₦airaland Forum

Kadata: Not exactly. But an Industrial Chemist has better career prospects than a pure/analytical chemist.
-Airports
-Fire Service
etc are likely places that may require Ind. Chemists.
Aside from that tho' , you might be lucky elsewhere. Nobody knows.

Histrings08: ...let's watch it carefully,some of those fields are kind of related,they can perform each others function....sometimes if you check ur curriculum you'll see that there's no much difference...that's why its advisable to study a course that isn't that restricted or has a wider application...Gracias

9ijaMan: Virtually all the options in Elec/Elec Engineering (Power, Control, Instrumentation, Telecoms and to some extent computing) are applicable to the O&G industry. For ease of understanding, let's just assume E&P is a subset of the O&G industry. Hence O&G can be divided into two major components:
1. The E&Ps or Exploration and Production Companies (Oil Producing or Oil Majors such as Shell, Exxon, Agip, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ConOil, PanOcean, Addax, Nexen etc).
2. The Oil Field Services Companies (e.g. Schlumberger, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, NOV - National Oilwell Varco, TransOcean, Saipem, KCA Deutag, Noble Drilling etc).

Similarly, the E&P sector can be broken down into 2 broad groups, the Upstream and the downstream.
Upstream represents the sector that handles everything about crude oil from beneath the surface of the earth through exploration phase, discovery, drilling and subsequently flowing the well to the surface.
Downstream refers to just about all the processing the oil will pass through once it gets to the surface until it gets into the tank of your car, or generator set (literarilly).

Abeg don't ask me why upstream has to do with below the ground and downstream above the ground, 'cos I know it defies logic.

Back to your question, on what option to specialize in out of Power, Control, Instrumentation, Telecoms and to some extent computing.
Power is most applicable to the downstream sector, e.g. when you have to work with turbines etc. However the other options are applicable to both upstream and downstream, albeit at varying degrees. I chose the Instrumentation & Control option while at Ife. Although this option is actually more applicable on surface (downstream) than subsurface (upstream), I started out with an Oil field services company as a Field Engineer and today, I'm working as a Drilling Professional where I have minimal interactions with any of the 4 or options listed above, besides using my mobile phone and other mobile devices (Telecoms); my office & home computers (Power & computing); and including some sub-surface and surface gauges (instrumentation & control) when I'm completing a well.

I'm honored to be your mentor, just don't ask me too much questions about Elec/Elec Engineering o !

kenneyyice: Tankz peepz but shuld i jugde it base on skul, base on d course or base on job opportunity.... I got petroleum engineering in uniben tru jamb and chemical engineering in unizik tru pre science.. Which one shuld i accept

Nate7even: What do u mean by 'conventional civil' ?

9ijaMan: Chief,
The issue of "name or brand of University" is very much alive even if we don't want to recognize it. By the way, it's not peculiar to Nigeria alone nor the O&G industry alone. The same thing is obtainable in the UK, that I know for sure at least up until 5 year ago. It's like trying to compare an MBA grad from Lagos Business School with an NBA grad from Wharton/INSEAD/Harvard etc. In the UK, graduates from London Business School's MBA programs are more regarded than those from an Manchester Business school etc.

Does it mean that grads from these top schools are always better, ofcourse not. These are just the fact of life we sometimes have to accept. I used to work for a multinational in O&G firm in Nigeria, back then, only graduates from schools such as Ife, UniLag, ABU, UniBen, Nsuka, UI were employed as International staffs while graduates from other schools were employed as locals. The rule however did change in 2005.

Nonetheless it's not about which school, but each individual's capability. It's just that such prejudices still exist until this day.

Mr Calculus: need answers plz o

cheapgadgets6: ok..tnx..wht do u min by servicin coys?

cheapgadgets6: tnx 4ya contribution bro,its alws gud to look b4 one leaps and also prepare onesef for d task ahead aftr sku,dts y advice frm u experts in d field are very useful,am d electrical guy frm 1 of d fed univ of tech in d south west,presently on IT nw in a production company,bt I stl dnt knw wch option to go for wen I resum bk for ma final year out of d 3 option:Computer,Telecoms n Power..cs I'll lik to go into d E n P industry,luks lik I wil b graduatin wt a 2.1 God helpin me,jus strivin to finsh wt a 4. Above GP.So bro,as an Elect engr,I cn rili fit in in2 d drilling sectn,wht are d extra skills or certificatns dt mait b useful or place me ahead of ma peers? Tnx 4ya advice 1 agn(y.akindele@yahoo.com).I'll rily nid lots of advice frm u as a mentor

lymelyte: @9jaman,i graduated from production engineering recently from uniben with 2.2.do i stand a chance in the E & P,O&G industry? What certification do I need to acquire to stand out from the pack of other graduate? Godbless you and all the experience bros willing to reply my post and to add I am very good in autocad (2D & 3D)

kenneyyice: Tankz alot 4 dis tread i am in serious confusion right nw cos i got admitted in2 UNIBEN 2 study PETROLEUM ENGINEERING and would also b admitted in2 UNIZIK to study CHEMICAL ENGINEERING tru pre science. Pls which one should is reject and accept nw.. Jugdeing frm job opportunites and other aspects.....

