with companies laying off thousands of workers, and some of those being petroleum engineers. are these petroleum engineers able to find work for other oil companies? do they go on employment insurance? work as an engineer in a different sector?
I’m a 3rd year petroleum engineering student in Canada, wondering if i need to think of a back up plan.
Petroleum engineering is highly specialized, so it can be very difficult to find work outside the oil and gas sector. They can try to get another petroleum engineering position (if possible) or go on unemployment. There are stories from the 80’s of petroleum engineers only being able to work at fast food or retail after that crash. Some of them went back to school and got a master’s degree in another area to switch disciplines.
Since you are still in school, I would seriously consider switching majors to either Chemical engineering or mechanical engineering. Chemical and mechanical engineering are broad engineering degrees. If oil rebounds, you should have no trouble going into the petroleum industry. If it doesn’t, you would have other options.
Can you add a second major? Another engineering major might only be a few more credits and give you more options.
It may be easier (if your college offers the minor) to major in ChE (or some other engineering major) and minor in PetE, than to complete a second major.
i don’t exactly want to switch majors. it would add another two years on since courses are only offered once a year. and i do really enjoy what i am learning. my chemical engineering courses… not so much. I am going to have to graduate and hope for the best. maybe my 6 years of carpentry before going into engineering will help if i try to get a civil engineering job?
At least you can go back to carpentry if you can’t get anything else. Carpentry is not civil engineering. The skills required for civil engineering are vastly different from what you are studying.
Your petroleum engineering degree basically prepares you to work as a petroleum engineer, not much else. In the good times, these skills are highly sought after by the petroleum industry and why petroleum engineers (by degree) can command such a high salary.
Petroleum engineering is basically feast or famine. The past few years have been feast. Now we are entering a time of “famine.” The petroleum industry will eventually recover.
regarding the carpentry being different than civil… thats what i keep saying, but other professionals tell me not to worry and that I can get into project management in the construction industry. we’ll see. one year left of school. we don’t know what will happen by then.
thanks to those who answered