The oil industry employs people from all over the world in a variety of positions. These positions are found in one of three stages of oil production: exploration, refinement, or distribution. Some jobs, like gas station sales clerks, are entry-level, whereas others, like drilling jobs, require advanced training. In the oil industry, engineers, mechanics, and commodities traders all play important roles.
Oil companies must first locate pockets of oil hidden beneath the Earth before drilling for oil can begin. Geologists and geophysical engineers who study rocks for traces of hydrocarbons and use seismic readings to try to predict where heavy concentrations of oil can be found have a lot of job opportunities in this industry. These engineers and scientists must also determine whether oil reserves are reachable and what the costs of extracting the oil would be.
Drilling jobs are among the most well-known of the oil industry’s occupations. Drillers drill test wells in areas where geologists believe there is oil. Drilling rigs usually have a crew of workers whose responsibilities range from operating the rotary drills to performing safety checks on the drilling platform. Engineers and mechanics collaborate with drilling crews to ensure that the machinery is in working order and that oil pockets can be penetrated. If the exploratory team discovers enough oil to warrant drilling a well, production teams are formed, which include engineers, drillers, and mechanics.
Oil transportation is a big part of a lot of jobs in the oil industry. Oil must be safely transported from rigs to onshore locations by barge operators and oil tanker crews. Pilots of helicopters and small boat crews transport production workers between rigs and, when necessary, medical crews. Truck drivers are in high demand as they transport crude oil to refineries and refined oil to gas stations and wholesalers.
People who sell oil hold some of the most important positions in the industry. On the open market, commodity traders sell barrels of oil, and their ability to get the best price has a direct impact on the company’s profits. Wholesalers hire traders to buy oil from refineries and then enter into contracts to sell oil as gasoline to gas stations all over the world. Clerks and salespeople in gas stations are the only customer-facing jobs.