs.

3. Consider the directions that your career can take. You can direct your studies to target a subfield in petroleum engineering. Drilling engineers determine how to extract oil and natural gas, production engineers maintain and optimize well performance once drilled, and reservoir engineers calculate the amount of oil and gas still remaining below the surface. Other specializations emphasize worker safety or environmental concerns.

4. Choose a graduate program if you want to continue your training. The University of California at Berkeley offers graduate programs as do most of the schools that offer undergraduate studies in petroleum engineering.

5. Search for jobs in your desired sub-field. International jobs are always available for interested petroleum engineers. Info Oil has job postings from around the globe.

Resources

• The Society of Petroleum Engineers website has valuable career resources.
• Visit LSU's Department of Petroleum Engineering website.
• The Colorado School of Mines offers a B.S. in petroleum engineering.
• UC-Berkeley offers graduate programs in petroleum engineering.
• Visit Info Oil's job postings.

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on 12/12/2008 Also you might want to check out: http://www.oilcareer.com