Petroleum and Mechanical Engineering

Current undergrad sophomore in Miami. I’m definitely interested in the petroleum field and i can undoubtedly academically and socially meet the standards for it. The problem comes in, in that my state (Florida) doesn’t have any schools with a degree in Petroleum being offered. Should I stay with my career path being MechE and go to school here where it is financially beneficial or is it worth the excess money to go to Texas or California to have a BS in PetE? If I stay in state, should I go after Geology or MechE? I’m most interested in a job that’ll involve social communications and physics if a science is required. Does it honestly matter what degree you majored in? Does the pay change if I am not a PetE? What’s the difference in what PetE and MechE do in the field? Which school is most prestigious for the petroleum field? This is also not a problem for me but can I have dreads as a PetE or would that be inappropriate and cause for discomfort among supervisors? Thanks in advance, these questions will my understanding regarding i have no experience outside community college and online research.

I’ve heard bad things about the oil market. I have a friend who is a petroleum engineer. He got his BS in mechanical engineering and then worked for an oil company. He said it can be relatively easy to get a petroleum engineering job as an ME. But he almost had 4.0, so I think that’s why it was easier for him.

bouncing back up, trying to get more answers