It is well known that the best paying jobs in oil and gas production can be found in almost anywhere in the world. This is true even during a time of economic downturn. Even during the pandemic, the demand for workers in this industry has remained strong.
That is part of the reason why jobs in oil and gas production are so appealing. Plus, these are well-paying jobs that don’t really require extensive schooling or years of work experience.
The 10 Best Paying Jobs in Oil and Gas Production
In the order of lowest to highest salary, here are the current top 10 best paying jobs in oil and gas production.
10. Gas Plant Operators
While it only requires about six months of education, the average annual salary for Gas Plant Operators is $72,000. There are some other certifications required. A Gas Plant Operator works with the gear that is required to process the natural gas coming out of the earth into gas forms that can be used in homes, businesses, and industry.
Find Gas Plant Operator jobs HERE
9. Drill Operators
This is somewhat obvious, but Drill Operators are running the machines that are actually pulling the oil out of the ground or the seafloor. Average annual salary for this occupation is $98,000.
New to the oil and gas industry? Watch this short video about how the industry works. This will help you get better prepared to search for one of these best paying jobs in oil and gas production:
8. Well Testers
This job requires a bit of travel, usually going from one site to another. Well Testers are inspecting equipment and the production from that equipment. This is one of the move tech savvy oil and gas production jobs. There is actually no “well tester” school or degree, but people in this job need to really understand computer programming and MS Excel. The average annual salary for a Well Tester is $102,000.
7. Chemical Engineer
This is a job that requires some intense schooling. A chemical engineering degree is required and it is a tough curriculum. As a Chemical Engineer you do everything from designing equipment to running research projects. A Chemical Engineer’s average annual salary is $104,000 per year.
Find Chemical Engineer jobs HERE
6. Geologist
Geologists are an important part of the oil and gas production process. They are experts in the earth and these are the people who pinpoint oil and gas drilling locations. Geologists are employed in other industries, however in the oil and gas industry their average salary is $110,000 per year.
5. Petroleum Engineers
We are halfway through out list of the best paying jobs in oil and gas production and that leads us to #5 – Petroleum Engineers. Like their chemical engineer counterparts, Petroleum Engineers need at least a bachelor’s degree. They are responsible for the production side of what comes out of oil and gas wells. As you might expect, this industry has a high concentration of Petroleum Engineers. Their average annual salary is $110,000.
Find Petroleum Engineer jobs HERE
4. Rig Manager
For a job that has an average annual salary of $126,000, it is surprising that Rig Managers don’t require a specific college degree. They do require experience. Most of these positions get filled by people who have spent a few years on crews and have progressively been promoted to this position.
3. Completion Driller
While it is not in the job title, Completion Drillers usually require some sort of engineering degree. This position is really focused on hydraulic fracturing jobs. Completion Drillers are tasked with getting the job ready and most of the maintenance operations. These positions pay an average annual salary of $150,000.
Find Completion Driller jobs HERE
2. Foreman and Supervisors
This is likely one of the most experienced best paying jobs in oil and gas production. The Foreman or Supervisor usually has many years of experience in this industry. The scope of responsibility of this job is broad and significant. The Supervisor is overseeing, and ultimately responsible for, safe working conditions, expenditures for the job or project, leveraging available resources, and dealing with the various contractors. The average annual salary for an oil and gas production Foreman is $180,000.
Find Foreman and Supervisor jobs HERE
NUMBER ONE
We have arrived at the number one of the best paying jobs in oil and gas production. This is the person who has gained expertise in just about every part of the field.
The number one position is Drilling Consultant. This job often requires a lot of travel. Drilling Consultants have at least a bachelor’s degree in engineering. More likely they have a masters degree or sometimes higher. Coming in at the number one highest salary spot on our list, they will make $230,000 per year.
