7 Best Paying Jobs in Oil & Gas Production

Even though the world economy tries to disinvest from the oil industry, the latter is still responsible for more than 50% of the global energy needs. Fossil fuels used to be the cheapest form of energy. Gas is the latest trend, having flooded the markets since the late 20th century.

Best Paying Jobs in Oil & Gas Production

Today some of the best-paying jobs in the private sector remain the ones in oil and gas production. Getting the crude oil drilled from the ground or from the bottom of the sea is promising and profitable for energy companies. Let’s take a deep dive into the professions that are necessary for this sector and how much they can make per year when working exclusively for an energy brand.

1. Drilling Expert

Every oil and gas job has to do with drilling the ground. That’s when you need to have a drilling expert act as a supervisor for all the workers that are close to the drill. Most of them don’t do anything mechanical, but they just stand close to the drilling site watching the screens with pressures and temperature indexes to ensure that the drill goes as expected. They can make as much as $85,000 per year and even more when they work on an oil rig in the open sea. 

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2. Construction Supervisor

It has to do with the supervision of other simple constructor workers who are there to perform excavation and additional concrete works. The supervisor has a primary responsibility to ensure the shifts and safety measures are effective for all the workers involved in the drilling. Even though there is no need for a certain degree to become a construction supervisor, it’s sure that you will earn more than $40,000 per year. The salaries go up when we talk about an oil rig that is close to the Gulf.

3. Geologist

A geologist has one of the hardest jobs among their peers on the oil rig or the drilling site. First, a geologist should perform certain measurements and studies to ensure that oil or gas is underneath the drilling site. His decision could cost millions to the drilling and oil companies. That’s why the average salary for geologists working in the oil and gas industry could reach as much as $100,000 per year plus other family benefits. 

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4. Chemical Engineer

When you finally reach the oil or gas layers, you need to analyze the first quantities you get from your oil pump. Then you need a chemical engineer to perform such an analysis and give a thorough view about the continuation of the drilling. Such chemical engineers that have a specialization in fossil fuels could get paid as much as $70,000 per year. Their job is not as dangerous as one of the geologists, and that’s why they have an inferior payment for their services, even though their services are equally important in the long run.

5. Excavation Expert

There is no way you can drill a hole and stabilize the pumping mechanism without having an excavation expert in the crew. These excavation experts are the ones that know how to drive their bulldozers to ensure that you will easily reach the depth you need to apply the drills. They only work in terrain drilling and not in the sea oil rigs. A competent excavation expert has a median salary of $60,000, which is more than enough for a person that only has to remove mud from the site.

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6. Fossil Fuel Sales Operator

When you finally drill and pump out the oil you need to have a person that will sell it to the markets. That’s the fossil fuel sales operator who is specialized in the market and knows the ups and downs. Such professionals can make a median salary of at least $65,000 and have the same amount in commissions each year when they reach their selling targets. It’s not easy to be a fossil fuel sales operator since you need to be in direct touch with the market and sell. At the same time, you need to inform the drilling manager to increase or decrease the production according to the sales trend and the market needs.

7. Gas Plant and Refinery Operator

Finally, a gas plant and refinery operator is a crucial job that could reach a salary of $150,000 that exceeds every other professional. He is the one responsible for the drilling, pumping, selling, and refining of oil and gas products. The refinery operator is the most important person for the oil company since he is the one that could cost it millions in lost operations or the one that will make them profitable by more millions than they have imagined.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Now you can check some of the most explicit questions we have seen online about oil and gas production jobs.