Does 5 years experience fall from heaven?
How do one get the 5 years experience without a job?

You need experience to get job, and you need job to get experience. .. Very pathetic.

xfire: This is meant for those who desire a career in the oil and gas industry, especially for graduates and undergraduates who may want to be informed.

It's ironical that despite the high graduate unemployment rate and imminent glut in oil supply due increase production worldwide, there is actually a shortage of skilled and specialized labour in the global oil and gas industry. Unfortunately, the most in-demand occupations require specific skills that can only be acquired through experience.

As an oil and gas professional, I have followed the trend and revolution in the industry globally over the past few years. I also follow technological breakthroughs (especially the fracking technology in the US that is redefining the dynamics of the industry worldwide), oil discoveries and hiring patterns all over the world. Based on these trends and statistics, I have come up with a compilation of the top 10 in-demand occupations in the oil and gas industry. This is not limited to the to the industry in Nigeria. This is based on global demand.
I can guarantee that you will always get a quality job (somewhere around the world) if you have at least 5 years experience in the fields. If after gaining five years experience in any of the top 10 fields mentioned below, you lack a well-paying job for more than 6 months, you better go and see your pastor or imam for deliverance. Maybe na from village.

So, for your graduates desiring a lasting career in the oil and gas industry, you may consider these specialized fields. Just work on getting basic experience and you will become indispensable:

1) Geoscientists
2) drilling engineers/ drilling supervisors/driller

No (1) & (2) With recent oil and gas discoveries all around the world including Africa (East Africa and the Gulf of Guinea) and the aggressive exploration for oil all over the world, there is a very high demand for geoscientists (geologists and geophysicists). Geoscientists are involved in the exploration for oil and also in the initial stages after oil discovery. Drilling engineers/ drilling supervisors /drillers are involved in drilling operations (both for exploration and production). There is an shortage of experienced drilling engineers worldwide. A colleague of mine who is drilling engineer told me that he has already received two good offers via linkedIn (even without applying!). And he barely has 3 years experience!

3) subsea engineers
4) subsurface and completions engineers
5) pipeline and piping engineers

No (3) - (5) With oil companies going into the more uncertain but rewarding deepwater operations, there is a high demand for individuals with deepwater experience. Subsea engineers design, implement and maintain structures, tools and equipment used in underwater components of offshore oil and gas production. Pipeline engineers design and maintain subsea pipeline in offshore fields. You can't ignore subsurface/completions (well) engineers who ensure oil is produced at optimum level from oil wells.

6) Marine specialists / engineers
Marine specialists are very critical in oil and gas industry. You need marine professionals in offshore oil and gas operations. This is because of the constant use of marine vessels and boats for supply and transportation of crude oil, liquefied gas, food, equipment, etc. Besides, the increase in FPSO's (floating vessels for oil production in deepwater fields) all around the world requires the specialized skill of marine professionals to maintain vessel stability on the sea.
Believe me, marine specialists are on top of their world. I know a marine specialist that has worked for 3 major oil companies in Nigeria in the last 8 years.

7) Offshore maintenance technicians
These are the mechanical, electrical and instrumentation technicians working in rigs and production platforms both onshore and offshore. There is a high demand for them globally. And the minimum requirement to become one is just an OND.

( Truck drivers and crane operators
Yes, you read right! There is a high degree of lifting operations in the oil and gas industry and certified crane operators are in demand. Believe me, they earn well.
Truck drivers are in great demand too, especially in US and Canada where there is a significant onshore oil production. Truck are needed to move rigs and equipment, haul oil, water and sand away. The new fracking technology that has made USA self-sufficient in oil production requires constant evacuation of sand from drilling sites. The drivers are also expected to be mechanics, able to fix to fix their large trucks. With USA set to be a net exporter of oil to the global community (competing with the likes of Nigeria for markets), there is currently a shortage of truck drivers to meet her goal.

9) Tax accountant
The oil and gas industry is technology driven, thus the technical professionals are the most demanded. However, the only non-technical profession to break into the top 10 is accounting. With oil and gas companies always the easy targets for governments and public ministries in areas of tariffs, royalties, taxes and other deductions, the role of experienced oil and gas accountants become critical. There is a crying need for accountants (especially tax accountants), who can balance the books and ensure sustained profit.

