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The oil and gas industry is an important sector for the economy of a nation as it forms the core for the development of a wide range of products. It is a highly specialized industry where safety is paramount. A career in this industry can be very lucrative, provided you have the right qualifications. This article will help you with the strategies and tell you How To Get a Job In The Oil and Gas Industry!
What Kind of Jobs Can You Do in the Oil and Gas Industry?
Most jobs in this industry involve extraction, transportation, processing, and distribution of petroleum products. From fuelling vehicles to powering buildings and infrastructure development to manufacturing numerous products, professionals are required in every field. Let’s see some of the key jobs:
- Piping Engineer – these are engineers who have learnt piping engineering design and are involved in designing structures like power plants, refineries, petrochemical plants, etc.
- Petroleum engineer – these professionals apply the principles of maths and science to solve problems on the field. They also design methods, equipment, and tools for extraction, and so on.
- Offshore Drilling – involves working on offshore oil rigs to extract petroleum
- Naval architects and offshore Engineering Designing and Analysis
- Roustabout – employees who work mainly on oil rigs to operate and maintain drilling equipment
- Project Manager – leads the company activities on projects and liaises with clients and authorities to understand requirements and supervise teams to ensure timely completion
- Well testing operator – conducts well testing tasks to collect important information about oil and gas reservoirs.
- Terminal operator – maintains and operates pumps, gauges, valves, and other equipment, and ensures safe storage and handling of oil and gas products.
- Offshore technician – plays an important role in facility ops and maintenance, and takes care of equipment used, ensuring safe operations in offshore installations.
- Oil field worker – members of rig crew who operate drilling machinery
- Foreperson – supervisor of ordinary workers
- Rig manager – is in charge of all rig operations, from setup to take down, managing employees, technical, and financial aspects.
How Can You Get a Job in Oil and Gas?
1. Get Qualified
Find out the basic requirements for the jobs in this industry. Most jobs at a senior level will require a B.Tech or B.E diploma, along with a course like piping engineering, steel structural engineering design, Naval architecture and offshore structural engineering, Marine and Industrial Drafting, and software like AVEVA PDMS, E3D, Smart Plant 3D, and so on. For entry level jobs, senior secondary education may also suffice. Check the minimum and maximum age limits as well. While not the most critical factor, you also need to know if you are prepared to relocate to the job location.
2. What Interests You?
While a career in oil and gas can be lucrative, many jobs may require to stay far away from civilization, involve heavy labour, operating equipment, handling logistics, and so on. Think about what you like, and whether these kinds of tasks are appealing. Of course, you can also work in this industry in the support roles like HR, accountant, driver, safety officers,and so on – here you will not need to have technical knowledge, just a rudimentary knowledge of how the industry works.
3. Do an Internship
If you’re newly qualified and have an opportunity to take up an internship, do it even if it pays very less, as it is a golden opportunity to get hands-on experience and meet professionals in the field to learn from them. Many courses actually have an internship requirement. You can do your internship in oil drilling firms, pipeline operating companies, energy providers, and so on.
4. Gain entry-level experience
Apply for entry-level jobs in the oil and gas industry to start gaining field experience and building your professional network. Try to find jobs like assistant or technician in which you can shadow and help a supervisor. Some examples of entry-level jobs in the field include oil field worker, roustabout hand and pipe fitter. With enough experience, you may be able to advance to supervisory positions like project manager.
5. Earn certifications
Doing short courses to gain industry certifications allows you to upskill yourself and diversify your career prospects. Potential employers are sure to be impressed with your extra qualifications and skills. For certain jobs, certifications and licences may be legally required, like safety courses, for instances. Other certifications include pressure vessel inspection, drilling well control, etc.
6. Don’t Feel Daunted!
It’s natural to feel apprehensive about stepping into the job market, but if you have done your research and figured out your interests and shortlisted jobs based on that process, you have nothing to worry about. It is also important to keep an open mind and be ready to learn new technologies, skills, and methodologies on the go.
7. Resume and Interview Preparation
It is important that your resume is well-made and up-to-date. Whenever you earn any new certification, qualification, or job experience, make sure to include it in your resume immediately. Have references from previous employers ready in case potential recruiters want them. If you’re a fresh graduate, ask for references from your professors, or the companies where you interned. Prepare for interviews by attending mock interview sessions. Get friends and family to help.
Conclusion
As we can see, there are several career paths available in the oil and gas industry, provided you have the interest, qualifications, certifications, and experience. ASTS Global Inc. is an institute that has been providing job-oriented courses to engineers and technical professionals for over 15 years. They have successfully trained thousands of students, equipping them with the knowledge and skills required to land their dream job and being able to execute their responsibilities from day one on the job. ASTS has a number of courses with industry-validated curricula and experienced professionals as faculty who guide the students ably. Asts Global offers Courses in Multiple Locations Piping Engineering Course in Kochi, Piping Engineering Course in Bangalore, Piping Engineering Course in Chennai. Students who pass receive an internationally recognized certificate and placement assistance.