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What is a natural gas trader and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

If you're good at judging what's coming just around the bin, you might find that you're a natural fit for becoming a natural gas trader. In this intense, fast-paced job, you'll be the one who buys and sells natural gas products on various stock and commodities exchanges by estimating usage and production.

In this role, you'll be focused on ensuring a constant, safe, and reliable supply of natural gas to the customer while maximizing profits. As a natural gas trader, your key task will be to estimate consumption accurately. You'll want to avoid having customers overpay for a product they can't consume. Likewise, you won't want to be responsible for a business halting production because supplies are diminished due to an incorrect forecast on your part.

Since natural gas is an ever-evolving industry, you'll need to keep track of daily prices and events that affect market conditions constantly. In addition, you'll want to stay on top of how gas is held in reserve so that you can decide when to sell excess or buy in quantity.

If you want to get into this field, you'll typically need a Bachelor's degree in business, finance, accounting, or a related field. Earning designations such as Certified Commodities Trader may also make you more competitive in the job market.

ScoreNatural Gas TraderUS Average
Salary
7.8

Avg. Salary $108,588

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.3

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
7.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.38%

Asian 5.53%

Black or African American 6.66%

Hispanic or Latino 16.03%

Unknown 4.04%

White 67.36%

Gender

female 15.46%

male 84.54%

Age - 44
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44
Stress level
7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.3

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Natural gas trader career paths

Key steps to become a natural gas trader

  1. Explore natural gas trader education requirements

    Most common natural gas trader degrees

    Bachelor's

    78.4 %

    Master's

    14.4 %

    High School Diploma

    2.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific natural gas trader skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Risk Management17.74%
    Derivative11.38%
    Gas Supply9.22%
    Storage Assets6.80%
    Financial Products5.83%
  3. Complete relevant natural gas trader training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New natural gas traders learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a natural gas trader based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real natural gas trader resumes.
  4. Research natural gas trader duties and responsibilities

    • Achieve the highest profit margin of metals derivatives team.
    • Manage and trade daily power positions in the PJM region.
    • Manage business, sales, marketing, international negotiation and communication for a commodities business.
    • Implement arbitrage opportunities across financial markets.
  5. Prepare your natural gas trader resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your natural gas trader resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a natural gas trader resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable natural gas trader resume templates

    Build a professional natural gas trader resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your natural gas trader resume.
    Natural Gas Trader Resume
    Natural Gas Trader Resume
    Natural Gas Trader Resume
    Natural Gas Trader Resume
    Natural Gas Trader Resume
    Natural Gas Trader Resume
    Natural Gas Trader Resume
    Natural Gas Trader Resume
    Natural Gas Trader Resume
  6. Apply for natural gas trader jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a natural gas trader job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first natural gas trader job

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Average natural gas trader salary

The average natural gas trader salary in the United States is $108,588 per year or $52 per hour. Natural gas trader salaries range between $62,000 and $189,000 per year.

Average natural gas trader salary
$108,588 Yearly
$52.21 hourly

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Natural gas trader reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019
Cons

The politics Sux balls ... Working in corp America with general population is horrible. The maturity level is really low


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.