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The differences between petroleum engineers and civil 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 petroleum engineer, becoming a civil engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a petroleum engineer has an average salary of $99,505, which is higher than the $70,950 average annual salary of a civil engineer.
The top three skills for a petroleum engineer include reservoir engineering, eclipse and production engineering. The most important skills for a civil engineer are civil 3d, engineering design, and cost estimates.
| Petroleum Engineer | Civil Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,505 | $70,950 |
| Hourly rate | $47.84 | $34.11 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 15,188 | 26,803 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 6 |
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.
A civil engineer designs and supervises the construction of large-scale public works projects such as buildings, roads, tunnels, highways, airports, bridges, dams, and other substantial infrastructure. Most civil engineers work in the private industry, but some work for a government organization. Their output is almost everywhere. Many of them specialize in a specific project or practice a target profession such as in transportation, structural engineering, or geotechnical engineering. They oftentimes work at project sites, as they monitor the ongoing construction.
Petroleum engineers and civil engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Petroleum Engineer | Civil Engineer | |
| Average salary | $99,505 | $70,950 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $150,000 | Between $51,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | Las Vegas, NV | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | California |
| Best paying company | Berry Petroleum Company | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | - | Construction |
There are a few differences between a petroleum engineer and a civil engineer in terms of educational background:
| Petroleum Engineer | Civil Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Petroleum Engineering | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between petroleum engineers' and civil engineers' demographics:
| Petroleum Engineer | Civil Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% | Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 15.6% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |