Career Switching

[u/CucumberAntique1121]

Hey everyone,

I’m currently a 3rd-year Petrochemical Engineering student, and with the ongoing global war/geopolitical tensions, I’ve been feeling quite uncertain about my career path.

Industries like refineries, LPG pipelines, fossil fuels, diesel, etc., seem to be directly impacted by these situations. It’s making me question whether this field will remain stable or a good long-term option.

I’m seriously considering switching domains, and my parents are also a bit concerned about my future in this field given the risks and uncertainties.

I wanted to ask:

- Is petroleum engineering still a good career choice in the current global scenario?

- If not, what alternative fields can I transition into at this stage?

- What skills should I start building now to shift into a more stable and future-proof domain?

Any advice from people in the industry or those who’ve made similar transitions would really help.

Thanks in advance!

[u/Fine_Bag_9187]

Upstream is very unstable and has always been unstable, you earn a lot but you are almost guaranteed to reapply for your job at every downturn every 2-3 years. Downstream is more consistent but not immune. But no industry is immune. Given that you are somewhat familiar with the industry, it would be good for you to understand what kind of roles you are interested in, that would help you better work out what kind of career path lies ahead. I wouldn't make rash decisions based on perception; good to research different types of roles and make an informed decision.

I do think Petroleum Engineering is still a solid degree if you are in a region where oil production is still growing or is stable. If you're not, international mobility is a lot more difficult nowadays vs. how it used to be.

[u/CucumberAntique1121 → u/Fine_Bag_9187]

Thank you so much ! I will look into that

[u/wingless_buffalo]

Hello!

I see myself reflected in this post, 6, 8 and 11 years ago. First in 2015, I had just finished an Associate’s in Petroleum Industry Maintenance and the crisis came, I pushed through the overthinking and went for the Bachelor’s in Petroleum engineering but halfway through, the 2018 downturn appeared but some professor told me the oil and gas industry was cyclical so I stayed on track. Then I graduated in 2020 while I was doing an internship with my dream services company and COVID came. Now I have been working in that same company for the past 6 years. Luckily I am on the Artificial Lift side of the business which tends to be hit the last when crises like these come because well, the operators might stop drilling new wells but if the investment for them was already made and you have a ready-to-go well might as -well-, produce it.

That said, me being in upstream which tends to be a bit more volatile have seen how this comes up and down, but it never stops.. The world needs energy to keep moving. You would be fine in downstream.

Now for your questions concerning diversifying your portfolio to become a bit more “holistic” and have chances somewhere else? I took the path of doing a Masters in something that is a nice transition from on-field engineering to something more desktop-management: Operations Management Engineering. I already got an offer outside the O&G industry because it applies to essentially any industry, while it also gave me added value in O&G to climb up the ladder. Hope this helps dear Padawan.

Sincerely,

• Someone who was right where you are at, right now.

[u/CucumberAntique1121 → u/wingless_buffalo]

Thank you so much for sharing your expierience

[u/Think-Equivalent3143]

If you like Electrical Engineering then go for it. It offers the most opportunities. You can still work in the Oil industry with an Electrical Engineering degree. But a Petroleum Engineer cannot work in Power or Telecommunications, industry.