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The differences between drilling engineers and completion engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a drilling engineer and a completion engineer. Additionally, a completion engineer has an average salary of $156,228, which is higher than the $101,225 average annual salary of a drilling engineer.
The top three skills for a drilling engineer include cost estimates, well design and data analysis. The most important skills for a completion engineer are rig, AFE, and cost estimates.
| Drilling Engineer | Completion Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $101,225 | $156,228 |
| Hourly rate | $48.67 | $75.11 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 25,035 | 11,512 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
A drilling engineer specializes in planning and overseeing a gas and oil company's drilling operations. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting extensive research and analysis, coordinating with other experts and contractors, examining and evaluating the quality of drilling sites, and liaising with external parties. Furthermore, as a drilling engineer, it is essential to monitor the progress of operations and lead the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and safety regulations to maintain a safe and productive work environment.
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.
Drilling engineers and completion engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Drilling Engineer | Completion Engineer | |
| Average salary | $101,225 | $156,228 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $155,000 | Between $107,000 And $227,000 |
| Highest paying City | Reno, NV | Anchorage, AK |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Devon Energy | Devon Energy |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Utilities |
There are a few differences between a drilling engineer and a completion engineer in terms of educational background:
| Drilling Engineer | Completion Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Petroleum Engineering | Petroleum Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between drilling engineers' and completion engineers' demographics:
| Drilling Engineer | Completion Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8% | Male, 91.4% Female, 8.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 17.2% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |