Petroleum Geoscientists: Fun @ Work

There are many reasons for someone to choose a career in the Oil and Gas industry. Generous salary and benefits packages, flexible work hours and company-sponsored, high end industry training are a few of them. However, during our many sessions with the people working in this sector, one thing that has came above all the other perks of working in Oil and Gas is the element of fun and excitement.

For example, the geologists affiliated to the energy sector actually get the chance to ‘do geology’ in a high-tech, high-data environment. These types of exposures are only dreamed of and talked about in most other geo-science professional jobs. During a typical career, petroleum geoscientists gather, process, and analyze seismic and well data to locate drill-sites for their companies. Obviously, this means that some domestic and foreign travel is a part of the job assignment.

Generally, petroleum geoscientists learn to locate three types of drill-sites –

Exploration drill-sites which are big scaled and high risk

Field Development drill-sites – medium size with some risk and

Producing field drill-sites which are smaller in scale and very low risk

One can start a career with a medium-to-large company with a bachelor's degree in geology or geologic engineering. A master's degree with specialty in structural geology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, or geophysics/seismology is highly sought after qualifications for petroleum geoscientists. Moreover, there are career opportunities for research geoscientists, paleontologists, and geochemistry specialists as well, but in fewer numbers.

There is a popular myth prevalent among people that the number of petroleum-industry jobs fluctuates with the price of a barrel of oil. However, it is only a myth. Almost all leading HR managers will endorse the fact that the employment outlook for new graduates appears to be bright for the foreseeable future, irrespective of the ups and downs of the oil business, All oil and gas companies plan to grow slowly regardless of the price of oil, and they have strategies that include hiring new talent into their maturing workforces.

Job openings are currently available for people with 3 to 15 years of professional experience. Most of these openings occur because many smaller companies are willing to pay a premium in salary and bonuses to people trained by larger companies. What has been a trend now is that companies preferentially seek out students with advanced degrees, broad-based training in the fundamental principles of geology, and complementary teamwork and commercial skills developed through summer internships.

Before signing off, here's a short video from the Documentary "Geo Families - how I learned to love the Rocks"