petroleum engineering

College Majors Engineering Majors
61

<p>
[quote]
Sakky, I will tell you that louisiana is very liberal on labor laws, there are no unions here, lol. You can usually work however long you like. And the companies in this area pay their employees for their work. They really don't go by the book. I will say that every engineer I ever spoke to worked in Louisiana. Louisiana is the most corrupt state in the union and can really care less about the labor laws. I was pulling 90 plus a week at 16 years of age because I wanted to. They don't tend to follow OSHA either.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Actually, what you are saying should now support my position. Let's be honest - I think we can all agree that companies will always want to pay their employees as little as possible, and so if the laws in Louisiana are corrupt, then shouldn't that mean that employees will not pay you overtime? In other words, companies should just be classifying all of their workers as exempt and then have them work 100 hours a week for only a straight salary with no overtime, right? The whole point of the FLSA was to make sure that non-exempt employees are properly paid for every hour they work (including OT), but if Louisiana is corrupt, then that should mean that companies won't really be following that law. Seriously, what company wants to pay their people more if they don't have to? </p>

<p>Like I said, ForeverLSU, if you and the people you know have all been able to secure high-level engineering jobs - not roughneck/roustabout jobs, but actual engineering jobs - and yet still get paid by the hour and get 1.5x OT, then I'm very happy for you. You're one of the lucky ones. But not everybody gets that. Believe me, I know a lot of oilfield engineers who don't get that. If the company demands that you work 100 hours a week and burn up all your weekends, while not getting paid a penny extra, then that's what you have to do (or else quit). </p>

<p>Here is the definition of the "learned professional" exemption to the FLSA, which covers engineers.</p>

<p>*To qualify for the learned professional exemption, all of the following tests must be met:</p>

<pre><code>* The employee must be compensated on a salary or fee basis (as defined in the regulations) at a rate not less than $455 per week;
* The employee’s primary duty must be to perform work requiring advanced knowledge, defined as work which is predominantly intellectual in character and which requires the consistent exercise of discretion and judgment;
* The advanced knowledge must be in a field of science or learning, such as law, medicine, nursing, accounting, actuarial computation, engineering, education, and various types of physical, chemical, and biological sciences; and
* The advanced knowledge must be customarily acquired by a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction. *
</code></pre>

<p>FLSA</a> Requirements</p>

62

<p>OT Pay? How lucky. Even straight time pay would be great! If you're on salary, you work the weekends...for ZERO extra pay.</p>

63

<p>Hi guyz. Just finished high school and I'm planning to study Petroleum Engineering come next session. Initially I was confused but after stumbling on this thread and carefully going through the contribution, I'm now cleared and I believe I can go ahead to study Pet.Eng. To all you guys who have contributed on this thread, I say you're wonderful And to Blem who initiated this thread, you're great man. A big kudos to you all and may we all make heaven even after working to earn a living while here on earth in Jesus name. Amen. Thanks guyz.</p>

64

<p>Hi guys. I am a senior. Applied for fall 2009. I found this thread on PE very interesting. I am a female and am planning on CHE.ENG. I was wondering if as a female , would it be difficult to do PE. I have seen many women as PE professionals. Can you help with any info regarding opportunities. What kind of jobs do women take up after PE?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

65

<p>They do have a few women that major in PE. A lot of them find really favorable opportunities working in the oil industry. I tell you, in general, we don't see too many women in engineering classes period because not too many are interested in it. The women that are it usually end up doing way better than the guys because they are more focused. Opportunities are favorable in the geosciences as well. But you can't go wrong with chemical engineering either. I just hope you are comfortable with the fact that you won't see to many women in your classes that you will be able to socialize with. I think women are further driven away from petroleum engineering in particular because of the lifestyle it offers. Depending on which company you work for, you'll travel all over and if you wanted to start a family that would be difficult. I know a lot of the guys who have girl friends or plan on getting married end up taking office jobs to stay close to home. Which will affect your compensation as far as exp goes. Generally, if you want to go into petrol you should put off starting a family for a long time, probably mid 30's. Just because companies usually dictate your lifestyle. I mean it is all up to you. You have to decide if going out in the ocean, Nigeria, Alaska for weeks at a time is something you can deal with. Not to say every petrol engineer does that, but those are the kinds of people companies are looking for. That is where the oil is at. Those who want to go out and get experience in the field. You can't go wrong with chemical engineering though. You could also go nuclear with that chem too. Nuclear could present very favorable opportunities in the future as well. It all comes down to what kind of lifestyle you want to lead. Also, you may want to watch the geopolitics in the near future. I say, in my honest opinion, if you thinking about chemical stick with it. A whole bunch of opportunities open up for you. You can work for oil companies doing refining, you can do bio engineering, you could do alternative fuels, you could work for intel developing materials for their chips. More chemical engineers are employed by those silicon corporations than electrical/computer. Without the chemical engineers there are no materials to engineer a computer. You could also do pharmaceutical research, I mean the list goes on.</p>

