Advice for entering the industry
Advice for entering the industry
(OP)
Hi all.
I'm a chemical/materials engineering student going into my third year. I'm wondering how I can improve my chances of getting a job in the petroleum industry (preferably offshore).
I have a few extra classes in my timetable. What would be some good classes to take?
I was thinking of doing a graduate diploma in science in some field such as geophysics. (one year). Should I do this or would I be better off just starting work?
I was also thinking of doing a taught Master's in petroleum engineering by distance learning (since petroleum eng isn't offered in my country) which would take about four years.
Is this a sound plan? What can I do to improve it?
Will the skills I learn still be useful if petroleum doesn't work out and I have to enter a different industry, such as mining?
I'm also interested in whether or not any extracurricular activities (not expensive) would help my chances.
Cheers guys.
I'm a chemical/materials engineering student going into my third year. I'm wondering how I can improve my chances of getting a job in the petroleum industry (preferably offshore).
I have a few extra classes in my timetable. What would be some good classes to take?
I was thinking of doing a graduate diploma in science in some field such as geophysics. (one year). Should I do this or would I be better off just starting work?
I was also thinking of doing a taught Master's in petroleum engineering by distance learning (since petroleum eng isn't offered in my country) which would take about four years.
Is this a sound plan? What can I do to improve it?
Will the skills I learn still be useful if petroleum doesn't work out and I have to enter a different industry, such as mining?
I'm also interested in whether or not any extracurricular activities (not expensive) would help my chances.
Cheers guys.





RE: Advice for entering the industry
RE: Advice for entering the industry
No, but I still have a few years before I would actually finish any of these qualifications. That's also the reason why I'm concerned as to the job prospects outside of petroleum engineering such as mining/energy.
RE: Advice for entering the industry
RE: Advice for entering the industry
RE: Advice for entering the industry
I'm struggling a bit trying to see how you're going to meld Chemistry/Materials with Petroleum(Offshore). How do you see that? Or will you move more directly towards petroleum engnieering? Doesn't chem go better with petroleum refining? That's mostly onshore, unless you just want to separate oil, water and gas. And why offshore? Do you see yourself working on or offshore (as on a platform). Platform life is not really all that great, by the way. Lots of rotation. Never really home, never really away.
RE: Advice for entering the industry
RE: Advice for entering the industry
There is a large school believing that oil will eventually run out. Others think oil is being created all the time. I'm rather sure that it is not the second as, if it is being created all the time, I can tell you that it is only being created in places farther and farther away from home. (Shale oil production is not creationism, it's a form of EOR.)
Sooner or Later
Sooner:
Nobody knows how the oil industry will end and I'm not sure about the time frame, but this is how I think it'll play out. I think oil exploration will end long before the last barrel is pumped from the ground, simply because the risk of finding it will not outweigh the potential reward of producing and selling it. That might move the "effective end" of oil up quite a lot. If the price goes high enough to recover those costs, then the production/consumption volume will have to come down, since nobody will be able to afford to burn it. Onshore wells in remote locations are now costing over $20MM each. How long will it be before the anty cost goes so high that it prohibits sitting down and playing the game? I don't know.
Later:
How much shale oil is out there? USGS has just this very week doubled the estimated recoverable, but as of yet undiscovered reserves in the Barnett Field. Price will be low, probably way too low, until this is burned off. When the competition is finally knocked off and only the big majors are left, get ready for the biggest price spike you've ever seen, unless renewables have made significant inroads before then.
Conclusion
Dylanc, I guess you have thought about it and, if the above does happen, you must think it will be towards the farside of the next 40 years or so. Some, relatively recently, predicted the end of oil by 2025. Others well before then, so I suppose if there is a time scale, it is certainly very stretchy. Anyway all that uncertainty only serves to create instability, which translates into cycles of high and low spikes. That's why I say, it should be a good ride, wherever it goes.
RE: Advice for entering the industry
As a chemical engineer i think that even if we did rid ourselves of HC as an energy source we would still use NG and oil as a feed stock for chemical processing. This will, however be on a much smaller scale and would have to compete with some types of crops e.g.
RE: Advice for entering the industry
RE: Advice for entering the industry
RE: Advice for entering the industry
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RE: Advice for entering the industry
RE: Advice for entering the industry
RE: Advice for entering the industry
RE: Advice for entering the industry