<p>Howdy all,
Im from former Soviet Union Country- currenty residing in Moscow, Russia. Have BA in English. For the past five years Ive been working in company which supplies spare parts for oil and gas industry(mainly gas). I've became very much interested in petroleum engineer career,so Ive applied to several universities, to PetE program. Was accepted to LSU, UWY, University of Utah.
My problem is that Im not sure if Im seeing the situation clearly.Ive read about pros, but what if Im not realising all the cons of this profession. Yes it is well paid, it gives you an opportunity to travel around the world,it gives career growth and etc, but many people wrote here that after graduating from well reputed universities and being on site and spending time in van its not what they expected. And not too many jobs are available. Do you think it is a good choice of career for woman? And what about my university choice? Is university of Wyoming a good choice of school,or should I go to LSU? I was so determined regarding my decision, but after reading posts here i'm having second thoughts. I would really appreciate your help and comments regarding this situation. Thank you all in advance.
P.S. i apologize for my grammar mistakes:(((( English is my forth language.</p>
<p>I’m not a PetE but am friends with one and we did try to start an oil services company a number of years ago. In general, PetE does not involve sitting in an office, it involves field work, in remote areas, at sea, in horrible climates, rough conditions, and sometimes even dangerous ones. It sometimes involves going to areas with hostile political climates or extreme hostility to women. Oil field workers are a rough bunch and a woman in the field is often not a welcome sight. There are women PetE’s, but they will tell you stories of being harassed, insulted, and even assaulted. Women can do it, but they have to be very, very tough. </p>
<p>It takes a certain kind of guy to do the job, and it takes a really certain kind of woman to do it. You will earn every penny of the substantial dollars you can make in the field. If my daughter were thinking about it, I would advise against it, not because she couldn’t do it, or even that it’s not a good field for women, but she’s the wrong kind of woman for the job. You might be the right kind of woman, but have your eyes open by talking to other female PetE’s before you go down that road.</p>
<p>First a little background. I’m a senior in Petroleum Engineering from a small program in Missouri (Missouri University of Science and Technology). Being from a smaller school which is a bit removed from the U.S. industry we get less interest from companies than larger programs (LSU, CO School of Mines, TX A&M). </p>
<p>Even so, the current job market is extremely favorable for new graduates compared to several years ago, and good students from my school can easily find work when graduating. LSU is an excellent choice for a PetEng degree and should present plenty of opportunities. Wyoming I’m not familiar with, and Utah’s program is very new if I recall correctly. Still, as with any industry, if you perform poorly as a student you’ll have less than satisfactory opportunities when you graduate. It is also worth noting enrollment in PetEng programs has exploded in the last few years so supply of graduates will sharply increase in the next 2-3 years meaning more competition for jobs.</p>
<p>Now, before I continue, keep in mind my experience is as a U.S. citizen seeking work in the U.S. (for my first job at least). Many of my international friends (sorry none from Russia) face quite different outlooks when they graduate, each unique to their country of origin, citizenship, visa status, who pays for their school etc…</p>
<p>If you’re seeking work in the U.S. immediately after graduation as a foreign national you will need a graduate degree for 95% of positions. This is because a U.S. company must prove to the U.S. government that you have some unique expertise to offer which a U.S. citizen couldn’t offer. (If you and a U.S. student were equally qualified the government would prefer the company hire a U.S. citizen instead of a foreign national).</p>
<p>Now, after all of that nonsense. Being a Petroleum Engineer does not mean you have to travel out to field locations and brave dangerous political climates. Certainly you can go to those places, but you don’t have to. Many companies like to place you near the field for the first couple of years so you can physically see the equipment and how wells are drilled and operated. After this time though you will generally be placed in a centralized office. </p>
<p>There are 4 (main) categories of Petroleum Engineers. Drilling, Completions, Production and Reservoir engineers. </p>
<p>-Drilling deals with everything from when the well first starts being drilled until it reaches its total depth. These engineers are most likely to be in the field.
-Completions engineers then take over and work on preparing the well for producing hydrocarbons (connecting the well to the reservoir rock containing oil/gas and installing downhole well equipment to produce the well).
-Production engineers deal with the day to day operation of the wells over the course of years as the hydrocarbons are produced and sold to market. Generally you would take periodic trips to the field (a few days a month or so), but would spend most days in an office.
-Reservoir engineers are “big picture” engineers and have a job throughout the full life cycle of a whole field (hundreds of wells in same area), from exploration (before any drilling), through drilling, into the production stage, and finally the abandonment of wells when they are no longer economic. They deal more with computer simulations and modeling. This is probably the most technically demanding type of PetEng. Still they can be found on site in the field, not just behind computers.</p>
<p>Now, as for your friends who ended up “in the van”. When looking for a job you can generally work with a service company, or an operator.</p>
<p>Service companies are companies such as Halliburton, Weatherford, Baker Hughes and Schlumberger. You’ve probably heard of at least one. These companies provide various operational and technical services to operator companies. They do NOT have any rights to produce hydrocarbons. It is with these companies that you are more likely to end up in a field or “van” position where you can conceivably spend a good number of years in a van in the middle of nowhere working 12+ hour shifts. There are many exceptions of course where you will be in an office working for one of these companies. Usually the worse the student is the more likely they will get hired for one of these “van” type jobs (these pay less usually too). You will also become relatively specialized in a particular topic when working for one of these companies.</p>
<p>Operators are “Oil Companies” companies such as ConocoPhillips, Chevron, BP, Shell, Total and many nationalized oil companies such as Saudia Aramco, Qatar Petroleum, Petrobras, or PetroChina. In these companies you will usually take on the more traditional petroleum engineering types I listed above (Drilling, completions, production, reservoir), and will likely hop between them throughout your career. You could also end up in a highly research focused position if the company has a focus on that (and you have a Doctorate degree). </p>
<p>As far as being a female, I see no problems. In most offices women are on an equal footing as men. Be as good an engineer as you can and apply yourself and you will be successful. Adding value to the company from day one is the quickest way to get recognized and promoted. The only area I have seen women have problems is out in the field. Occasionally you will be exposed to “old school” engineers or non-college educated field hands or roughnecks who will give you trouble. If you’re planning on trying to spend a ton of time in the field then be prepared to deal with it. Usually though if you have a strong character and aren’t afraid of anyone then you will quickly find those people will come to respect you and will stop troubling you. Just don’t take anyone’s crap; if it’s a real problem let your supervisor know.</p>
<p>Finally, while you are in school focus on GETTING AN INTERNSHIP. The oil industry as a whole values internships almost as much as your grades. Plus they can help you start building your network. It doesn’t matter what company (as long as they are reputable), or what your position is, or where it was at. Having had an internship or two puts you way ahead of your competition when it comes to securing a job at graduation.</p>
<p>*This reply was much longer than I had originally intended. If I was unclear about something or you just have more questions feel free to ask!</p>
<p>**If you go into the offshore sector of the industry things can be a bit different as far as your work schedule. You can end up spending time on an offshore rig for weeks at a time, then rotating back home to an office or to paid time off, then back. This also can apply to very remote fields onshore.</p>