Is oilfield services/equipment a good career path? If you are searching for the answer to this question you should be someone who is educated in this field or eager to find a job in oil & gas production. Here, I invite you to read this text until the end and learn how many jobs are available in oil & gas production. Also, I will talk about important details, such as the best paying jobs in natural gas distribution.

What are oil field jobs?

When you are here, you might look for the best paying jobs in oil & gas production, or even the best paying jobs in natural gas distribution. But before that, I want to explain what an oil field job means. Generally, the oil field jobs include people who work in different positions, such as location, collection, refinement, transportation, or sale of crude oil, petroleum, or natural gas. If you want to work in one of these positions, you should probably be interested in mechanics, engineering, natural science, chemistry, or business administration.

Top 15 best paying jobs in oil & gas production

Finally, I want to introduce the best paying jobs in oilfield services/equipment, like the best paying jobs in natural gas distribution to help you decide which career path in this field is right for you. Read the below list and find the 15 best paying jobs in oil & gas production with their working in oil fields salary.

1. Gas plant operator:

As a Gas plant operator, you have to process and distribute gas for utility companies through compressors that maintain the pressure of pipelines with an average salary of $51,925 per year.

2. Well tester:

The professionals in this position function evaluations and assessments of oil channels during the expansion phase to indicate stability and risk levels with an average salary of  $34,780 per year.

3. Chemical engineer:

As a chemical engineer, you should complete a series of tests and evaluations to provide companies use the right chemicals to turn crude oil and petroleum into usable material with an average salary of  $81,068 per year.

4. Sales representative:

Petroleum and oil sales representatives are people who sell finished goods for wholesalers and factories to businesses and dealers. They usually earn an average salary of $73,599 per year. 

5. Petroleum geologist:

Petroleum geologists are another group of professionals in the oil field that uses geological data to investigate which sites companies should drill for oil and find the best drilling techniques. They usually earn an average salary of $67,939 per year.

6.  Vessel manager:

Another popular position in the oil industry is for those individuals who oversee and guarantee the safe operations of offshore drilling on oil and petroleum vessels. As an expert in this field, you will earn an average salary of $71,645 per year.

7. HR adviser:

If you have good management skills, you can work as an HR adviser and improve relations between management and employees by handling grievance procedures, employee examinations, and conflicting resolutions with an average salary of $66,007 per year.

8. Drilling engineer:

The eighth option among the best paying jobs in oil & gas production is for drilling engineers who operate and execute drilling operations for natural gas and crude oil with an average salary of $82,020 per year.

9. Crude oil driver:

This group includes crude oil drivers who safely cart raw oil materials and finished goods to gas stations, retailers, and consumers with semi-trucks and tractor/trailer vehicles. They usually earn an average salary of  $56,111 per year.

10. Executive account manager:

An important role in the Oil industry is for the executive account managers to plan, organize, and direct account management operations. Also, I have to mention that they earn about $76,580 per year.

11. Director of safety:

This level belongs to directors of safety who implement and generate safety procedures through programs and standards as drafted by their employer or state and earn about  $84,233 per year.

12. Director of operations:

As a director of operations, you have to manage all basic functions of a business or industry, such as budgeting, sales, marketing, negotiations, and purchasing. And you will earn an average salary of $85,910 per year.

13. Technical director:

Technical directors are professionals who help and guide drilling team leads, consultants, project managers, and engineers by strategic direction and operational recommendations. They usually earn  $72,101 per year.

14. Lease purchase operator:

All Lease operators are professionals who ensure that the oil and gas transported to and from drilling sites, processing plants, and gas stations complete the process safely and without impairment. They usually earn an average salary of  $113,426 per year. 

15. Project Engineer:

Project Engineers ensure that the design, construction, and major maintenance projects are safely completed by checking progress reports and submitted construction changes, and usually earn $126,846 per year.

How many jobs are available in oil & gas production?

If I want to talk about the oil field industry in detail, I have to state that this field is divided into three sections, where you can find the best paying jobs in oilfield services/equipment.

Best oil field jobs with no experience

Above, you read about the best paying jobs in oil & gas production, but now I want to mention some of the best jobs in this field for those who have no experience, such as Propane transport driver, Pressure washer, Dockworker, Welder, Environmental technician, Oil field mechanic, and so on.

Three categories of available jobs in oil & gas production:

• Upstream:

Professionals at the Upstream level work on finding the location of crude oil and its production.

• Midstream:

Others work at the Midstream level on finding the best ways to transport crude oil from one place to another. 

• Downstream:

Also, some other employees work in the downstream section on marketing and branding crude oil and then selling it. 