66

<p>Forever LSU,</p>

<p>Thanks so much. It was so informative and clear. I do not have much exposure to all these professional fields. Your input was way better than web sites too. I am now sticking to chemical engineering like you said. But at the same time I am also concerned about the level of difficulty, in subjects like physics, math etc in classes. Everybody says its hard. I also work very hard and study long hours doing AP Calculus, AP Chemistry now. I did AP Physics and AP Biology and AP English last year. I found Physics damn hard because I did not do physics earlier. But I do have the confidence that I can work hard and find solutions. I am able to solve the easier once quickly and take some time for the difficult sums. Do you have to be an expert in these subjects to do engineering? Please let me know. Your comments are good.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

67

<p>I wouldn't say you have to be an expert. It's not like you'll get as in depth as a physicist or chemist will. You should be very comfortable and have an aptitude for those subjects. Hardness is based on how much you want to work at it. You must also realize that you will have a lot more time to study and do work in college than in HS. I mean my classes all end before lunch. It all depends on how you want to set up your schedule. I have a friend of mine who's in mechanical engineering, and all of his classes are in the afternoon because he doesn't like getting up early in the morning. I've the type of person where I just want to get it over with early, and go on about my business.</p>

<p>Now about the difficulty. I wouldn't say engineering is hard it is just time consuming. Of course I assume that anyone wanting to major in engineering has an interest in/likes the sciences/maths. I have friends that have 4.0's and I also have friends that are about to fail out. It all comes about with what kind of social life you want to lead. My friends that are doing bad go out a lot. You might be able to get away with it your freshman year, but after that it pretty much is all out. Right now, for me there is no such thing, lol. I'm either going to finish off this semester with a 4.0, or a 3.85, all depends on how I do on one of my engineering finals. But I eat sleep and breathe it. I don't kill myself doing work. I don't lose sleep over it. It is more about time management. Trust me, if you set aside your time like your supposed to you'll find yourself on the dean's list. Paying attention in class is critical. I know my engineering teachers only say or do a problem once and that is it. Generally, if you can do differential equations it doesn't get to much crazier than that. Again, I actually enjoy this kind of stuff. I don't find learning torturous as so many other people do. You don't need A's in math as so many other people do. I finished my calc class in HS with a B. It was a high B, but I also didn't really care. I thought math was painful and annoying. I was excellent at physics though. I like math, but only when it can be applied to something. Don't give me an equation that has no purpose. I guess you just do it so much you start to like it. That is what happened to me. Yet again, I will tell you that I know people who scored nearly excellent scores on the ACT that ended up failing out of college. Full scholarship, everything. They didn't focus themselves on the task at hand. If you want something, your going to get it, and nothing will stop you. ACT score and previous grades are all fine and dandy, but they don't necessarily dictate how well you will do in college. For example, I have another friend of mine that had almost a C average in HS and a relatively low score on the ACT. She came to LSU, is now about to graduating in 3 and a half year, scored a 40 on the MCAT, and headed to Med School. She worked like hell and it paid off. Your HS and previous grades only determine your potential, they don't determine how smart you really are. I have a friend who got a 32 on his ACT who is doing really bad right now in college. The reason is the guy never studied his whole life and now when he has to study he doesn't know how to keep the information in his brain. Again, it comes down to how bad you want it, and whether you are ready to sacrifice the time. Best of luck, and I wish you the best. If you have any other questions let me know.</p>

68

<p>Once you get into college, if you feel like the pressure in ChE is too much, or if it is killing your gpa, you might want to see about industrial or Construction management. Industrial is the easiest form of engineering in my mind. You do alot of statistic stuff. Construction management is also very favorable if you would like supervising big projects. You don't have to go any higher in the maths than calc 1. You also take accounting and industrial engineering classes. My buddy graduated with a little over a 3.5. He was offered a job at a chemical plant doing chemical engineering management. All he does is plan out the projects and objectives they need to get done. One of the professors hooked him up with the job because he was showing up for class every morning at 7:30. He was offered 120,000 to start. The average is a little over 50. He's a good example of what can happen if you impress the professors. Most of your professor's will have strong industry ties and can get there students can make a great difference in job offers.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.lsu.com/slas/career/cemployersweb.nsf/$Content/LSU+Quick+Facts?OpenDocument&ExpandSection=3%2C2%2C1#_Section3"&gt;http://www.lsu.com/slas/career/cemployersweb.nsf/$Content/LSU+Quick+Facts?OpenDocument&ExpandSection=3%2C2%2C1#_Section3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>That is just in case no one believes me. He had one of the highest salaries offered in a long time.</p>

<p>Also, you may want to check out this website. It will give you all kinds of reports and stats on chemical engineering. They also have really cool pod casts and power points to look at.</p>

