Where can you study to become an oil engineer? Profession oil worker

You may already know that you want to become an engineer, but you don't know in what field. Or perhaps you want to work in the oil industry, but don’t know in what capacity. This article (I hope) will help you make your choice.

Do you enjoy doing science, doing math... and studying rock sediments?

Knowledge of mathematics and other sciences greatly helps in performing the work of a petroleum engineer, but he may also need extensive knowledge in other areas. Interest in the structure of the Earth, the occurrence of rocks, the distribution of formation waters and other fluids in them is a strong argument in favor of choosing the profession of a petroleum engineer.

What do petroleum engineers do?

The work of a petroleum engineer is in some ways similar to the work of a detective. They undertake to find something (oil and gas), using clues (natural factors), collecting and carefully analyzing information. But the fun begins when they finally find what they were looking for.

If you love solving puzzles and don't get upset when the end result of your work turns out to be empty, then you might want to consider working as a petroleum engineer.

Petroleum engineers are experts in oil and gas drilling, reservoir management, and oil production. Their specific responsibilities may vary depending on the company and work environment (working on land is one thing, but working at sea is quite another).

  • Drilling and Well Completion Engineer– engages in planning, design and implementation of drilling and completion programs. They also ensure compliance with economic criteria and compliance with safety regulations when performing work.
  • Petroleum geologists– perform calculations for the optimal development of oil deposits. Their work may include planning, selecting the optimal location of wells (choosing a well pattern), calculating the optimal rate of withdrawal and injection, and applying enhanced oil recovery methods.
  • Oil technologists– interpret and analyze well performance data and optimize their operation. They provide the most optimal way to lift liquid from the bottom to the wellhead and then into the product collection system. Mechanical recovery methods are being evaluated and surface equipment is being improved to separate the oil, water and gas produced from the reservoir.

What questions should you ask yourself to determine if a career in petroleum engineering is right for you?

  • Do you enjoy technical and engineering work?
  • Can you identify, analyze and solve the problem?
  • Are you practical and creative?
  • Do you have a knack for computing and design?
  • Do you have good spoken and written communication skills?
  • Can you work productively without constant supervision?
  • Are you ready to take responsibility?

If you answer most of these questions with a resounding “yes,” then your chances of a successful career as a petroleum engineer are greatly increased.

Good earnings

The most popular career advice is “choose a career that you enjoy doing.” It is doubly wonderful if you are paid decently for this activity. The good news is that jobs in the oil industry are some of the highest paying.

But don't become an oil worker just for the money - otherwise you will be completely unhappy. Money is not a strong enough motivation for successful and fruitful work. And they certainly won’t bring you happiness on their own. The reason I work in the oil industry is because I love it. I'm just not interested in doing engineering work in other fields. For example, I'm not interested in building computers, I prefer playing with them. I'm not interested in building airplanes, I prefer flying them. I'm not interested in designing cars, I prefer driving them. Well, you get the idea. The oil industry, in a sense, allows you to touch all industries human activity without doing work directly in them. Because, you know, oil is everywhere.

Work in different parts of the world

For some, this will probably be the most interesting. Being a petroleum engineer provides some interesting opportunities that other careers may not always provide. For example, the opportunity to explore deep seas, endless deserts, impenetrable jungles and inaccessible mountain ranges in search of oil and gas. You may have the opportunity to visit different countries, explore other cultures and develop a network of friendships and business contacts around the world.

Working conditions for petroleum engineers

Most petroleum engineers work in an office and occasionally travel to the oil field, usually to solve critical problems. At the same time, all modern oil companies attach great importance to the issue of ensuring safety when working in the field (on land and, especially, at sea).


How to become a petroleum engineer

To get a job as a petroleum engineer in any oil company, you must pass the appropriate curriculum and obtain an engineering degree in the appropriate .

In many oil companies, a university graduate is first sent to gain experience in some kind of working specialty. And only after about a year of work are they transferred directly to an engineering position.

The most common entrance exams:

  • Russian language
  • Mathematics (profile) - specialized subject, at the choice of the university
  • Computer science and information and communication technologies (ICT) - at the university's choice
  • Physics - optional at university

The most profitable sector of the Russian economy is, of course, the oil industry. That is why the profession of petroleum technologist is very popular among future students.

It is not only high salaries that attract young people. It is quite interesting to grow and develop in such a promising industry. They are constantly introducing latest developments our scientists, which means there is always a chance to demonstrate their abilities. Like most professions, the specialty 03/21/01 “Oil and Gas Engineering” is obtained at higher education institutions. educational institutions.

Admission conditions

After completing 11 grades, high school graduates take the Unified state exam. If the oil and gas industry is the area in which the applicant wants to work, then he needs to know which subjects to take as part of the Unified State Exam.

