Oilfield services vs Big oil

Career Opportunities & Internships
1

<p>I've heard that the oilfield services companies (Halliburton/Schlumberger) are substantially different in terms of benefits/pay than the big oil companies (Exxon/Chevron/Conoco/Shell), to the point where salaries in oil services may even be lower than nationwide engineering averages in some cases.</p>

<p>If a person was to get on with one of the oilfield services companies, how attractive of a candidate would that make them to the big oil companies 3+ years down the road if they wanted to transition into that industry? Would previous experience in oil services open major doors into the big oil industry?</p>

2

<p>It would probably depend on what your position was. They definitely have high paying positions though. Oilfield service companies make a lot of money because they develop specialized technology which is necessary for oil/gas recovery and they can usually raise their prices whenever they want because they are such big players.</p>

3

<p>This is an interesting question…Is there less prestige in working for oilfield services? do baker hughes and schlumberger recruit from good schools?</p>