10) Reservoir Engineers
Eventhough this list is in no particular order, I think reservoir engineers are actually No. 10 on the list. The reservoir engineers play a significant role in the oil and gas industry. Their job is identify oil and gas reserves and develop strategies to maximize recovery and conducting simulation studies to ensure the optimum recovery.

Other in-demand professions that did not make the top 10 list include technical safety engineers, environmental specialists, welding technicians, process engineers and machinery (mechanical) engineers

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Great thread.
God bless u xfire. It is threads like this that I like to see and not threads that will make fresh graduates and undergraduates feel the only thing u need to get a job is connection.

I am also an Oil and Gas expert. I have worked both in a servicing firm and currently with an E & P. Your are 99% right abt the top 10 specialised skills you mentioned.

Zeroing in on the ratio of Geoscientists to Engineers, it is only normal to have a ratio of 1:5, 6 or7. Geosciences is made of just two fields: Geology (80% of Geoscientists) and Geophysics. But Engineering is made up of multiple desciplines:Electrical, Mechanical, Petroleum, Civil, Chemical, Metallurgical, Production etc
In addition only mayb 1 or 2 Polytechnics offer Geology but almost all Polytechnics offer most of the engineering courses. This has there4 created a situation where we have a far less no. of Geoscientists compared to engineers in d market.

On the issue of having d necessary experiencee,here is how I got my first job as a trainee: The advert was for people with 2-5yrs experience in the field of Biostratigraphy (a branch of geology). I had zero experience bt still applied. I was called for test and interview and I got d job. I later learnt dat they could not get people of 2-5 yrs experience cos dey were already gainfully employed elsewhere so dey decided to take fresh graduates & den train dem to do d job.

Last bullet to d undergraduates ; academic excellence is the key to the Oil industry. First class or 2:1 in any of d Engineering or Geosciences field and u have a good chance.

Hi Sir Xfire, is dr any hope 4 int'l relations graduates?

ignis: Does 5 years experience fall from heaven?
How do one get the 5 years experience without a job?

You need experience to get job, and you need job to get experience. .. Very pathetic.

It's an irony but that's somewhat true, especially in the industry. But people do get entry level jobs in the industry, though it's very competitive. I started in the industry as entry level graduate though I had previous experience in a notable non-oil firm so I was a bit 'shortchanged'. Money wasn't my major consideration then. It was just to get the required oil and gas experience. But I later moved to an IOC as a 'semi-entry level' staff. Most non-technical graduates can acquire the experience elsewhere though.
Don't be discouraged. Once you start acquiring the experience, you become less dispensable.

good one

Pls op and all the experience bodies in this thread, can " Physics with Production Technology" graduate work in petroleum and gas industry

Sir Xfire is back... with his invaluable tips. Great work sir.

Mcslize: xfire,
thanks for this thread, I want to know those related courses one can do for master's degree for someone that had a Bsc degree in chemical Engineering.
Like the above mentioned areas like Subsea Engineering and Drilling Engineering which is more suitable for a graduate of Chemical Engineering who wants to proceed to a master level?

xfire abeg treat my bro question o. I was also thinking of EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery) as a viable masters programme that would put me at the fore. I have a passion for any engineering field that has a liaison with computing (simulation softwares, programming, etc). Guidance needed pls.

sir tank u so much for this ur information.please sir i wanted to read quantity survey or survey geoinformatics what advice do u have for me because am confuse am nt totatly convince on the course i just want a highly demanding course these days in the oil sector that people dnt study at school

Mcslize: xfire,
thanks for this thread, I want to know those related courses one can do for master's degree for someone that had a Bsc degree in chemical Engineering.
Like the above mentioned areas like Subsea Engineering and Drilling Engineering which is more suitable for a graduate of Chemical Engineering who wants to proceed to a master level?

xfire abeg treat my bro question o. I was also thinking of EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery) as a viable masters programme that would put me at the fore. I have a passion for any engineering field that has a liaison with computing (simulation softwares, programming, etc), but I need a masters in field that would make me a premium target for the industry. I'm sorry if I am sounding a bit immodest with my aspirations but I'm being honest (and sometimes both are mutually exclusive) and I'm humbly requesting for guidance. I have a B.Eng in Chemical Engineering too.

legendary4luv: Pls op and all the experience bodies in this thread, can " Physics with Production Technology" graduate work in petroleum and gas industry

U mean Physics with Production Technology option? Well breaking it down; Servicing firms employ physics graduates alot. They work as MWD/LWD Engineers, Wireline Engineers some are even Petrophysicists and Pore Pressure Engineers.And also Production technology (P. Tech) is d next big thing in d oil industry these days.

