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Petroleum Engineers

$131.8K Median Salary 2.1K Job Openings (Annual Projection) 7.7% Job Growth

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About This Career

Devise methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production and determine the need for new or modified tool designs. Oversee drilling and offer technical advice.

Reported Job Titles

Completion Engineer, Drilling Engineer, Engineer, Operations Engineer, Petroleum Engineer, Petroleum Production Engineer, Project Production Engineer, Project Reservoir Engineer, Reservoir Engineer, Reservoir Engineering Consultant

Career data shown for:

Skills You'll Need

Click on skills to find related courses.

Abilities

Deductive Reasoning

Inductive Reasoning

Oral Comprehension

Oral Expression

Problem Sensitivity

Written Comprehension

Written Expression

Category Flexibility

Fluency of Ideas

Information Ordering

Near Vision

Speech Clarity

Speech Recognition

Originality

Mathematical Reasoning

Visualization

Number Facility

Selective Attention

Flexibility of Closure

Perceptual Speed

Knowledge

Engineering and Technology

Mathematics

Computers and Electronics

Physics

Chemistry

Administration and Management

Administrative

Economics and Accounting

Design

English Language

Law and Government

Skills

Critical Thinking

Reading Comprehension

Active Listening

Complex Problem Solving

Judgment and Decision Making

Speaking

Systems Analysis

Systems Evaluation

Writing

Active Learning

Monitoring

Coordination

Social Perceptiveness

Time Management

Science

Mathematics

Instructing

Learning Strategies

Persuasion

Service Orientation

Technology Skills

Analytical or scientific software

Presentation software

Object or component oriented development software

Data base user interface and query software

Development environment software

Financial analysis software

Electronic mail software

Computer aided design CAD software

Project management software

Spreadsheet software

Enterprise resource planning ERP software

Office suite software

Operating system software

Word processing software

Business intelligence and data analysis software

Internet browser software

Process mapping and design software

Tools

Scanners

Notebook computers

Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers

Desktop computers

Personal computers

Abilities

Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.

Knowledge

Engineering and Technology: Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Mathematics: Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Computers and Electronics: Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Physics: Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Chemistry: Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Administration and Management: Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Administrative: Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Economics and Accounting: Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Design: Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Law and Government: Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Skills

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Systems Evaluation: Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Science: Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.

Technology Skills

Analytical or scientific software: Statistical analysis software; TapRooT
Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
Object or component oriented development software: Oracle Java
Data base user interface and query software: Blackboard software; Database software; Microsoft Access; Yardi software
Development environment software: Adobe Systems Adobe Creative Suite
Financial analysis software: Delphi Technology
Electronic mail software: IBM Notes; Microsoft Exchange; Microsoft Outlook
Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD; Autodesk Revit
Project management software: Mavenlink; Microsoft Project
Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
Enterprise resource planning ERP software: Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne; Oracle PeopleSoft; Oracle PeopleSoft Financials; SAP software
Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
Operating system software: Microsoft Windows
Word processing software: 3M Post-it App; Evernote; Google Docs; Microsoft Word
Business intelligence and data analysis software: BrightEdge; Conductor Searchlight; IBM Digital Analytics; Searchmetrics Suite
Internet browser software: Web browser software
Process mapping and design software: Microsoft Visio

Tools

Scanners: Data input scanners
Notebook computers: Laptop computers
Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers: Personal digital assistants PDA
Desktop computers:
Personal computers:

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