Every job has its pros and cons and the same goes for being a petroleum engineer.
Today we will take a look at the main advantages and disadvantages of working as a petroleum engineer.
Many of the things that we will discuss today also apply to most other positions in the oil and gas industry.
Read next: 4 Types of Petroleum Engineers
Advantages of Being a Petroleum Engineer
High Salaries
Petroleum engineers usually make a lot of money when employed.
The $100,000 per year salary is quite common for many new petroleum engineers working for big oil companies.
Even many field engineers working for service companies make the same amount with all the overtime and field bonuses.
Travel Opportunities
If you enjoy traveling, you will likely enjoy working as a petroleum engineer.
Petroleum engineers often have to travel during some operations and sometimes even move to a different country.
This is a great way to experience other cultures and travel while not spending any of your money.
Free Perks
Many petroleum engineers often get invited to different events for free and also often get taken to lunches with free drinks and meals.
Related: How Hard is It to Become a Petroleum Engineer?
Disadvantages of Being a Petroleum Engineer
Lack of Job Security
There is always a risk of layoffs whenever you are working in the oil and gas industry.
This means you should have enough savings to last until you find your next job.
Being Away from Home and Working in Remote Locations
Most petroleum engineers spend some time working in the field during their careers.
This means being away from home for weeks and often working in extreme environments.
Even when petroleum engineers move into the office, they often have to be on-call 24/7 during important operations.
Petroleum Engineering is Very Specialized
This means that it is more challenging to move into a different industry.
People in other industries are also not always willing to hire petroleum engineers because of the fear that they will quit and go back to the oilpatch as soon as oil prices rise again.
High Competition for Jobs When Oil is Down
When the oil industry is experiencing a downturn, it might be hard to find a job even if you had very high grades in the university.
Competition becomes much tougher and many people have to take a step back in their careers.
This means that you might be competing with experienced engineers for entry-level junior roles.
Read next: 10 Tips for Petroleum Engineering Students