<p>The</a> Sloan Career Cornerstone Center</p>

<p>Yeah, I would say the big growth opportunities with engineering are in environmental, civil (Obama should be developing a stimulus plan to rebuild the nation's infrastructure), Chemical because of the bio fuel and nuclear industry (they will play a key role in energy production for the future, also hydrogen power can go along with that, medicine development, materials, and bio engineering), industrial (because companies are trying to become more economical/efficient. There will no longer be large amounts of money wasted. To compete against foreign countries everything will have to be streamline), and computer/software engineering( just to paraphrase what Bill Gates said, "Every industry will have a need for some type of software, whether it be health care, aerospace, manufacturing, or just software in general, you will see an increase in all sectors"). </p>

<p>But if you want a job in the future, I say stay in a heath care, environmental, cost management, or energy. Don't go into anything else. Those in my mind are recession proof. Health care, because with the baby boomer population getting older and entering retirement, there will be increased need for physician, pharmacists, nurses, scientist and engineers who develop health care products and equipment to take care of all of these people. Environmental because of the increased "green craze and global warming issues." Which fits along with the new presidents proposed plans. Cost management because when things get slow, companies are ready to cut whoever they don't need, and if you the one doing the picking and choosing, it is nice to be that person. And last but not least, Energy, that is the biggest challenge we will face in the upcoming future. Listen, I don't care what anyone says that is the one to look into. It is scary seeing the amount of energy we not only need to put out for America alone, but also other nations. Oil can't do it alone. Were tapped out at around or above 85 million barrels a day. It is necessary we increase all renewable resources, and alternatives. Also develop new energy resources.</p>

<p>If you have any other questions, don't be afraid to ask.</p>

<p>Another note, when I said I eat sleep and breathe it, I really don't, lol. It's just a joke. But I do it so much I do dream about the work sometimes, which sucks when your just trying to get your brain to relax. I keep think about the problem in my head, I know I have to sleep, but it just keeps bothering me for some reason.</p>

69

<p>Side note: In engineering, the difficulty is usually that grades are curved and you're competing among your peers (so how smart/efficient your peers are is what usually sets the grades). </p>

<p>Your friend in construction management is a big time outlier. Usually, management positions involves experience outside of the BS level. Maybe your friend was a genius (to obtain a 3.5 in engineering by any means is usually commendable) and had good work experience and a great interview. To be frank though, it's rare to get $120,000 starting. It's doable, yes, but the chances aren't great. </p>

<p>Construction Management BS in </p>

<p>Students:
70</p>

<p>Average:<br>
$50,524</p>

<p>Max:
$120,000</p>

<p>Min:<br>
$35,000</p>

70

<p>He stayed on the deans list the whole time he was in college. I did mention not everyone will get those opportunities. Only a select group. The professor was the one who got him the job. He had a really nice sign on bonus too. I couldn't believe it either to be honest. He did start out in civil engineering, but left because all the professors hardly spoke english and he couldn't understand them in class. His dad is a civil engineer and he works for the state. His dad said his son is going to pass him up. He really is a pretty bright guy. He worked real hard though.</p>

71

<p>I found this thread a few days ago, and my first question is why are we listening to what a college student has to say about salaries and work conditions when they have never really been there themselves? If they want to give advice on classes, what to expect in college and so on, I might actually listen. I would love to imagine that I can just show up with a degree and get 300K, but realistically you are going to have to work up pretty high to get there. But I guess since your brother's friend's previous dog owners father got paid that much I will believe you. If you want to see some actual numbers (with sample size included), have a look here at the most recent SPE salary survey.</p>

<p>JPT</a> Online</p>

<p>Look for the salary survey results link that will take you to a .pdf</p>

72

<p>Actually, I have been there on two internships. Really nice I might add.</p>

73

<p>very old thread..but i talked to a companyman who graduated with a Petroleum Engineering degree..he works 21 on 14 off,12 hour towers and he makes 1350 a day and he says that lots of guys make WAY more than him.....so he gets in about 10 cycles of days on and he earns bout 285k a year...so..FOREVER LSU is right...hell..even Toolpusher make 120k a year..and they only work 6 months...and this isnt BLS or some stat or anything like that..cuz those are dead wrong..</p>

74

<p>heyy im curious...
whats the social scene in UAustin like? :-DD</p>

75

<p>Hippies and more hippies.</p>

76

<p>

</p>

<p>Not anymore. The petroleum industry has been laying people off left and right lately.</p>

77

<p>lol Forever, I will drink to that! Seriously though, Texas needs to be quarantined. I don’t know what happened to that great state. It seems like the breeding ground IS in Austin, so maybe the oil companies can use some research money to develop some liberal bug spray. They seem to spark up this time of year…</p>

78

<p>I came across this webite and find it very informative where money could be easily made [Welcome</a> to Raj’s World](<a href=“http://www.rajoilandgas.com%5DWelcome”>http://www.rajoilandgas.com)</p>

79

<p>"Hippies and more hippies. "</p>

<p>yup, just the opposite of the rest of texas, rednecks and more rednecks</p>

80

<p>the industry is laying off people in certain areas…but needing people in diff parts of the country…just cuz one portion has slowed down doesnt mean the whole industry is doing it.</p>