WebQuest

Ben Shipley

Web Quest

The three occupations that most interest me are that of a petroleum engineer, civil engineer, and oil driller. The first occupation I will address will be the petroleum engineer. The duties of a petroleum engineer are to receive information from the geologists on where the oil is located.  When they obtain this information, they determine where the best place to drill would be and also what would be the cheapest and most efficient way to extract the oil. They also prepare the oil site for drilling and assemble the derrick and the drill. When this is finished, they supervise the drilling project. Some engineers also specialize in the exploration of oil. Petroleum engineers, for the most part, work indoors in an office or a lab where there is not much social interaction. However, there are possibilities and opportunities for the engineer to be at the drill site as a supervisor.

To qualify for a job as a petroleum engineer, you need a high school diploma, a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering, and have a work license. After one is hired on as an engineer, the new graduate will work with an experienced engineer for about one year. If possible, it is also recommended to do an engineering internship to gain as much experience as possible. Since an engineer is pretty high up in the ranks, there is usually not much room to advance. However, some may be able to go on to be a supervisor for a group of petroleum engineers, but there are not too many advancement opportunities. The growth for this job field is not very big, but then again there are not many people wanting to work in this field. There are around 30,000 jobs in the U.S., and the wage for a petroleum engineer is about $69,850 for a starting salary. Twenty to twenty-five years down the road, the average salary is about $172,040.

Some skills that are crucial in this field are being able to communicate well, listening attentively, and asking good questions. Other helpful skills include strong reading and writing abilities and being able to monitor, coordinate, and make decisions with good judgment. Many engineers seem to need their independence along with good working conditions in order to achieve their goals. In many cases, when petroleum engineers take the Myers Briggs test, their characteristics are recorded as investigative, realistic, and conventional.

The second occupation that I have chosen to research is that of a civil engineer. The tasks of civil engineers are to plan and design roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and water systems. They also supervise the construction process. Civil engineers tend to work inside and outside as well as with other engineers during the construction process. They inspect and monitor the construction site and make sure that everything is running smoothly. Also, a good amount of their work is done on computers. To become an engineer, you need to have a high school diploma along with a bachelor’s degree and a work license. This occupation usually requires several years of work-related experience and on-the-job training.

Just like petroleum engineers, there is not much room for advancement in the work place. There are about 263,000 jobs in the U.S., and the job growth for this profession is about average. The median salary for a civil engineer is around $77,500, but many people make a great deal more than that. Some skills that are helpful in this occupation are problem solving, critical thinking, math, and decision making skills. Civil engineers generally value independence, good working conditions, and recognition. On the Myers Briggs test, their characteristics are realistic, investigative, and conventional.

            The third and final occupation that I have chosen is that of an oil driller. This occupation is a blue collar job as compared to the other two jobs that I have chosen. Oil drillers operate the equipment needed to drill and extract the gas and oil. Drillers set up the drilling equipment at the drill site and also train and supervise crews to accomplish the task at hand. Drillers work outside, and they work with other people. They also keep a record of the footage that has been drilled and the rock layers that have penetrated.

To become an oil driller, the main requirement is to have a high school education. Drillers are trained on the job, and during the training process they start as a roustabout (helper) and learn skills from the more experienced workers. You need one month to one year of training to gain the experience needed to work as a driller. There is some room for advancement in this career; if you start as a roustabout then you can advance to a driller. Also before a driller can work offshore, they need five years of experience working onshore.

There are about 23,000 drilling jobs in the U.S., and the potential growth for this career is small. The typical earnings for this job are about $51,000 when you first start to $94,000 at the end of your career. Drillers prefer to be well-trained in the jobs that they are given. They enjoy working in a friendly, non-competitive environment. They also like to serve others and do not like jobs where they are pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong. On Myers Briggs tests, these people tend to be realistic, enterprising, and conventional. Some essential skills are critical thinking, monitoring, communication, active listening, instruction, coordination, speaking, problem solving, judgment, and decision making. They also value supportive relationships and good working conditions.

            I think I would enjoy any one of these occupations because there are things that I enjoy in each one. In petroleum engineering, I would enjoy locating the drill areas and being able to make decisions about how to drill. I would also have opportunities to work outdoors. I might have difficulty, however, if the majority of my time spent on the job is indoors. I have the same concern with being a civil engineer. Even though engineering jobs tend to pay very well, I would not like to have desk job. The reason that I had chosen to research civil engineering as an occupation is because I enjoy building things and seeing the transformation from dirt to structure. The positive aspects of a drilling job are spending a majority of your time outdoors and being able to work with a lot of people every day. The only downside to this career is that you would not get paid as much as the other occupations I have chosen, but it does not require as much schooling either.

The occupation I have chosen to pursue and that I feel would challenge me the most, let me reach my full potential, and allow me to enjoy my career would be a petroleum engineer.

             The web sites that I have used are:

http://www.onetonline.org

https://utahfutures.org