Petroleum Engineers
Devise methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production and determine the need for new or modified tool designs. Oversee drilling and offer technical advice.
Most important skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Systems Analysis
Key knowledge
- Engineering and Technology
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Computers and Electronics
- Chemistry
- Administration and Management
- Economics and Accounting
- Administrative
What the work involves
- Assess costs and estimate the production capabilities and economic value of oil and gas wells, to evaluate the economic viability of potential drilling sites.
- Monitor production rates, and plan rework processes to improve production.
- Analyze data to recommend placement of wells and supplementary processes to enhance production.
- Specify and supervise well modification and stimulation programs to maximize oil and gas recovery.
- Direct and monitor the completion and evaluation of wells, well testing, or well surveys.
- Assist engineering and other personnel to solve operating problems.
- Develop plans for oil and gas field drilling, and for product recovery and treatment.
- Maintain records of drilling and production operations.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Investigative, Conventional.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- Bachelor's Degree (71.6% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 6 years, up to and including 8 years (21.2%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (26%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 4: Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Petroleum Engineers is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | High | Higher on contact with others than 62% of occupations compared | 65% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Moderate | Lower on dealing with the public than 58% of occupations compared | 37% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important” |
| Teamwork | Very high | Higher on teamwork than 97% of occupations compared | 93% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Low | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 69% of occupations compared | 44% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom” |
| Time pressure | Low | Lower on time pressure than 65% of occupations compared | 44% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Conflict situations | Moderate | Lower on conflict situations than 50% of occupations compared | 36% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Very low | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 92% of occupations compared | 37% of surveyed respondents chose “Never” |
| Consequence of error | Low | Lower on consequence of error than 61% of occupations compared | 27% of surveyed respondents chose “Not serious at all” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: low
- Conflict situations: moderate
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very low
- Consequence of error: low
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0%
- Occasional contact with others: 0.84%
- Contact with others about half the time: 10.21%
- Contact with others most of the time: 23.51%
- Constant contact with others: 65.45%
n = 19, Incumbent 08/2020
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 27.87%
- Fairly important: 3.23%
- Important: 10.68%
- Very important: 36.93%
- Extremely important: 21.29%
n = 19, Incumbent 08/2020
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 0%
- Fairly important: 1.68%
- Important: 0%
- Very important: 5.72%
- Extremely important: 92.59%
n = 19, Incumbent 08/2020
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 0%
- Very little freedom: 10.07%
- Limited freedom: 31.64%
- Some freedom: 14.78%
- A lot of freedom: 43.51%
n = 19, Incumbent 08/2020
Time pressure
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 0.85%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 43.34%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 44.17%
- Every day: 11.64%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2020
Conflict situations
- Never: 9.53%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 33.77%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 20.82%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 35.88%
- Every day: 0%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2020
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 37.08%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 35.2%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 17.83%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 9.89%
- Every day: 0%
n = 19, Incumbent 08/2020
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 27.45%
- Fairly serious: 13.5%
- Serious: 24.53%
- Very serious: 24.39%
- Extremely serious: 10.13%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2020
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O*NET-SOC 17-2171.00 · SOC 17-2171 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8