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Oil and gas are a part of our everyday lives – even with a push toward renewable energy, petroleum, and natural gas jobs aren’t going anywhere. When it comes to employment, The Petroleum and Natural Gas industry have some of the highest paying jobs to choose from. Upon graduation from the Lackawanna College School of Petroleum and Natural Gas, you’ll have an abundance of hands-on experience to hit the ground running on your career in the PNG industry.

Top Five Petroleum and Natural Gas Jobs

1.      Subsea engineer: When it comes to petroleum and natural gas jobs, this one is unique. A subsea engineer is tasked with designing equipment to effectively drill offshore and undersea. Here, you’ll be doing less petroleum engineering and more technical engineering. In fact, subsea engineers are often contracted by more than just the petroleum and natural gas industry. Subsea engineers might also find themselves making equipment to help aquatic life, regulate water temperatures, and more. Not only does this marine or seabed-to-surface engineering require the right education, but you also must be an expert diver, as you will be tasked with troubleshooting problems up close.

2.      Completions engineer: The job of the completion engineer is that of the finisher. After spring has been found and drilled, it is up to the completion engineer to finish setting up the well. This takes an enormous amount of knowledge about the land that you are working on, as well as the operations of a well. It is up to the completion engineer to design, analyze, test, and oversee the completion of a well, as well as monitor its performance over time. Completion engineers work with both on-shore and offshore drilling sites. 

3.      Petroleum and natural gas landman: In this instance, “landman” is a fancy way of saying “negotiator.” However, this job requires a lot more than just bargaining with someone who is sitting on a lot of petroleum. A landman needs to know fair market values for petroleum and natural gas, which means keeping up with trends and prices within the industry. Of all the natural gas jobs, this one is considered to be one of the more consistent in terms of availability of work. While it is not the highest-paying job in petroleum and natural gas, it is still a job that will afford you plenty of financial freedom.

4.      Rig welder: A rig welder is the top tier of welding. People in these jobs use highly specialized equipment on huge projects. Rig welders are the ones who put the whole oil rig together. This is a job that certainly carries some danger, but the compensation to many is worth it. Not only are rig welders tasked with helping to build rigs, but it is also their job to fix anything on a rig that might need fixing.

5.      Land acquisition analyst: A land acquisition analyst is a person who scopes out the land before the landman comes in to seal the deal. It is their job to know exactly what they are looking for while also being able to properly assess the value of a piece of land. Using current and past trends, they come up with an evaluation of how much a piece of land is worth and pass it on to the company they work for. They are also tasked with coming up with any additional information that could help their company acquire land.

Other Petroleum and Natural Gas Jobs to Consider

Beyond these five top careers in the field of petroleum and natural gas, you might take interest in some adjacent roles and duties such as:

Chemical engineer: Chemical engineers are tasked with coming up with new and better ways to use petroleum and natural gas. Petroleum engineering generally finds its employees in some of the nicest labs in the world, working with some of the most cutting-edge technology.

 Drilling operator: A drilling operator oversees the drilling of new or existing petroleum and natural gas wells. This is an extremely important position, as the drilling operator oversees the most crucial aspects of drilling. Those who find themselves in this career are expected to know the ins and outs of everything about drilling, including drilling up and down and side to side.

Getting a Job in Petroleum and Natural Gas

Getting a job in petroleum and natural gas can be as rewarding as it is financially beneficial. If you are interested in working with petroleum and natural gas and want a career-focused education, please contact us today to learn about the Lackawanna College’s School of Petroleum and Natural Gas!