Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between completion engineers and field engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a completion engineer, becoming a field engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a completion engineer has an average salary of $156,228, which is higher than the $71,874 average annual salary of a field engineer.
The top three skills for a completion engineer include rig, AFE and cost estimates. The most important skills for a field engineer are customer service, customer satisfaction, and project management.
| Completion Engineer | Field Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $156,228 | $71,874 |
| Hourly rate | $75.11 | $34.55 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 11,512 | 86,015 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 2 |
Completion Engineers are engineering professionals who are responsible for designing and monitoring well completions and ensuring the safety of drilling completion operations. These engineers must communicate instructions to the drilling contractors for all operations while emphasizing safety, well control, and LEAN. They are required to conduct meetings on multiple onsite safety and analysis of hazardous materials to improve workplace safety. Completion Engineers must also work closely with the senior management to establish standard operating procedures that follow the industry and government regulations.
A field engineer's role will vary on the industry or line of work involved. However, the primary responsibility will mostly revolve around handling equipment and machinery, ensuring that they function effectively and safely. It is also the task of a field engineer to oversee the workflow and workforce, giving directions and recommendations when necessary. Furthermore, a field engineer must develop strategies and plans to improve the site's efficiency, produce progress reports, and coordinate with other workers.
Completion engineers and field engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Completion Engineer | Field Engineer | |
| Average salary | $156,228 | $71,874 |
| Salary range | Between $107,000 And $227,000 | Between $51,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anchorage, AK | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Washington |
| Best paying company | Devon Energy | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Energy |
There are a few differences between a completion engineer and a field engineer in terms of educational background:
| Completion Engineer | Field Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Petroleum Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between completion engineers' and field engineers' demographics:
| Completion Engineer | Field Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.4% Female, 8.6% | Male, 92.7% Female, 7.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 17.1% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 6% |