Adapted from Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, “Occupational Employment Statistics,” May 2003-May 2012.
The United States is currently experiencing an
unprecedented energy boom. Much of the upswing in
American energy production 1 is due to the reason of
the exploration of oil and natural gas in formations made
up of shale rock. Previously, these deposits had been
unobtainable, but as a result of technological developments
such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, these
previously untapped reserves are contributing to a massive
upswing in the production of domestic oil and gas. One
study by the Energy Information Administration predicts
that by 2016, the United States will be pumping ten million
barrels of oil a day, 2 an amount that would equal the oil
output of Saudi Arabia, the long-time world leader in the
production of oil.
The sharp growth in energy production has had many
social and economic impacts. One of these 3 affect is job
growth. Petroleum engineers in particular have become
some of the most sought after employees in the energy
industry. Over the next decade, the job growth rate for
petroleum engineers 4 are projected to be 26 percent,
which is twice the average rate for all occupations in the
United States. From 2009 to 2012, the number of jobs in the
field of petroleum engineering 5 plummeted from over
35,000 to 15,000.
The intense demand for petroleum engineers is due
to the specialized nature of their work. When working in
shale formations, petroleum engineers design and develop
the methods for extracting oil and gas. In the Bakken
6 formation, a highly productive oil field located in North
Dakota only 3.5 percent of the oil deposits in the rock are
currently recovered. If a petroleum engineer is able to
contribute to an increase in this rate of just a fraction of a
percentage, it can mean millions of additional barrels of oil;
7 however, the demand for the expertise of a petroleum
engineer is understandable. Further, a petroleum
8 engineers skills’ are applicable to areas beyond oil
exploration. Petroleum engineers also commonly work in
pollution cleanup, underground waste disposal, and water
resource management.
[1] One must gain admittance into an engineering
program, preferably in petroleum engineering, and then
complete a rigorous course of study in mathematics,
physics, geology, chemistry, and the principles of
engineering analysis. [2] While some petroleum engineers
primarily work in labs or 9 offices, many have to spend
long hours at well sites, which are often located in remote
areas around the country. [3] These job prospects are
indeed promising, but becoming a petroleum engineer
is not easy. [4] Though the career is 10 challenging,
petroleum engineers work exciting jobs at the heart of the
dynamic energy industry. 11
The United States is currently experiencing an
unprecedented energy boom. Much of the upswing in
American energy production 1 is due to the reason of
the exploration of oil and natural gas in formations made
up of shale rock. Previously, these deposits had been
unobtainable, but as a result of technological developments
such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, these
previously untapped reserves are contributing to a massive
upswing in the production of domestic oil and gas. One
study by the Energy Information Administration predicts
that by 2016, the United States will be pumping ten million
barrels of oil a day, 2 an amount that would equal the oil
output of Saudi Arabia, the long-time world leader in the
production of oil.
The sharp growth in energy production has had many
social and economic impacts. One of these 3 affect is job
growth. Petroleum engineers in particular have become
some of the most sought after employees in the energy
industry. Over the next decade, the job growth rate for
petroleum engineers 4 are projected to be 26 percent,
which is twice the average rate for all occupations in the
United States. From 2009 to 2012, the number of jobs in the
field of petroleum engineering 5 plummeted from over
35,000 to 15,000.
The intense demand for petroleum engineers is due
to the specialized nature of their work. When working in
shale formations, petroleum engineers design and develop
the methods for extracting oil and gas. In the Bakken
6 formation, a highly productive oil field located in North
Dakota only 3.5 percent of the oil deposits in the rock are
currently recovered. If a petroleum engineer is able to
contribute to an increase in this rate of just a fraction of a
percentage, it can mean millions of additional barrels of oil;
7 however, the demand for the expertise of a petroleum
engineer is understandable. Further, a petroleum
8 engineers skills’ are applicable to areas beyond oil
exploration. Petroleum engineers also commonly work in
pollution cleanup, underground waste disposal, and water
resource management.
[1] One must gain admittance into an engineering
program, preferably in petroleum engineering, and then
complete a rigorous course of study in mathematics,
physics, geology, chemistry, and the principles of
engineering analysis. [2] While some petroleum engineers
primarily work in labs or 9 offices, many have to spend
long hours at well sites, which are often located in remote
areas around the country. [3] These job prospects are
indeed promising, but becoming a petroleum engineer
is not easy. [4] Though the career is 10 challenging,
petroleum engineers work exciting jobs at the heart of the
dynamic energy industry. 11