wbb

So i want to know more about working in the oil industry. More specifically, what its like working at a refinery in a normal state such as california.

Also, i hear its very lucrative to work on a remote area like alaska or something. or an oil rig, where starting salaries are up to 100k?

I'm an industrial engineering major and looking for money and a different type of experience..

I hear the hours these people work in alaska is something like 7 days on, 7 days off for 6 months. and then 6 months straight off?
something really unique right?

vblick

yea...about working on oil rigs

"There are roughly 1,828 oil rigs located in the United States, making America one of the top oil producing countries in the world. Canada, China, Iran, Russia, and Saudi Arabia also produce most of the world’s oil. While most U.S. oil comes from Alaska, California, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas, oil rig workers live in places all across the country – if not the world. Most oil rigs are located in remote areas, so oil rig workers are typically sent to these areas for 6 months at a time. While the oil company typically pays room, board, and other expenses, and earnings are considered high, working on an oil rig is probably one of the country’s most dangerous jobs. Because oil rig workers typically work a strenuous 8-12 hours per day; demands for increased productivity are high; there is a shortage of oil rig workers, and working conditions can be chaotic (and quite dangerous), the likelihood of oil rig injuries and accidents is at an all-time high."

RacinReaver

One of my friends did his undergrad in geophysics and currently works doing exploratory oil work on offshore boats (I think he specializes in seismology or something like that). He's been off the shore of Scandinavia, some really bad parts of Africa (as in, they get off the airplane and have a guarded escort to the boat), the Caribbean, and will soon be off the coast of Australia. He thinks the work is alright, but he's not very fond of the company he works for. Apparently the European run companies treat their Americans rather poorly.

ChamilitaryMayne

I think the oil workers they are referring to are the ones that do the physical work such as controlling the machinery. I highly doubt the engineers who plan and manage the processes get injured that often. You can compare it to construction work. I'm sure the construction workers get injured more often than the civil engineers.

Mr Payne

Unless you are a drilling engineer you will rarely be on a rig. Reservoir engineers are virtually never on a rig. Production engineers are rarely on rigs.

wbb

any other thoughts? so then what are the good paying entry level jobs i can get in oil industry as an IE major?

Mr Payne

The "bread & butter" jobs in the oil industry are drilling engineering, reservoir engineer, completion engineer & production engineer. Also, there are facilities engineers but I am not familiar with the pay level, etc.

The first four all make around the same (within 10%). I'm not familiar with any IE being placed in those jobs, as they are not usually hired for those. IE could do facilities engineer, but likely that would be done by a Mechanical Engineer.

nshah9617

Mr. Payne is right--those bread and butter jobs are high in demand and command incredible salaries. I got a few buddies who are pushing 6 figures (with bonus) but they also have a PetroE degree.

A friend of mine is currently interning at Chevron as an IE and is placed within the Facilities Engineering department.

wbb

are headhunters used for entry level oil jobs?

aibarr

Not really any ones worth taking.

Most entry-level positions are filled by college recruiters, not headhunters. Headhunting implies that a person is already established with a reputable firm and another firm is trying to recruit the person away from their current job, whether the person is actively shopping or not (generally not).

There *are* entry-level headhunters out there... I've been called by an oil industry head hunter (one particular company, and I can't remember its name right now) several times, once every six months or so, for some rig design jobs. They started calling when I was about to graduate and they haven't quit since. They wouldn't tell me which company they were recruiting for, so I always told 'em to stuff it. I'm wary of people who are hesitant to tell me who they're working for.

Just go with recruiters or cold-calling.

sakky

In fairness, the reason why they do this is because they're afraid that you will then just contact the company directly and hence cut them out of their 'scalping' bonus. This is a generally accepted practice within the headhunting community.

nshah9617

I have a few friends who graduated with a Petroleum Engineering degree who gained entry level positions with nearly 100k salaries. Granted the salary included bonuses, they had previous internship experiences and it was in Alaska, it is still amazing money.

Oil-rig rotations vary greatly. Some are one month on and one month off, while others are 2 weeks on and 1 week off.

jmilton90

reservoir engineers are the sharpest bunch i work with.