Most universities teaching technologies in the oil and gas industry are interested in exam results in the Russian language, mathematics (as a core subject), as well as physics or computer science and ICT. Graduates whose score is close to 80-86 have an excellent chance of becoming students of universities, institutes and academies majoring in oil and gas engineering.

Future profession

Taking into account the fact that oil and gas rigs are located in fairly remote areas of the state, students should be aware that sometimes the working conditions will be far from a comfortable office. Although there is an opportunity to work, so to speak, “on the shore.”

If the employee’s responsibilities include repair, adjustment, installation and maintenance of wells, then visits to production sites natural resources are mandatory. At the same time, after completing training, you can organize the work of teams and monitor compliance with safety regulations. In this case, the specialist’s activities involve working in an office.

The oil and gas industry provides an applied and practical direction for the technologist. But there is also room for research work here. After all, to increase profitability, along with environmental safety, the latest technologies are needed.

Where to apply

Technologists in the field of oil and gas industry are trained in many universities in Moscow. But residents of other regions of the Russian Federation also have an excellent opportunity to master this specialty without leaving far from home. This faculty is especially popular in oil and gas production regions. Here is just a short list of educational institutions where you can obtain a profession as a technologist and engineer in the oil refining and gas production industries:

  • Moscow State Mechanical Engineering University;
  • Russian State Geological Prospecting University named after Sergo Ordzhonikidze;
  • Far Eastern State Transport University;
  • Voronezh State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering;
  • Kazan (Volga region) Federal University;
  • Branch of the Tyumen State Oil and Gas University in the city of Nefteyugansk.

Duration of training

If a student has the opportunity to attend classes full-time, he will spend 4 years earning his bachelor's degree. If young people choose correspondence, evening or mixed forms of education, it will take 5 years.

Disciplines included in the course of study

To understand the features of oil and gas production, a school course in chemistry and physics will clearly not be enough. Therefore, in the process of obtaining higher education students study the following subjects:

  • oil and gas hydromechanics and hydraulics;
  • qualimetry, metrology and standardization;
  • automation basics technological processes in oil and gas production;
  • chemistry of gas and oil;
  • technology of structural materials and materials science;
  • heat transfer and thermodynamics;
  • engineering computer graphics and descriptive geometry.

Acquired skills

After such serious and comprehensive training, a graduate of the oil and gas engineering major has sufficient qualifications to work in the industry. This is facilitated by the skills that young people acquire in the learning process.

In addition to participating in the development and design of natural resource extraction, specialists perform schematization of deposits and create their geological model. The most modern computer technology and software are used.

Wells that have already been put into operation also require constant maintenance, repair and reconstruction.

In order for extracted oil and gas to be stored reliably, it is necessary to properly design and construct gas and oil storage facilities and gas and oil pipelines. Participation in such projects is extremely important and is often entrusted to young specialists.

Organizing the work of teams and small teams is also the responsibility of oil and gas industry engineers. Well, control over the extraction of hydrocarbons, the quality of semi-finished products and finished products trusted only to the best specialists.

Job prospects by profession

University graduates majoring in oil and gas are rarely left alone with the question of who to work with. Their place of work is usually at oil and gas production enterprises. However, it is worth remembering that competition in this area is too high.

After graduating from university, young people can look forward to positions as a driller, foreman, construction laboratory assistant, technician or engineer. It is also possible to participate in the work of research institutes as a laboratory assistant or junior researcher.

The salary level for employees working directly in oil and gas production sites starts from 40-50 thousand rubles. After several years of work, this figure can reach 70-90 thousand rubles.

In manufacturing occupations, salaries are slightly higher. An engineer can count on 60-80 thousand, and chief engineer- for 100 thousand rubles.

Benefits of studying for a master's degree

In order to engage in research activities, as well as take a position in one of the oil service companies or government oil and gas production authorities, you should obtain a master's degree.

Most universities provide this opportunity on the basis of a bachelor's degree. In addition to fundamental knowledge in the field of geophysics, geology and geodynamics, undergraduates gain invaluable practical experience in exploration and economic assessment fields, study management of the oil and gas industry and legal basis oil and gas production base management.

The oil industry will remain one of the most prestigious and financially rich sectors of industry in the near future. This opens up excellent prospects for all future oil workers.

Features of training

The forms and duration of training in oil universities in Russia are practically no different from similar ones in educational institutions that train specialists for other industries.

However, taking into account the specifics of this area, there are differences in training even in the list of disciplines of the socio-economic and natural science basic cycles provided for by the Federal State Educational Standard for higher professional education - not to mention the professional cycle. Particularly close attention during training is paid to geology, fluid mechanics, work with three-dimensional computer modeling, chemistry and physics of oil and gas, the basics of process automation in this industry, occupational safety issues, as well as technologies for prospecting, well development and oil production.

