Petroleum Engineers
Devise methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production and determine the need for new or modified tool designs. Oversee drilling and offer technical advice.
What it pays
Petroleum Engineers earn a median of $69.67/hr — about $145,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $39.16/hr; the top 10% earn $121.73/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Petroleum Engineers earn a median of $69.67/hr — about $145,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $39.16/hr; the top 10% earn $121.73/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Specify and supervise well modification and stimulation programs to maximize oil and gas recovery.
- Monitor production rates, and plan rework processes to improve production.
- Maintain records of drilling and production operations.
- Analyze data to recommend placement of wells and supplementary processes to enhance production.
- Assist engineering and other personnel to solve operating problems.
- Direct and monitor the completion and evaluation of wells, well testing, or well surveys.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree. Overall preparation: considerable preparation (Job Zone 4 of 5).
Working for yourself
About 1.7% of petroleum engineers are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are hands-on, analytical and organized and detail-focused.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
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Quick questions
- How much does a petroleum engineer make?
- The median pay is $69.67 per hour — roughly $145,000 a year, with the real range running from about $39.16/hr (10th percentile) to $121.73/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a petroleum engineer?
- The typical entry-level education is: Bachelor's degree. Overall preparation level: considerable preparation (Job Zone 4 of 5).
- What does a petroleum engineer actually do all day?
- Specify and supervise well modification and stimulation programs to maximize oil and gas recovery. Monitor production rates, and plan rework processes to improve production. Maintain records of drilling and production operations.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.