Also called: Frac Engineer, Stimulation Engineer
Designs how a drilled well gets finished and fractured so oil and gas can flow out.
You're at a wellsite surrounded by a dozen giant pump trucks blasting water and sand into the rock at high pressure. In the data van you watch pressure charts live and adjust the pumping plan stage by stage.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in petroleum, mechanical or chemical engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Petroleum Engineering, Chemical Engineering.
Growing slowly (about 1% over 10 years).
Medium risk for 10 years. AI optimizes frac designs and electric fleets automate pumping; on-site supervision and fixing problems stay human.
Classes: Physics, Chemistry, Earth science, Algebra II.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2171.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.