How hard is petroleum engineering?
I am currently in my first year of petroleum engineering and in my opinion, it is darn hard! At my uni, you won't believe the amount of students that failed first year courses. You have to like math and phys and you have to be able to do them and understand their concepts because they will be important in your future years of study. But when you get into the field, the years spent at uni will seem like baby work and you will realise that you know close to nothing so everyday in the industry is a day where you keep learning and everything that you would have learnt in university will be a sort of platform to guide you (but the real knowledge comes with experience). The study is hard but if you keep that end goal in mind (to be an engineer) then nothing can stop you. Just enjoy it and embrace it and when the times get tough, just keep going and remember why you started in the first place:) GOODLUCK!!
Petroleum engineer is it that hard?
I am studying petroleum engineering and I'll graduate next year. I go to the University of Oklahoma and it is one of the best schools for petroleum. Petroleum engineering, is like any other engineering, it is hard if you don't study but relatively easy if you attend classes and study for it! Math is a huge issue, in advanced courses you will need math as a tool to solve questions and derive formulas. I had 15 hours of Calculus and differential equations before moving on to advanced courses. Petroleum engineers usually make between 85k and up to 120k as a starting salary. If one is experienced that number can be much much higher. If you have bad grades in hs then I suggest going to a community college and earn a very high GPA and then transfer to a university. Good luck in life! You'll do great!!! :)
How difficult is it to become a Petroleum Engineer in college?
It is very difficult, but it is manageable. At my school, The University of Oklahoma (top petroleum engineering program in the world), it was the hardest major at the school. There are long hours and lots of studying, and you have to do summer internships each summer. If calculus and physics were manageable for you, then you should be fine. You just need to keep focused from day one, which is hard to do with all of the fun going on around you. My freshmen class started with 150 people, and only 75 graduated. Only 5 people had over a 3.5 GPA. But as long as you have over a 3.0, you are going to get a job. Many people will tell you to do chemical or mechanical engineering. You can still get a job as a petroleum engineer, but there is one major drawback to that. Money! The average starting salary for a mech eng is 60k, chem eng is 70k .... Pet Engr is 100k! That is with a bachelors a degree. And guess what, they pay you based on your other offers. So, if we hire a mech eng, they start at 70k, that way we are their highest offer, but if we want a pet Engr for the same position, we have to offer ~110k or they will take another offer. I work with several mech & chem engrs doing the same thing, but I make $40k more a year than they do. Masters degree average is 103k, it is not worth getting a masters. The reason is that this is an experienced based industry, what you learn in school is just a foundation to really Learn once you start working. That's why a pet Engr, who has studied pet engineering for 2 years and has 9 months experience (3 summer internships) is worth more than a mech or chem Engr who graduates with no idea where oil even comes from. Also, those intern ships for pet engrs pay $20-40 per hour! We also have more scholarsip money than the rest of the university combine, and we are only 1% of the population. I actually got paid to go to school. You will miss plenty of parties, but when you graduate, you will be able to afford all the fun you want while everyone else is trying to find a $40k a year job so they can pay down their $80k student loan over the next 10 years.
Is PETROLEUM ENGINEERING still a degree worth getting.?
Since I am a petroleum engineer I do disagree with Jordan. In any degree you can play two different roles: 1- A lazy student who won't get anything. 2- An active one who will be better than his or her Teachers. Petroleum Engineering consists of various disciplines like Geophysics, Geology, Fluid and Rock Mechanics, Chemical Engineering and etc. You are the one to decide which way your life would be. You have to be honest with yourself and know in which way you are most talented. Generally there are some different classifications of your future job e.g Physician, Engineering, Arts, Science, literatures and etc. In any cases there are lots of branches. If you are interested in Engineering this is time to think about which branches of engineering you should apply. Anyway, about petroleum engineering I can say "it worth". This is very practical and any theory you learn in university is applied in the oil industries. Frankly, one of the most practical engineering is petroleum one. As I'm concerned, world is becoming hungry of oil more and more. You can check it out by looking into the oil prices since at least 5 years ago. However, if you are going to choose petroleum engineering be careful about its branches. Because they work in many different categories and places. Some are in office and do simulations and some are completely in the field and away from their families. Some are in the lab and some are doing all aforementioned.
Questions about Petroleum Engineering?
1. What's it like? 2. Do Petroleum Engineers enjoy their job? 3. Do they travel a lot? If so, where? 4. With a Petroleum Engineering degree, how hard is it to get a job in the field? 5. Can you get this job with a Mechanical engineering degree? 6. Which would you prefer, Petroleum or Mechanical Engineering? 7. Over all, is Petroleum E. a good career?