TOP 10

Today in the Russian Federation there are 36 universities that train professionals for the oil and gas industry, as well as 73 universities of related fields or with petroleum departments. The top 10 positions among them should be given to:

  1. . (the largest industry university providing high-quality education in oil and gas specialties).
  2. Tomsk Polytechnic University - research and design Institute of Geology and Oil and Gas Business (a leader in training engineers in geological surveys, development and operation of oil and gas fields).
  3. Arkhangelsk State Technical University - Institute of Oil and Gas (one of the best in training specialists in drilling wells and storing oil and gas products).
  4. International Institute of Diplomacy and Energy Policy (MIEP) at (which has no competitors in matters of international energy cooperation).
  5. - Institute of Oil and Gas (continuator of traditions and successor of the Perm Polytechnic Institute and the Perm Mining Institute).
  6. Yugorsky State University- Institute of Geology, Oil and Gas (with the most extensive developments in the field of geology, ecology, regional environmental management).
  7. (perhaps the most dynamically developing).
  8. (UdSU), which is a leading institution in matters of innovative scientific developments for the industry.
  9. (one of the best in the breadth of the range of specialties in the industry - from field exploration specialists to professionals in the field of oil refining).
  10. a very powerful educational complex, which includes institutes of geoinformatics and geology, oil and gas transport, technology, etc.

Quality of training

The quality of education in oil universities of the Russian Federation is at a level that is practically in no way inferior to that in the best universities abroad. The only drawback in them is the lack of a theoretical and practical basis for studying the constantly updated latest high technologies aimed at producing shale oil, oil from Arctic shelf deposits and others. This is the only reason why the country's best oil universities are inferior to such recognized world leaders as Texas A&M University, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Stanford University and others from the world's top ten.

The most popular specialties (bachelor's degree)

In the oil and gas industry, graduates of relevant universities and faculties can obtain 29 different specialties, of which 23 are at the undergraduate level. However, here too the popularity of the specializations of engineers and managers varies, and among the most prestigious, financially profitable and therefore popular are petroleum engineers in the following areas:

  • geology and mineral exploration;
  • drilling oil and gas wells;
  • design, construction and operation of gas and oil pipelines and gas storage facilities;
  • oil and gas business;
  • automation of production and technological processes.

Study prospects

The prospects for the best graduates (especially from prestigious universities) are excellent. First of all - in opportunity career growth and in the leading Russian oil and gas business giants (Gazprom, Surgutneftegaz, Lukoil, Rosneft, etc.), and in oil producing companies of other countries - Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil, Statoil, Eni and others.

Moreover, even starting from the very bottom, being provided with a high salary, a system of various bonuses and a significant social package.

All professions related to oil production are usually called by one general word - oilman, which means many specialties from petroleum engineer and petroleum geologist to driller. How are they similar and what are their differences? Let's figure it out.

What unites all professions that are in one way or another connected with the oil field is the extracted raw materials themselves - oil and gas. By the way, for those who do not know, gas is a by-product obtained during the development of oil fields. Therefore, it is not entirely correct to separate oil and gas production. In addition, to obtain any of the specialties in demand in this area, a technical mindset and deep knowledge of subjects such as mathematics, physics, geography or chemistry (depending on the chosen direction) are required.

In order to score maximum points when passing the Unified State Exam, it is best to take care of quality preparation in advance. You can get it by using the services of online tutors. offers applicantsservice Tutoronline. ru., using the services of which you can study with. It doesn’t matter at all what city you live in. After all, classes are conducted online via Skype and a special interactive whiteboard.

But, despite the fact that all these professions belong to the oil industry, they differ strikingly from each other. All of them can be divided into three groups:

  1. Specialties that are in one way or another related to the search for new deposits

These include the professions of geologist, geophysicist, surveyor, etc. All these people do a tremendous amount of work studying the structure and movement of the earth’s crust, examining and assessing soil, and collecting samples of various rocks. Based on the data obtained, assumptions are made about the possible location of the oil and gas field. After which additional research is carried out on the ground. If theoretical assumptions are confirmed during practical research, and the new deposit turns out to be rich enough, then its development begins.

At the same time, specialists involved in oil and gas exploration can work both in the field and in offices. Because some of them collect samples, while others analyze them. Both of these branches are equally important. But each has its own specifics:

  • - Those who collect the necessary data, first of all, should include: field geologists, seismicists and geophysicists. These people spend their working hours in difficult conditions: they live in tents, cook over fires, and do without basic amenities for a long time. For some, their work is romance, for most it is hard work and constant self-restraint. Not everyone is able to settle into these professions.
  • - Analysis of provided samples and processing of results is carried out under stationary conditions. This is done by offices that unite several large departments under their wing. They work in them geologists and geophysicists capable of competently performing laboratory and scientific analysis field collected data and accurately indicate the location of deposits.

