Architecture and Engineering · Holland code RIC

Petroleum Engineers

Devise methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production and determine the need for new or modified tool designs. Oversee drilling and offer technical advice.

Also called: Drilling Engineer, Engineer, Petroleum Engineer, Reservoir Engineer, Completion Engineer, Operations Engineer, Petroleum Production Engineer, Project Production Engineer.

O*NET 17-2171.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $144,910; Middle half earn $106,270 to $197,920. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 72% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +1% · Slower than average; 19,600 jobs in 2024, projected 19,800. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Petroleum engineers".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Specify and supervise well modification and stimulation programs to maximize oil and gas recovery.
Test machinery and equipment to ensure that it is safe and conforms to performance specifications.
Monitor production rates, and plan rework processes to improve production.
Maintain records of drilling and production operations.
Analyze data to recommend placement of wells and supplementary processes to enhance production.
Assist engineering and other personnel to solve operating problems.
Assign work to staff to obtain maximum utilization of personnel.
Direct and monitor the completion and evaluation of wells, well testing, or well surveys.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Critical Thinking4.0 / 5
Active Listening3.9 / 5
Writing3.9 / 5
Speaking3.9 / 5
Active Learning3.8 / 5

Knowledge areas

Engineering and Technology4.4 / 5
Mathematics4.1 / 5
Physics3.5 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.5 / 5
Chemistry3.4 / 5
Administration and Management3.4 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic73
Investigative72
Artistic15
Social13
Enterprising34
Conventional55

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

gas production engineer · DE Ingenieur Gasförderung/Ingenieurin Gasförderung · FR ingénieur forages gaziers/ingénieure forages gaziers
petroleum engineer · DE Ingenieur Erdöl- und Erdgastechnik/Ingenieurin Erdöl- und Erdgastechnik · FR ingénieur de production dans l’industrie pétrolière et gazière/ingénieure de production dans l’industrie pétrolière et gazière
drilling engineer · DE Bohringenieur/Bohringenieurin · FR ingénieur de forage/ingénieure de forage
liquid fuel engineer · DE Ingenieur Flüssigbrennstoffe/Ingenieurin Flüssigbrennstoffe · FR ingénieur combustibles liquides/ingénieure combustibles liquides

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Production and process engineers (2125)56,900 employed
Civil engineers (2121)94,100 employed
Engineering professionals n.e.c. (2129)124,800 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.25. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (17-2171).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test