Goodmorning..a nice thread indeed...Please, what of the Industrial Chemists? How do they fit in?

akogunreloaded: Goodmorning..a nice thread indeed...Please, what of the Industrial Chemists? How do they fit in?

Refinery Operations and Petrochemicals.

Syenite: Great thread.
God bless u xfire. It is threads like this that I like to see and not threads that will make fresh graduates and undergraduates feel the only thing u need to get a job is connection.

I am also an Oil and Gas expert. I have worked both in a servicing firm and currently with an E & P. Your are 99% right abt the top 10 specialised skills you mentioned.

Zeroing in on the ratio of Geoscientists to Engineers, it is only normal to have a ratio of 1:5, 6 or7. Geosciences is made of just two fields: Geology (80% of Geoscientists) and Geophysics. But Engineering is made up of multiple desciplines:Electrical, Mechanical, Petroleum, Civil, Chemical, Metallurgical, Production etc
In addition only mayb 1 or 2 Polytechnics offer Geology but almost all Polytechnics offer most of the engineering courses. This has there4 created a situation where we have a far less no. of Geoscientists compared to engineers in d market.

On the issue of having d necessary experiencee.How I got my first job as a trainee: The advert was for people with 2-5yrs experience in the field of Biostratigraphy (a branch of geology). I had zero experience bt still applied. I was called for test and interview and I got d job. I later learnt dat they could not get people of 2-5 yrs experience cos dey are already gainfully employed elsewhere so dey decided to take fresh graduates & den train dem to do d job.

Last bullet to d undergraduates ; academic excellence is the key to the Oil industry. First class or 2:1 in any of d Engineering or Geosciences field and u have a good chance.

Thank you for this enlightenment, I believe you are a graduate of geology which is the same as mine. Pls do you have any postgraduate degree? I don't have any company experience and currently trying to go for my MSc in Petroleum geology, am even now debating on whether to go for petroleum engineering.
What are the chances like for me or any advice in order to fit in adequately for oil n gas company?

Syenite:

U mean Physics with Production Technology option? Well breaking it down; Servicing firms employ physics graduates alot. They work as MWD/LWD Engineers, Wireline Engineers some are even Petrophysicists and Pore Pressure Engineers.And also Production technology (P. Tech) is d next big thing in d oil industry these days.

Sir, do non-technical grads have a chance in the industry? like social science grads e.g. economics, philosophy, business admin?
What areas can we specialize in?

TheCode:

xfire abeg treat my bro question o. I was also thinking of EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery) as a viable masters programme that would put me at the fore. I have a passion for any engineering field that has a liaison with computing (simulation softwares, programming, etc), but I need a masters in field that would make me a premium target for the industry. I'm sorry if I am sounding a bit immodest with my aspirations but I'm being honest (and sometimes both are mutually exclusive) and I'm humbly requesting for guidance. I have a B.Eng in Chemical Engineering too.

syenite, xfire, any other O&G expert (esp engineering), pls advice

Michaelemry: sir tank u so much for this ur information.please sir i wanted to read quantity survey or survey geoinformatics what advice do u have for me because am confuse am nt totatly convince on the course i just want a highly demanding course these days in the oil sector that people dnt study at school

So y do want to study a course dat u are confused and not convinced about? And then ualso u want to study a highly demanding course that people don't study at school?

xfire:
Most of the disciplines listed are specialized fields under petroleum engineering. But in the industry, any engineer can work as a petroleum engineer. Chemical, electrical, mechanical and even civil engineers work as petroleum engineers. So it's thrown open to all.

Thanks for taking time out to answer questions. I noticed civil engineer's haven't really been mentioned. Does the industry have little demand for "us"?

P.s is it advisable to have a masters degree in project management or steel design and construction wrt oil and gas industry. Thanks

how can we apply

xfire:

There are oil exploration projects going on around the world, thus experienced geoscientists and seismic interpreters are in high demand. It's always difficult for young graduates to break into the industry. In many cases, they even need an MSc or even a PhD to be considered for employment. But once established, they are hot cakes.