9ijaMan: Are both schools taking you on a pre-degree basis...? If the answer is Yes, I'd go to UniBen. If UniBen is offering you to start at 100 level, again UniBen is the way to go. Chemical Engineering may have a wider scope, it's not a guaranty that you'll get a job faster. In your case the name of the school matters. My limited knowledge of both schools is assuming that UniBen is rated higher. It's also likely ther are more Uniben grads working in the O&G industry in Nigeria when compared to UniZik. Having someone who graduated from from your former school on the inetrview panel will certainly boost your chances. Particularly when the choice remains between you and someone else from UniZik.

I no be UniBen grad o! In case some of you start making some wrong assumptions. Greatest Ife is my alma mater.

9ijaMan: I forgot to commend the guy who said you could attend a MUD school abroad and start earning good pay from the start. Based on my experience, he is absolutely right. I'd rather a young Nigerian graduate leaves school with a good result, then proceed to take professional courses in the O&G industry and then starts working as an entry level Engineer. The industry is currently booming and may remain so for some time to come.

Professional courses are much cheaper and less time consuming when compared to a full time MSc. I've seen lots of Mud Engineers who are working as Reservoir Engineers, Petroleum Engineers and Drilling Engineers in the industry. By the way, Mud Engineering is also lucrative. Highly experience Mud Engineers also earn in excess of $2k per day.

You can start out small and take part-time courses in Pet. Engr'g and other supposedly better paying areas of specialization in the industry.

lillies: Lilimax, not just machines and material balancing so so so many things my dear, you didn't mention plant DESIGN, yes design is something that keeps the chemical engineer ahead of any other engineering discipline check out Richardson n Coulson 4th edition.
an industrial chemist would not understand the underlying principles of 'transport phenomena', what about chemical reaction engineering, etc
industrial chemistry n chemical engineering are not even in the same faculty, donot make it look like just two things separate them.
I advice you pick up any book on process control, you will see for yourself the HUGE difference between chemical eng. and industrial chemistry.

P.S: while flipping through the pages of any process control text, don't freight, its not mathematics, its called Chemical Process Dynamics and Control!!!

another1234: u ar rite bro petroleum engnr ocupies 60% in oil company.i represent petroleum engr.newly admited in uniben

iHustle: 1. Chem Engg is broad. So It gives you more options if you want to go for a masters degree.

2. Many topics covered under Chem Engg are directly applicable in oil and gas exploration and production. E.g material balance, fluid mechanics, phase behaviour, process analysis, separation processes.

3. Studying chem engg for BSc helps you to perform very well if you study petroleum Engg for MSc.

4. The oil and gas industry is very interdisciplinary. I.e it draws from various disciplines including chem engg, mech engg, electrical engg, geology, mathematics, petroleum engg, civil engg, physics, chemistry, and even biology.

5. From my observation and experience, those who study chem or mech engg for BSc and then study petroleum engg for MSc are the real masters of the game.

Ibigo: guy calm down you are an Engineering student that's why you don't know that physics has many branches...have you heard of Geo-physics in your life? They even stand a better chance in the Oil & Gas industry than Chemical & petroleum Engineers

zeefa: I studied chemical engineering and for the past 9yrs, av bn working as a quality control engineer both in nigeria and the middle east, qatar, abudhabi and oman(which is purely mechanical)
Well, as a chemical engineer, I think you are flexible especially when you are opportune to get an oil gas job.

For me, I still prefer Mechanical Engineering.

Lilimax: I studied Industrial Chemistry as 1st Degree. My organistaion employs both Chemical Engineers and Chemists the same way as our jobs are related. What diffentiates us from Chemical Engineers is the issue of machines and material balancing...

cheapgadgets6: I rili want to knw d functions of an electrical engr in d oil n gas sector or au can an electrical engr function in ds sector? Are there any useful certifications or skills dt can help a fresh electrical engr in d sector?

Empero1: Chemical engineering has better prospective than petroleum engineering . However , generally oil company work is overrated , 65% of the workforce in this sector are living from hand to mouth like every other less attractive industry out there .

ojtopsy: I'm a civil structural engineer and i can tell u that in oil servicing co. we hold the ace. no one gets job easily than us. But mech. is a great course sha cos they come next. i use to envy chemical and elect course until we graduated. Come see fk up for em especially chemical guys, it was a sorry tale. when the are taking 15 -20 civil eng. they'll manage to employ 2 chem. guys. Thats how it is in the oil servicing side but for the IOC proper anyone with a foreign MSc is their choice. not minding your first degree.

Summarry : be prepared to go for your MSc b4 NYSC if you are seriuos about working for the IOC( chevron,Exxon etc)

Ogui eke: ur advice is great i like it. but as for engineering courses:CIVIL ENGINEERING IS D BEST IN D NIGERIAN JOB MARKET. am a civil/structural engineer, i know what am saying.

kika41: Any,I think if u hav a 1st class in petroleum engr,u wuldnt struggle for. Job..petRoleum engineering ocupies 60% oof the oil and gas industry

Mr Calculus: den wat can industrial mathematics b use for??

Capableben: Yes it this question has always troubled my mind. Eventhough i applied for chemical engineering, i'm still curious to know the apparent differences between the duo. I know they are so much related but i wana know your views guys. Secondly, i also want to know which one amongst the two has better job prospects after school with refernce to the Nigerian labour market. *Nagode*