<p>Hi,
I'm a freshman student thinking about the possible career paths available for me.
I chose, petroleum engineering, because of the pay and travelling opportunities. Here are some questions I have.</p>
<p>However, I heard that you need at least 5 years experience to get a job abroad. However, after visiting the websites of schlumberger and Halliburton and few career stories, I got the feeling that field engineers can go abroad with little to no experience. Is this true?</p>
<p>However, the same website mentions that mechanical and electrical engineering grads are also recruited for field engineer position. Is there a benefit of doing petroleum engineering intead of mech eng or elec eng?</p>
<p>How much can a fresh field engineer with degree in petroleum engineering earn at a oilfield services company? </p>
<p>cheers!</p>
<p>If you’re 100% set on working in the petroleum industry (check what the long term prospects are with the push for green alternatives etc) then go for the petroleum major. </p>
<p>If you have any doubts then the ME or EE majors will give you more flexibility in employment, especially at the start of your career before you’re too specialised. </p>
<p>I met some Norwegian Oil Engineers working out in China and they worked 1 month on, 1 month off. The salary of the youngest guy who was in his early 20s was around $90,000 but I don’t know how much of that was due to the higher living costs in Norway and/or a premium for working far from home.</p>
<p>Mechanical engineering is a great major for service companies. I would check to see who recruits your school. It will be difficult if there aren’t any oil companies at career day.</p>
<p>The big guys (SLB, Haliburton) usually start around 60k, then you will get a job completion bonus after your training. You can probably make ~90-100k.</p>
<p>Does top oilfield companies like schlumberger and haliburton recruit for international postions from University of Alberta?</p>
<p>Oh! I forgot to thank highland poppy and noleguy.
Thanx!</p>
<p>I have no idea. Contact the university’s career center, they should be able to help you.</p>
<p>Is it possible to start working on an international assignment straight away without working in your home location?
How does the shifts of Halliburton and Sclumberger work for international assignments?</p>