This is what he says about his profession chief geologist of the Berezitovoye mine Oleg Mozharov: « Geologists are people who go ahead of everyone else and work in the harshest conditions. This is hard everyday work. This profession requires constant replenishment of knowledge, since our work largely depends on the geological region. And the specific features of individual territories are not taught in educational institutions. For a graduate to become a specialist, it takes five years of practice. If you have to move to another geological region, you will have to learn again».

But, as mentioned above, even a petroleum geologist does not necessarily have to work in the field. This could be an ordinary office employee. But there is still a difference. As a rule, before settling down in an office, you need to prove your high professionalism in the field. After all, only those who understand all the intricacies of this matter are able to competently analyze the data collected by others.

  1. Professions related to the development of found deposits and mining.

First of all, they include drilling masters, drillers and drillers' assistants. However, their work is again led by geologists and geophysicists with higher and secondary vocational education.

These people begin work after exploration has been carried out and a decision has been made to build a drilling rig and begin oil and gas production in a specific location. They usually work on a rotational basis, without being at home for several weeks. During working hours, these specialists live in small trailers of several people and make do with a minimum level of comfort.

  1. Specialties responsible for maintaining drilling rigs and personnel.

At each drilling rig, in addition to those directly involved in oil and gas production, people who are responsible for ensuring the correct operation of the drilling rig and creating a minimum level of comfort work every day. This mechanics, instrumentation mechanics, electricians, cooks, dishwashers, etc.

Each of these specialists performs the same functions at the drilling rig as their colleagues employed in other industries. However, they all work in extreme conditions, without being at home or seeing their families for several weeks.

Advantages of being an oil worker

IN present moment All of these specialties are very popular in Russia. And, above all, thanks to high pay. The oil industry has the highest salaries. They are the most powerful incentive when choosing a profession as a geologist, geophysicist or driller.

In addition, this industry provides a large number of benefits and additional bonuses: various additional payments and financial incentives, vacations and vacation travel at the expense of enterprises, early retirement (if the deposits are located in areas equated to the Far North), etc.

The prestige and demand for the profession also play an important role. People employed in the oil industry enjoy special respect and honor. And competent specialists with special education are worth their weight in gold. And graduates of oil institutes always have excellent opportunities for a start in life and for building a career.

In a word, by choosing this profession, the applicant will definitely not be left behind. In addition, he is guaranteed employment, high salary and, with ability and desire, a brilliant career.

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Oil is one of the most expensive minerals in the world. Its extraction is carried out by representatives of different specialties, united by the profession of oil worker.

Society has a stereotype about an overgrown man covered in oil from head to toe. This is an erroneous image, because a modern oil worker is a young man of about 30 years old, in a respectable suit with a folder of documents. Any talented specialist can realize himself in the oil industry. According to experts, the demand for the oil industry profession will increase by 40% in the future.

Description of the profession oil worker

The main responsibilities of a petroleum engineer include:

  • search and development of new oil and gas fields;
  • assessment of deposit potential;
  • environmental restoration of the working area upon completion of drilling operations.

The modern oil industry actively uses advances in computer technology. The work of specialists is carried out both in the office and directly on the field. Thanks to the introduction of qualitatively new technologies into work, the oil industry profession opens the door to young specialists who get the chance to quickly move up the career ladder. In addition, the starting salary of an oil worker is much higher than that of some office employees.

To achieve success in the oil industry, you must have a high level of qualifications. In addition, the following requirements are put forward:

  • for ordinary employees - specialized secondary education, for management positions - higher education;
  • experience in conducting engineering and geological surveys;
  • skills in using computer-aided design systems (AutoCAD, DraftSight, LibreCAD);
  • readiness for business trips and relocations.

Today there is no worthy alternative to fossil energy sources. They will certainly appear in the future, but for now the profession of a petroleum engineer will be popular and attract young specialists to its ranks.

The oil industry occupies a leading position in terms of wages in Russia. An oil worker's salary largely depends on working conditions, the scale of the company's activities and the position of the employee.

Below is the average salary of an oil worker in Russia

The numbers are impressive. However, in fairness, we need to make an allowance for the salary of top management; the income of an ordinary oil worker is much more modest.

How to find a job in the oil industry? In the countries of the post-Soviet space, there is an opinion that without connections it is impossible to get a well-paid job. However, recent studies refute this opinion. According to experts, the decisive factor is quality preparation and focus on results.

Pros and cons of the oil industry profession

Advantages :

  • The work can hardly be called routine. Field development involves traveling to new territories, studying them and solving non-standard situations;
  • the opportunity to visit remote places of our country;
  • outdoor work;
  • Oil workers perform strategic work, indirectly filling the state budget.

Flaws :

  • Lack of comfort in the workplace can cause negative feelings over time;
  • Constant business trips interfere with your personal life;
  • the choice of oil refining companies is not so large, the competition for one place is quite high;
  • the work involves health risks.