Earning a four-year degree, gaining relevant work experience, and then becoming licensed by the local regulatory agency are the three main steps to becoming a pipeline engineer. You’ll need a bachelor’s of science (BS) degree, but you can generally choose which engineering specialty you want to pursue. You might want to concentrate on petroleum, mechanical, or even electrical engineering, depending on your interests. After that, you must pass an initial licensing exam and work as an intern for a specified period of time. You can become a pipeline engineer after gaining the necessary work experience and passing a final licensing exam.
Pipeline engineers are mostly employed by the gas and oil industries, and they work primarily from corporate headquarters, though they may be required to travel to job sites on occasion. They are in charge of gas and oil pipeline network planning, design, and implementation. Because pipelines are found all over the world, pipeline engineers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. You could focus on corrosion control, subsea engineering, or even facility design.
The first step toward becoming a pipeline engineer is to earn a four-year degree. If you have not yet completed high school, you should concentrate on math and science classes while also completing other college prerequisites such as foreign language courses. Your bachelor’s degree must be in an engineering field, though you do have some flexibility in selecting a specialty. Though you should be able to become a pipeline engineer with a specialty in mechanical, petroleum, or structural engineering, the degree you earn may affect your future job prospects.
Before you can work as a pipeline engineer, you must first obtain the necessary degree and then obtain a license. Local agencies, such as provincial governments in Canada and state governments in the United States, are usually in charge of this process. In the United States, there are two parts to the process: first, you must pass a fundamentals of engineering (FE) exam to become an engineer in training (EIT) or engineering intern (EI). After that, you’ll need to find work as an engineering intern before you can sit for another practical engineering exam (PE). You will be able to work as a fully licensed pipeline engineer after passing this exam.