/sci/ - Science and Mathematics

Oil should stay underground.

man i would never study petro. i mean oil is ok, but why not go into electronic engineering for developing more effficient solar panels? you would have a way more sustainable energy system that could match demands as homes and vehicles keep getting more efficient. wouldn't this be a better direction study and job wise if you were looking into the future? i mean some places have gotten near 50 percent.

First off, don't listen to these kinds of people (>>2352).

I work for a downstream refining company. I specialize in separating polymer precursors from the nasty-ass bottoms off the main distillation columns. I'm 24, and I make over $120k a year. Look anywhere you want and you will find the same thing: Petros are paid more than any other subset of engineering. See: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/ for good data on all engineering occupations.

Outlook: it is highly dependent on the price of oil. When oil dropped sub-$50, people were being laid off left and right on the extraction side, while there were only minor layoffs on the refining side. You will still be making a lot of money either way. Interestingly, midstream is the most boom and bust of the three sectors of the oil and gas industry. The key is to be either A) really damn good at your shit or B) get into management.

Respect: Depends on who you talk to. An environmentalist will always bear hatred for you, while your bank account will love you. My mom works for a biofuels company and she has some resentment, but is glad that I can support myself. If you work on the downstream side many of the processes there (separations, heat transfer, fluids) translate into other Chemical Engineering related fields, like chemical manufacturing, food processing, and biofuels.

Now for my next point: a petroleum engineering degree is not the best degree to get. Early in your career it can be a slight hindrance unless you specifically want to do oil. After about 5 years, it's more about prior experience than your degree. It also pigeonholes some of the concepts that work in other fields to oil and natural gas. It's worth having exposure in reactor kinetics and biological processes in addition to the transport side that a PetroE degree would heavily emphasize. Remember that chemical engineering is both a very broad and very specific field that is composed of these subfields (including ChemE itself):

-Petroleum Engineering

-Chemical and Biological Engineering

—Biomedical Engineering

—Biological Engineering

—Genetic Engineering

-Materials Science

-Mining Engineering

-Environmental Engineering

-Nuclear Engineering

-Agricultural Engineering

-Pharmaceutical Engineering

Chemical and related fields are so broad and diverse, so my recommendation is that you get a ChemE degree. If you're into energy, you can do renewables, bio-derived, or sweet, sweet crude. If you like materials, you can do polymers, ceramics, and even electric components like >>2354 suggested. If you like chemicals there is everything from pesticides to organic cleaners. ChemEs do semiconductors, WD-40, and even the dyes in your clothes. We're everywhere.

Trust me, you have no idea what you're really into when you're 19. Don't pidegonhole yourself just yet. I'm saving up money so I can go to law school and do patent law. I love petro, but I worked on a project that involved some patent law and processes concerning a new method of separation for some of the nasty crude. I had taken a class on it in college and was immediately assigned to lead the patent research with the legal team. I fell in love with it (again) and decided to start saving for law school. Pick something that is broad enough to give you options, but specific enough to be relevant to your interests.

I'll tell you what I tell every college freshman that I mentor when they hem and haw about which major to choose: whenever someone invents something or makes a variation on a current product, it will have to be made in bulk. Whenever you make something in bulk, you need a lot of chemicals. These chemicals need to do things in a very specific manner to make the things that will build what was invented or designed. That's where we come in.

>>2355

what about mechanical? can a mechanical engineer work in petroleum industry?

>>2355

I really don't like you dude.

>>2355

Thanks man, I been thinking about it civil will be in high demand and is in high demand in my state and will be when congress starts pumping money to fix bridges and roads/ all the infrastructure in the US. After I saved money and I feel like leaving the field I would probably get into chemical because of all the possibilities.

Thanks again.

>>2379

kek

>>2360

Yes, many do. However, they are generally constrained to areas dealing with flow as they do not have the chemical background required to to separations (unless they have experience in that area). You'll find most MechEs in midstream and flow transport at refineries and extractions sites, but the real money and viability is where the ChemEs are (separations and heat transfer). Many MechEs make good money, but if you still can switch majors, choose ChemE if you're supremely interested in the petroleum industry. If you're a MechE and in college, your department should have a mentor program (mine did) that would allow you to network with a MechE in the industry.

>>2379

Whatever.

>>2385

No. Don't go back to school to get another B.S. or B.E. This is a waste of time and money. Chemical Engineering is a pretty closed-gated community, especially to people from other professions. MechEs can get in if they've dealt with fluids fairly exclusively or did materials. CivEs, like Aeros, are NOT transferable to this profession (at least not easily). Civil is always perceived to be in high demand because of what you say. "Oh, we need roads/bridges/buildings. I'll always be in demand!" Wrong. You'll be working for one of two groups: a contractor or the government. Gov CivEs have decent job security but aren't paid well versus contractor CivEs, and vice versa (early in career). Once you're established in a company, you can have your cake and eat it too. Plus, Congress is not going to feed money into our infrastructure. It's just not.

Get into chemical now. Why? You're still in school. It's the hardest major there is given the breadth and depth of what you have to learn in four years. You have to understand System Balances, Calculus, Differential Equations, Physics (minus relativity), Statics, Dynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics, ALL of Thermodynamics including chemical thermodynamics (not taught in any other major), Statistical Mechanics, Statistical theory, Heat Transfer, Chemical Separations, Physical Separations, Mass Transfer, Materials Science, Reaction Kinetics, Reactor Engineering, Polymers, Biokinetics, Bioreactors, Controls, Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Technical Writing, and Design. If you're on the college roll, don't put off on it. The attrition rate for ChemE students at our university from junior to senior year is about 20%. For the same timeframe, the attrition rate for students coming off of a 1-year co-op or internship jumps to 60%. Breaks longer than that see an attrition rate upwards of 80%. If you can switch now, do it. If not, best of luck. You will need it.