The oil and gas industry, widely referred to as the oil industry, is a major backbone of the global economy, and this industry plays a vital role in the economic sustainability of the world. The oil industry provides a wide range of job opportunities to a fresh graduate who has qualifications from 10th standard to degree holders. The reality is that this industry requires good skills that are to be trained depending on the job role the candidate is interested in. In this blog, we are going to discuss all the various job roles in the oil and gas industry and how to attain the skills that are required to get a progressive career in this industry.
The oil in the gas industry is majorly divided into upstream, midstream and downstream.
Overview of the Oil and Gas Industry
Below listed is a detaining of each of the streams
Upstream
The upstream industry focuses on all the activities right from the origin of crude oil to the lifting activities, i.e., finding the presence of crude oil by geological surveying, setting up the rig (Offshore and Onshore), drilling the drilling wells, well completion, and production.
Midstream
Midstream involves transporting the crude oil extracted from the rig to the Refineries. In most scenarios, pipelines are used for transportation, and if it is an offshore ship, it is also used for transportation.
Downstream
The last one is downstream operation, which can be called a refinery operation. In this operation, we give the raw material, crude oil, as an input to the Refineries. The refinery processes the crude oil and converts it into petrol, diesel, kerosene, paraffin wax, aviation fuel, tar, etc. The crude oil processing is said to have more than 6,000 byproducts.
Types of Jobs in the Oil and Gas Industry.
- Roustabout:
This is the entry-level job available in the upstream sector of oil and gas. The roustabout is responsible for keeping the rig neat and the rig floor clean. If the job is offshore, the roustabout is also responsible for loading and unloading supplies from OSVs (Offshore Supply Vessels).
- Floorman:
The floor man is responsible for rig floor operations, such as pipe connections and drilling equipment installations. The floorman will assist the driller and assistant driller in completing drilling-related activities.
- Assistant Rig Mechanic / Rig Mechanic
The rig mechanic is responsible for the maintenance of the mechanical equipment in the rig; they have a job role in both the yard and rig site. They are responsible for greasing the joints correctly, maintaining the equipment properly to prevent any breakdown, maintaining regular inspection of mechanical components, etc.
- Assistant Rig Electrician / Rig Electrician
This job is similar to that of a rig mechanic, except that they will be responsible for the electrically related equipment. The electrically related equipment in the rig includes generators, control rooms, VFDs, the driller’s control room, etc.
- Geologists
Candidates who have graduated from geology are mostly eligible for this job role. Geologists survey to find the presence of crude oil, interpret the survey data, study and interpret the rock formations, and conclude the potential oil reserves.
- Mud loggers
Mudlogging is classified as a service company. The mud loggers prepare mud (a chemical used in drilling to remove the cutting waste). They are responsible for varying the mud weight by varying the required components in the mud. They are also responsible for analyzing the cuttings from wellbore , analyzing the gas components in the mud return, etc.
- Cementing Engineer
Cementing engineers are responsible for cementing and casing operations. They maintain the correct cement slurry composition to maintain the well’s proper integrity, identify any cementing issues, conduct pressure tests, and ensure that everything is going according to the standards.
- MWD Engineer
An MWD Engineer expanded as measurement while drilling operates and maintains MWD tools to provide survey data in real-time during drilling operations. The survey data includes wellbore trajectory, inclination, and azimuth, assisting in directional drilling and ensuring the well is drilled according to the plan. MWD Engineers checks for the consistency and quality of the data received and ensures the smooth operation by optimizing the performance.
- LWD Engineer
A Logging While Drilling (LWD) Engineer is responsible for acquiring and interpreting formation evaluation data during the drilling process. The LWD tools measures properties like resistivity, porosity, gamma ray (Total and azimuthal) and density, providing geological data to identify the presence of hydrocarbon.
Midstream sector
The midstream sector involves the storage and transportation of crude oil or hydrocarbon from rig to refinery. The major operation in this sector is done by the usage of pipelines.
During the storage or before the transportation operation, the unwanted impurities in the crude is removed and is then stored or transported.
The job roles in this industry are
1. Piping engineer – responsible for creating drawings and laying pipelines
2. Logistics Coordinator – responsible for logistics operation
3. Supply Chain Coordinator
Downstream Sector
Chemical Engineer : Opportunity for B.tech Chemical engineers and are they use chemicals for treating hydrcarbon.
Refinery/Plant Operators: They control and monitor the equipment and processes used in refining oil.
Quality Control Engineers : They ensure that the quality of the pipelines is ensured by using NDT methods like Penetrant, magnetic particle, ultrasonic etc.
Instrument Technicians: They maintain and install instruments in the plant.
Safety Officers/Assistant Safety Officers: Safety officers ensure safe working practices in all streams.
Work Permit Receivers: Work Permit Receivers are responsible for issuing work permits for starting a job, the permits can be hot, cold, excavation permits, work at heights
Skills and Qualifications Required
To achieve a good job role in the oil and gas industry, certain criteria must be met.
- Educational Background: The entry-level qualification required is 10th or 12th Standard; however, it will be an added advantage if you have a Diploma/Degree/B Tech. Completion of courses like Post Graduate/Diploma in Oil and Gas Technology will add to the skill enhancement of the candidate
- Technical Skills: The technical skills required are knowledge about the tools and machines used, the way the plant operates, etc.
Additional Skills requirement: The candidate must possess strong interpersonal communication skills, especially in the English language. Problem-solving and analytical abilities, teamwork, etc., are also highly valued in the Industry.
The practical training at Techshore gives the candidate great hands-on experience and skill enhancement in the oil and gas field.
Career Growth Opportunities
The oil industry is one of the largest in the world, with the biggest Oil company being ARAMCO, Saudi Arabia. This blog lists the major entry-level positions. This domain provides many job opportunities for all sorts of candidates, be they freshers or experienced. One can enter the industry as a Roustabout and can go up to positions like Tool Pushers, Rig Managers/Superintendents, etc.
Key Advantages of the Industry
A few major advantages of the job opportunities in the UPSTREAM sector of oil and gas are that they provide rotational jobs, free food and accommodation, free up-and-down flight tickets, etc. Working in the oil and gas industry comes with its own set of challenges. The candidate will need to work away from home for a long time, but the salary reward will be pretty good compared to any other industry.
How to Get Started
Here are some steps to kick-start your career in the oil and gas industry:
- Get trained by experts about the nature of the operations and the tools used in the Industry.
- Get an international-level certification
Start applying for jobs through online portals (The training center will help in achieving placements)
Grow connections
Future Trends and Opportunities
The future is still in the hands of the Oil and Gas Industry. According to the latest reports, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) still has crude that can be extracted continuously for the next 60 years. Certain developments in the Oil and Gas Industry have been related to digitization, which is closely related to Data science