Based on the recent PwC reports, this industry supports 9.8 million jobs or 5.6 percent of total U.S. employment. And we predict that the number of unconventional oil and natural gas, and energy-related chemicals activity will reach 3.9 million by 2025.

What is the working in oil fields salary?

Whether you search for the best paying jobs in oil & gas production or the best paying jobs in natural gas distribution, the average salary is one of the most important points that you have to consider. Based on the reports, working in an oil field’s salary is almost high, especially when you work as a professional. For example, oil field engineers as petroleum engineers and experienced ones usually earn six-figure salaries. 

If you want to know more about the details of working in oil fields salary, keep reading and find the 15 best paying jobs in oil & gas production and their annual salary below here.

Why does oil and gas pay so well?

It is famous that people who work in oil and Gas production earn well, but most people do not care about how hard this job can be. In fact, these high-paying salaries are due to the risk of most jobs in this field and the long journeys and hardships you have to endure while away from home and family.

What are educational requirements for an oil & gas production job?

Now that you have some general information about the best paying jobs in oilfield services/equipment, you might like to know more about the educational requirements for an oil & gas production job. Keep reading because, in this paragraph, I will tell you important pieces of information. 

While many people have worked in the oil field with no special education degree as simple workers, the oil industry has decided to hire more college graduates. For example, if you have a liberal arts degree, you might remain in the oil industry for less than high-paid engineers. But if you are looking to earn a degree to propel into the oil and gas business with a higher salary, you can choose to study Petroleum Engineering, Petroleum geology, Chemical engineering, or Mechanical Engineering.

How to find best paying jobs in oil & gas production?

Previously, you read about how many jobs are available in oil & gas production, but now before introducing the best paying jobs in oil & gas production, I want to tell you some important points that if you follow them, you can easily find a great position in this industry.

• Do not be daunted because no matter what your background is, you can find a great job in this industry if you have the necessary skills.
• If you are still in school, talk to a career advisor and discover your interest.
• From a week’s work experience to an internship or apprenticeship, gaining experience is valuable in this field.
• Studying STEM subjects and obtaining an engineering undergraduate degree is one of the most important points.
• Get a mentor in the oil and gas industry to help you navigate the industry. 

After all these important points, it is time to find a great job. Fortunately, there are many websites that you can use to search and apply for the best paying jobs in oilfield services/equipment. For example, you can search sites like the Oil and Gas Job search, OilJobFinder, and Oil search, which are specifically for those who want to find a job in oil & gas production. Or you can search for your oil field job on other online job search sites like LinkedIn or Simplyhired.

Is oilfield services/equipment a good career path?

Previously, you read about how many jobs are available in oil & gas production, and the best paying jobs in natural gas distribution. Now, if you are wondering, is oilfield services/equipment a good career path? I have to say that no one can answer this question with yes or no because it depends on my factors and of course your interests and mentality. But to help you, I have compiled a list of the pros and cons of oil and gas production jobs in the paragraph below.

Pros & Cons of best paying jobs in oil & gas production

When you about how many jobs are available in oil & gas production, how is the working in oil fields salary, and what are the best paying jobs in oilfield services/equipment, the only point that might be left is the pros and cons of jobs in oil & gas production, which I will tell you in this paragraph.

The pros of working in oil and gas industry:

• You travel a lot, so if traveling while working is what you dream of, this industry helps you reach your dream.
• While the exact amount of money you get will vary based on what you spend time off the land, the salary of almost all oil industry jobs are high.

The cons of working in oil and gas industry:

• As you read above this job is a perfect chance for those who like to travel a lot, but you have to be careful that long drilling tours on the sea can get quite depressing, which is a negative point about this job.
• While you can earn a lot in most oil industry jobs, there are a lot of risky situations that might put your life and health in danger, such as fires, explosions, chemical inhalation, drilling/refining equipment-related accidents, slip and falls, and various other hazards.

Best places to live for oil and gas jobs

Are you looking for the best paying jobs in natural gas distribution, or the best paying jobs in oil & gas production? Here, it might be helpful to live in a city with a higher chance of gas and oil exploration, production, transportation, technology, developments, and refining. If I want to name some of the best cities for oil and gas professionals, I can mention:

• Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Calgary, Canada
• Denver, United States
• Cairo, Egypt
• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Conclusion:

If you are searching for the answer to “is oilfield services/equipment a good career path question”? I have to say that there is no exact answer to this question and it all depends on you. Here, I suggest you read the above text and learn about all details of best paying jobs in oil & gas production, how many jobs are available in oil & gas production, and the pros and cons of these jobs to decide whether you like to work in this field or not.