Mining or Petroleum Engineering: Deciding a Career Path

  • Thread starter Thread starter suspenc3
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Petroleum
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the career path choices between mining engineering and petroleum engineering, particularly in the context of current industry trends and future job prospects. Participants express concerns about the oil and gas sector's future amid a shift towards greener energy sources.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses uncertainty about the future of the petroleum industry due to the green shift, despite believing that job prospects should remain stable upon graduation.
  • Another participant argues that the demand for oil and gas will persist for the foreseeable future, suggesting that the industry will continue to require expertise.
  • A different viewpoint highlights the challenges of finding new petroleum reserves, indicating that this will lead to increased research and development efforts and a demand for skilled professionals.
  • One participant mentions significant investments in technology for the oil and gas sector, suggesting that companies are still actively seeking to innovate despite declining reserves.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the future of the petroleum industry, with some believing in its continued relevance and others highlighting the challenges posed by resource depletion and the green energy transition. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the long-term viability of careers in this field.

Contextual Notes

Participants' claims depend on various assumptions about industry trends, technological advancements, and the pace of the green energy shift, which are not fully explored or agreed upon.

suspenc3
Messages
400
Reaction score
0
I'm currently in 3'rd year mining engineering at a Canadian university, there is no actual "Petroleum Engineering" program here, it is done as a Mining degree with a petroleum option. I'm more interested in the petroleum side of the industry, but with the current situation concerning the oil and gas sector, I'm kind of worried. Whichever road I choose, it shouldn't be too difficult to get a job upon graduation, but I'm unsure about the industries future due to the "green" shift among other things. What are other people's thoughts on the future of the industry?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
suspenc3 said:
I'm currently in 3'rd year mining engineering at a Canadian university, there is no actual "Petroleum Engineering" program here, it is done as a Mining degree with a petroleum option. I'm more interested in the petroleum side of the industry, but with the current situation concerning the oil and gas sector, I'm kind of worried. Whichever road I choose, it shouldn't be too difficult to get a job upon graduation, but I'm unsure about the industries future due to the "green" shift among other things. What are other people's thoughts on the future of the industry?

No worries...at least for the next 50 years. The world may certainly shift toward the green but the need for oil and gas isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

CS
 
And as petroleum reserves are used up it gets harder to find new ones - so more R+D and more demand for experts.
We are seeing that in the North Sea, even as major fields are running down the investment in high tech (ROVs, sonar, modelling etc ) is going up.
 
mgb_phys said:
And as petroleum reserves are used up it gets harder to find new ones - so more R+D and more demand for experts.
We are seeing that in the North Sea, even as major fields are running down the investment in high tech (ROVs, sonar, modelling etc ) is going up.

Yeah we just spent about 70,000 USD last year on a software program to model deepsea drilling risers. My company actual has a hard time finding good help in our industry.

CS
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
5K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
4K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
5K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
12K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
4K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
8K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
4K
  • · Replies 34 ·
2
Replies
34
Views
4K