How To Become A Petroleum Production Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a petroleum production engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Ahmed Temani

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a petroleum production engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $47.23 an hour? That's $98,237 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 8% and produce 1,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a petroleum production engineer?

Ahmed Temani

Senior Instructor, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

As a new Petroleum Engineering graduate, it's crucial to be adaptable, eager to learn, and gain practical experience. Exploring different areas within petroleum engineering can help you discover your interests. Networking is key - attending industry events and joining professional organizations can provide valuable connections and opportunities. Staying up-to-date with new technologies in our rapidly evolving industry is also important.

ScorePetroleum Production EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.6

Avg. Salary $98,237

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.0

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.28%

Asian 18.27%

Black or African American 3.19%

Hispanic or Latino 7.54%

Unknown 4.39%

White 66.34%

Gender

female 20.83%

male 79.17%

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

Key steps to become a petroleum production engineer

Explore petroleum production engineer education requirements

Most common petroleum production engineer degrees

Bachelor's

69.6 %

Master's

17.4 %

High School Diploma

4.3 %

Start to develop specific petroleum production engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Petroleum Engineering	50.79%
ESP	19.83%
Afes	15.45%
Production Operations	13.93%

Complete relevant petroleum production engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New petroleum production 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 a petroleum production engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real petroleum production engineer resumes.

Research petroleum production engineer duties and responsibilities

Lead work cells to become a team; Harmonize/unite/motivate assembly personnel using Kaizen approach.
Coordinate materials management and inventory, personnel, OSHA standards and meeting manufacturing schedule commitments in an ISO certify facility.
Develop FMEA analysis of engine block machining and assembly lines which consistently improve product final quality and production throughput.

Apply for petroleum production engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a petroleum production engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

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

How do petroleum production engineers rate their job?

-/5

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Petroleum production engineer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Pros

Basically its my passion ,and most likely work of petroleum engineers is well controlling

Cons

Over shift