Everyone
has dreams and goals in life. The hardest part is not formulating those
thoughts but taking them to the next level, from a prototype to a finish
product. Since my early age, I had a great interest for math and sciences; I
may not be the brightest student in earth. However, I managed to have A’s and
B’s in all those subjects. I was the type of hard working students; I never
took any knowledge for granted. I had to do my own researches and keep
harassing my teachers till hearing satisfying answers. Reaching high school
level, my passion for science and especially for chemistry grown. This passion
and interest kept growing till present day. I discovered that everything around
us is related to chemistry. We can start with the oxygen we bread, the food we
eat, the water we drink and any tool or device we use in our daily life. We all
hear about how philosophy is the mother of all science, I propose to proclaim
chemistry as the father of all sciences.
Actually, I’m enrolled in an
Associate degree in Engineering and my goal is to pursue a bachelor degree in
petroleum engineering. It took me couple years of research to come up with this
specific choice. The chemical industry field is really vast and choosing one
specialty was not easy at all. However, I found out that the source of all
chemical materials in use in any chemical industry is oil .I decided to be part
of this huge process of transforming crude oil to finish products. Another
reason behind my choice is the extreme lack of engineers in this field. New
studies showed that the US will be the first producer of oil within next 10
years. We will not be only able to fulfill our need on oil but also to export
it. One of the issues addressed by the well-known Society of Petroleum
Engineers is the rising numbers of engineers going to retirement comparing to
the number of fresh graduate engineers.
My professional goal is not just be one of many petroleum engineers; I
want to be part of a revolutionary team petroleum engineers working to make the
oil extracted as efficient as possible by injecting up to 50% ethanol or other
less pollutant ingredients. We all hear about the necessity to replace oil with
another source of energy, so far no other source is as efficient as oil. In my
opinion, the challenge is not replacing oil completely but diminishing the
quantity of oil used gradually till finding a non-pollutant source of energy.
Petroleum
engineers are responsible for designing equipment and developing methods for
extracting oil and gas from the earth. These individuals work alongside other
professionals, such as sub-surface surveyors and geologists, to find oil and
gas deposits below the surface of the earth, analyze the ground that must be
drilled, design the proper equipment for the task, and determine the best
methods for extracting the oil or gas in the safest and most efficient way
possible. Licensure is available for petroleum engineers in every state, though
it is not required in most cases. Obtaining a petroleum engineering license
usually involves first earning a bachelor's degree, gaining a certain number of
years of engineering work experience, and then passing state licensing exams.
Work experience can be earned through internships and apprenticeships with
engineering firms. Once you have your license, you must maintain it with
continuing education and license renewal exams in most cases.
Engineers
must be licensed if they offer their services to the public directly, but must
petroleum engineers do not. "A petroleum engineer is not required to be
licensed because they often work for a corporation or other clients one step
removed from the public," said Ken Leonard, the senior manager of the
Global Training Program for the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
However,
extracting oil and gas from the earth is dangerous work, and the men and women
working on the rigs put their lives in your hands when they use the equipment
you design and the methods you develop. For these reasons, many petroleum
engineers seek licensure anyway, despite the fact that it’s not mandatory.
"It is important for any engineer, not just petroleum engineers, to become
licensed to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public when they are
providing those engineering services to the public," said Angeline
Kinnaird Linn, the program director for the Colorado Board of Licensure for
Architects, Professional Engineers, and Professional Land Surveyors. For these
reasons, states want to make sure their petroleum engineers have extensive
knowledge and are highly skilled before they are granted a license.
"Licensure
in engineering in the U.S. is a voluntary activity administered by the states
where an engineer chooses to take an exam to demonstrate mastery of a technical
field, and suitable experience to justify awarding the license," said
Leonard.
To
be considered for licensure, whether the nature of your work requires it or you
choose to get one voluntarily, most states require you to have an engineering
degree from a program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and
Technology to guarantee that your education is of high quality. We must then
pass the Fundamentals of Engineering exam (FE) , which allows you to start
working under the supervision of licensed engineers as an engineer-in-training.
The amount of time varies by state, but on average, we will need to earn about
four years of work experience. Once we gain enough experience, we will be
eligible to take the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam (PE), which
will earn us a professional engineering license and the title of professional
engineer.
We
may also choose to obtain a Petroleum Engineering Certification, from the SPE.
Certification is not required, but according to the SPE, it will give us
recognition in the petroleum industry, demonstrate that we are committed to petroleum
engineering, and help us learn more about the industry. Much like getting a
professional engineering license, we must have at least a bachelor's degree
from an accredited engineering program, complete at least four years of
engineering experience, and be a member in good standing with the SPE. We must
then pass an exam demonstrating our thorough understanding of petroleum
engineering, after which we'll earn our certification.
Technological
advancements and new discoveries in the petroleum industry are being made
almost on a daily basis. For this reason, petroleum engineers need to
constantly keep up with the changes in the field and understand how to apply
new tools and knowledge to their own work. Your petroleum engineering license,
whether you were required to get one or chose to do so voluntarily, is only
good for a certain amount of time, depending on your state's regulations. To
ensure that all petroleum engineers remain current with the latest
developments, licensure must be maintained and renewed on a regular basis, with
continuing education in most cases.
Employment of petroleum engineers is
expected to grow 17 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for
all occupations. Oil prices will be a major determinant of employment growth,
as higher prices lead to increasing complexity of oil companies’ operations.
Additionally, job prospects should be highly favorable because many engineers
are expected to retire. Because oil and gas extraction is the largest industry
employing petroleum engineers, any effects of rising oil prices will likely be
noticed here first. Higher prices can cause oil and gas companies to drill in
deeper waters and in less hospitable places and return to existing wells to try
new extraction methods. This means that oil drilling operations will likely
become more complex and will require more engineers to work on each drilling
operation.
Demand for petroleum engineers in support
activities for mining should also be strong, as oil and gas companies find it
convenient and cost-effective to seek their services on an as-needed basis.
This is partly because petroleum engineering is one of the higher paying
occupations in the economy. Experienced petroleum engineers also may start
their own companies and provide services to larger oil and gas companies.
The median annual wage for petroleum
engineers was $114,080 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half
the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.
The lowest 10 percent earned less than $63,480, and the top 10 percent earned
more than $166,400.
|
|
The table below provides Average Hourly
and Average Annual Wages for Petroleum engineers by State and
Metropolitan Area. |
|
|
|
|
The society of petroleum engineering annual salary survey for 2012 was successfully sent to 59,332 professional members via e-mail on 13 July 2012. This year 7,117 members provided valid responses resulting in a 12% response rate. This sample of completed responses produces a margin of error of ± 1.05% at a 95% confidence level. This year’s participants are based in 102 different countries and represent citizenship in 103 countries. Their employers are based in 95 countries, and 40 U.S states. In 2012, almost six out of ten respondents 58% were based in countries outside of the United States.
2012 SPE Membership Salary Survey
Highlight Report - September 2012
References:
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Petroleum Engineers,
- http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/petroleum-engineers.htm (visited April 12, 2013).
- “Engineering Overview"Prepared as part of the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center(www.careercornerstone.org)
- Society of Petroleum Engineers, 222 Palisades Creek Dr., Richardson, TX 75080. Internet: http://www.spe.org
- American Chemical Society, Department of Career Services, 1155 16th St. NW., Washington, DC 20036. Internet: http://www.chemistry.org