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What is an oil well engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an oil well engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $40.37 an hour? That's $83,972 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 8% and produce 1,900 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreOil Well EngineerUS Average
Salary
6.6

Avg. Salary $83,972

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.0

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%

Asian 17.10%

Black or African American 4.25%

Hispanic or Latino 10.63%

Unknown 4.73%

White 63.00%

Gender

female 11.67%

male 88.33%

Age - 42
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 - 42
Stress level
8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Oil well engineer career paths

Key steps to become an oil well engineer

  1. Explore oil well engineer education requirements

    Most common oil well engineer degrees

    Bachelor's

    82.5 %

    Master's

    12.3 %

    Associate

    3.5 %
  2. Start to develop specific oil well engineer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    AFE36.75%
    Engineering Support29.07%
    Well Design18.33%
    Data Acquisition5.80%
    HSE5.58%
  3. Complete relevant oil well engineer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New oil well engineers 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 an oil well engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real oil well engineer resumes.
  4. Research oil well engineer duties and responsibilities

    • Manage development and production on several large, fast-track projects including waterfloods, a steamflood, and CO2 EOR.
    • Coordinate activities with ModuSpec to ensure the rig are properly inspect and in compliance with API 4F.
    • Develop detailed operational sequences and cost estimation for AFE approval.
    • Manage development and production on several large, fast-track projects including waterfloods, a steamflood, and CO2 EOR.
  5. Get oil well engineer experience

    Generally, it takes 6-8 years to become an oil well engineer. The most common roles before becoming an oil well engineer include engineering internship, internship team lead and field engineer.
  6. Apply for oil well engineer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an oil well engineer 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 oil well engineer job

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Average oil well engineer salary

The average oil well engineer salary in the United States is $83,972 per year or $40 per hour. Oil well engineer salaries range between $47,000 and $147,000 per year.

Average oil well engineer salary
$83,972 Yearly
$40.37 hourly

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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.

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