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The differences between drilling fluids engineers and petroleum 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 fluids engineer and a petroleum engineer. Additionally, a petroleum engineer has an average salary of $99,505, which is higher than the $89,974 average annual salary of a drilling fluids engineer.
The top three skills for a drilling fluids engineer include drilling fluid, fluid systems and polymer. The most important skills for a petroleum engineer are reservoir engineering, eclipse, and production engineering.
| Drilling Fluids Engineer | Petroleum Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,974 | $99,505 |
| Hourly rate | $43.26 | $47.84 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 5,121 | 15,188 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
Together with a drilling rig engineer, a drilling fluids engineer helps with the pumping of fluids, testing liquids for unwanted particles. They also are involved in mixing fluids needed to drill oil or gas. Another task is providing reports for fluid properties acquired and giving recommendations. They keep a timely record of the performance of each staff member. If staffing is inadequate, they are also tasked to calculate funds for the drilling, allocating budget in both the procedures and miscellaneous expenses.
A petroleum engineer is responsible for developing safe and efficient extracting procedures of drilling oil and gas from the underground surface. Petroleum engineers inspect the safety and stability of tools and equipment before and after every operation, conducting preventive maintenance with the machinery for its optimal performance. They also evaluate the specifications and measurements of the location by studying blueprints and analyzing statistical surveys. A petroleum engineer must have excellent analytical and organizational skills, especially when implementing drilling operations and resolving inconsistencies and equipment failures.
Drilling fluids engineers and petroleum engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Drilling Fluids Engineer | Petroleum Engineer | |
| Average salary | $89,974 | $99,505 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $154,000 | Between $65,000 And $150,000 |
| Highest paying City | Houston, TX | Las Vegas, NV |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Koch Industries | Berry Petroleum Company |
| Best paying industry | Energy | - |
There are a few differences between a drilling fluids engineer and a petroleum engineer in terms of educational background:
| Drilling Fluids Engineer | Petroleum Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Business | Petroleum Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between drilling fluids engineers' and petroleum engineers' demographics:
| Drilling Fluids Engineer | Petroleum Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0% | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 17.0% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 17.2% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |