Also called: Reservoir Simulation Engineer
Estimates how much oil or gas is trapped underground and plans how to pump out as much as possible.
You build a 3D computer model of rock a mile underground, with millions of cells holding oil, gas and water. You test what happens if you drill five new wells or inject water, and present the best plan to managers deciding on a $50 million investment.
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 engineering; master's common.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Petroleum Engineering, Geoscience.
Growing slowly (about 1% over 10 years). Tracks petroleum engineers; the same skills transfer to carbon storage and geothermal.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI reservoir models and history matching run much faster, so fewer engineers per field; judgment on reserves stays human.
Classes: AP Calculus, AP Statistics, Earth science, Computer science.
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.