Petroleum Engineers
On the Job
Petroleum Engineers create methods to improve oil and natural gas extraction from the earth. They oversee drilling and offer technical advice.
Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:
- Research advanced engineering designs or applications.
- Determine operational methods.
- Analyze costs and benefits of proposed designs or projects.
- Analyze physical, survey, or geographic data.
- Interpret design or operational test results.
- Confer with other personnel to resolve design or operational problems.
- Monitor the productivity or efficiency of industrial operations.
- Prepare detailed work plans.
- Maintain operational records or records systems.
- Prepare technical reports for internal use.
Typical Working Conditions
- Using e-mail.
- The freedom to determine tasks, priorities, and goals.
- Working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions.
- Freedom to make decisions without supervision.
- Sitting.
- Coordinating or leading others.
- Meeting strict deadlines.
- Responsibility for outcomes and results.
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Source: You can learn about our data sources in the About Us section.