5 Highest Paying Jobs In Oil And Gas
The oil and gas sector is enjoying a tremendous period of growth right now, and many high paying jobs are available to those savvy applicants wise and experienced enough to know how to secure them. Despite the tantalizing prospects of working in the oil and gas sector, however, many companies still find themselves in desperate need of qualified employees due to a lack of public awareness and deep knowledge regarding this sector. Luckily, learning more about the oil and gas industry is best done by learning about the various positions that are in need of filling – and how they compensate their workers.
Here are 5 of the highest paying jobs in oil and gas, and why they’re so crucial right now.
- Geophysicists are sorely needed
If there’s one group of professionals that’s in need of expanding, it’s geophysicists, or the group of experts which study the physical elements of the Earth’s geography to more closely understand what lurks beneath its surface. Excavation is ludicrously expensive and incredibly time-consuming, so companies need to be sure that they’re in an ideal area for drilling before they commit themselves to a new prospect. That’s where geophysicists come in, reading and measuring the planet’s features in order to identify deposits of valuable oil and gas waiting to be exploited.
- Become a reservoir engineer
If being a geophysicist sounds exciting, wait until you learn about reservoir engineers. These are the specialists who focus on underground reservoirs of valuable petroleum. The key responsibilities of a good reservoir engineer include determining the specific location of an ideal reservoir and determining the best methods for accessing its contents, usually by using complex computer models. These valuable engineers help companies avoid lackluster wells that refuse to pump out enough product to make ends meet.
This is an incredibly tech-heavy job, as are many others in the oil and gas sector. Nevertheless, those individuals who strive to become reservoir engineers usually find themselves incredibly well compensated for their efforts, as it usually requires a graduate degree and working experience in the industry to find a good position.
- Construction managers bring it all together
If you lack expertise in the area of physical science, you may be thrilled to discover that hands-on construction specialists are also always needed in the oil and gas sector. That’s why construction managers are in such hot demand, as they ensure that the construction of new wells and supporting infrastructure is completely in a timely, efficient manner that’s compliant with government and environmental protocols.
A failure to have a good construction manager in charge can lead an oil or gas company into disaster; they may end up spending millions on raw materials that could have been procured more cheaply by a confident expert, and in the worst case scenarios slipshod construction methods can lead to physical disasters and the loss of human life. If you’re not one for taking oil and gas training courses, know that in the oil and gas industry, construction managers will always be highly respected and well paid.
- Drilling supervisors are nearly unparalleled
When it comes to importance in the industry, drilling supervisors are nearly unparalleled; after all, they’re the professionals who overlook the drilling process and ensure that valuable oil and gas is extracted in the first place. Without them, nothing comes up from below the surface, thereby rendering the entire operation a terrible failure.
Understanding drilling technology and knowing how to manage crucial workers isn’t easy, but those drilling supervisors who make the cut are almost always the next-most-well-paid workers on the job site. Even they pale in comparison to…
- Project managers are the king of oil and gas
Project managers who oversee entire operations are indisputably the kings of the oil and gas sector. Ensuring that the project doesn’t run over budget or off schedule, these talented professionals are at the top of the hierarchy and thus have an immense amount of responsibility. It usually takes years if not decades of experience to become a project manager, and even then your job is constantly hanging in the balance. Safety guidelines must constantly be monitored, for instance, and those project managers who allow lapses in safety to occur won’t just be fired but could indeed face criminal prosecution. After all, in the worst-case-scenarios that take human lives, project managers are usually those responsible for the success or failure of an entire drilling operation.
Is it worth it? PMs are the top paying job in the oil and gas industry, so they rake in plentiful amounts of cash for their hard work. To those with their eyes on the ultimate prize, becoming a project manager is the only surefire way to achieve maximum financial security in oil and gas.
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