Ph.D in what exactly? I know a couple of Ph.D holders from great schools!) in Chemical Engineering, natural gas something combined with process simulation and some more technical terms or the other, who can't find OnG companies to hire them. Granted, they just moved back and don't have experience in that field. Any info you give me will be helpful, thanks. They're really great people and hard workers. I wanna help them.

Syenite:
Refinery Operations and Petrochemicals.

. Please can you list few companies under this section?

Joy83:
Thank you for this enlightenment, I believe you are a graduate of geology which is the same as mine. Pls do you have any postgraduate degree? I don't have any company experience and currently trying to go for my MSc in Petroleum geology, am even now debating on whether to go for petroleum engineering.
What are the chances like for me or any advice in order to fit in adequately for oil n gas company?

Joy, with a good first degree(atleast a 2:1) in Geology u dnt need an M.Sc to get a job. I joined d Oil industry with a B.Sc in Geology and later went for an M.Sc in Energy and Petroleum Economics.
Getting an M.Sc b4 searching for job puts u at a disadvantage age-wise as u still have to apply as a trainee of which there are age limits. However if u finished with a 2:2 & feel the only way to better ur chance is an M.Sc then Good-Luck.
On issue choice of Petroleum Geosciences or Petroleum Engineering, u know ur competency level. Just b sincere to ur selve. it usually requires so much effort and a high IQ for some1 to switch from Geosciences to engineering. It is usually easier for people with first class and 2:1 to make such switch.

Flips:
Sir, do non-technical grads have a chance in the industry? like social science grads e.g. economics, philosophy, business admin?
What areas can we specialize in?

Yes. When u enter with ur B.Sc d company will chose ur area of specialization.

gudrated:
I work in an oil servicing firm though as an analyst. The most important thing is that you have an engineering degree. With that, you can hold any engineering role. In the company I work, most of the drilling engineers are mechanical and electrical engineers.

I also studied elect elect engr, I have OND and B.ENG. I'll like for us to talk well, can u please give me ur email address or how I can contact u. I also did my siwes with shell.

xfire:
Well, like I mentioned, the demands are for experienced professionals. This is just to provide a guide for people that intend to delve into the sector in the foreseeable future. In many cases, the most important thing is to gain experience, even if it is in small oil firms. It doesn't always matter which role you start with. You can always switch once you are in the industry.

It is also to guide students who may be seeking to further their studies in an oil and gas relevant course

I also studied elect elect engr, I have OND and B.ENG. I'll like for us to talk well, can u please give me ur email address or how I can contact u. I also did my siwes with shell. I'll appreciate. I wanna go into the oil and gas sector. Thanks bro$

TheCode:

syenite, xfire, any other O&G expert (esp engineering), pls advice

See, my brother, y narrow down ur chances at this stage? Try and get a job with ur first degree and then your future role in d company will give u a direction on which area to specialise. What if u obtain that ur EOR M.sc and u get a job as an MWD/LWD engineer or even a Drilling engineer?

akogunreloaded: . Please can you list few companies under this section?

Google is ur friend.

Syenite:
Joy, with a good first degree(atleast a 2:1) in Geology u dnt need an M.Sc to get a job. I joined d Oil industry with a B.Sc in Geology and later went for an M.Sc in Energy and Petroleum Economics.
Getting an M.Sc b4 searching for job puts u at a disadvantage age-wise as u still have to apply as a trainee of which there are age limits. However if u finished with a 2:2 & feel the only way to better ur chance is an M.Sc then Good-Luck.
On issue choice of Petroleum Geosciences or Petroleum Engineering, u know ur competency level. Just b sincere to ur selve. it usually requires so much effort and a high IQ for some1 to switch from Geosciences to engineering. It is usually easier for people with first class and 2:1 to make such switch.

Thank you for your expedient response. I finished with 2:1(4point and above). Hmmmm, I always think about that age advantage as well. So pls advice me again now, I am 25years old and very hard working male as attested by my tutors.

please sir xfire i want to know if regional maritime university ghana certificates are recognized in Nigeria am a student of marine engineering there but am thinking of switching to arab academybfor maritime transport Egypt

@Xfire and any other O&G expert... What are the chances n opportunities that I have as a graduate of Biochemistry with HSE Certifications from ISPON as I really want to go into d safety field. Or what other advice can u give me in terms of career path in oil n gas with my above qualification?

Agric no fit in here? Agric no fit in here?