Find Drilling Consultant jobs HERE
Summary Of The Best Paying Jobs In Oil and Gas Production
10. Gas Plant Operators – $72,000
9. Drill Operators – $98,000
8. Well Testers – $102,000
7. Chemical Engineer – $104,000
6. Geologists – $110,00
5. Petroleum Engineer – $111,000
4. Rig Manager – $126,000
3. Completion Driller – $150,000
2. Foremen and Supervisors – $180,000
1. Drilling Consultant – $230,000
How To Find One Of the Best Paying Jobs In Oil and Gas Production
Okay. You’ve decided this is the field for you and you want to (eventually) get into one for these best paying jobs.
How do you start?
Let’s assume you want to land one of these best paying jobs in oil and gas production, but you have no experience in this field. You might have a great work history and education credentials, it might even be related, but this is new to you.
First you need to get real. Many people blindly send resumes until they can’t think straight any longer. … Dead Silence. Submitting resumes is actually the hardest way to discover a job in oil and gas production.
When beginning, many people do a Google search or find job listings for the large oil and gas businesses. If you do not have connections or experience, it would be simpler to get your very first job with a smaller business and work your way up as you get some experience in the industry.
Here are some pointers to surpass the gatekeepers and get called for an interview.
Drop In to an Oil and Gas Production Company and Ask for a Job
In the oilfield, you can still walk into an office and ask to apply. This does not work for the truly big oilfield companies, but smaller sized oilfield companies still employ in this manner. You’ll find this more common when you get outside the huge cities.
Make a list of companies you want to target (see below) and start knocking on doors!
Your Network
The people hiring for these best paying jobs in oil and gas production are an extremely tight knit neighborhood. Without a doubt, the simplest way to find a job is getting a recommendation from someone who already works at one of these companies.
If you don’t know anybody, this makes it hard to get in. But for the people that have actually been in the industry for a long period of time, this is their most productive method.
It’s not unusual for an experienced worker to jump to their company’s rival to get more pay. It often happens when one of their pals made the dive and asked them to come over.
Ask members of your family, friends, and good friends of pals if they know anybody in the oil and gas production business. If so, inquire if they know anyone hiring.
A personal introduction goes a long way, and even if it is simply a foot in the door. It is by far the number one way of getting one of these best paying jobs in oil and gas production. This is 1000X better than submitting resumes.
Social network
If you have no oil and gas people in your network, social media is your next action. Start getting associated with discussions in social media groups.
LinkedIn— See if you are somehow connected to anyone working at your target company. Reach out to them directly for advice about how to get hired. Or, ask them for an introduction to someone else more appropriate to your goals at their company
Facebook— Join oil and gas production groups and get involved in the discussion.
Do not be creepy. Don’t be the person that posts, “get me a job” to people you do not know.
Employment Agencies
Employment agencies are a good place to start if you have little experience and are trying to get into the field. Agencies know who is hiring for one of these best paying jobs in oil and gas production.
They can search for openings and start putting you in appropriate positions to build your experience. These will be mostly tough manual work jobs, however in some cases you need to begin someplace.
Trade Schools
If you went to a trade school, almost all schools have programs in place to help their students get positioned in a job after school.
Leverage this to your advantage.
Do you require a diploma to get one of the best paying jobs in oil and gas production?
No, there are many novice oil and gas production jobs that do not require a diploma – just strong work principles. Some oil and gas production companies work with individuals with no experience at all.
Engineers, and several of the higher paying jobs listed above do require a diploma and/or college degree. As in all industries a diploma helps. It’s a foot in the door, but not always a requirement.
Some oilfield jobs provide on the job training.
Many oil and gas production companies, especially the huge service companies, have excellent in-house training programs that will teach you all you need to know. (Schlumberger, Halliburton, and so on).
Am I required to take a drug test to get a job in oil and gas production?
Yes, in almost all cases you will need to be able to pass a drug test. After all, if you want to land some of the best paying jobs in oil and gas production it is going to be competitive and the employers are not going to take any chances. The majority of employers will perform both pre-employment and random checks to satisfy the needs of their customers. The Operators will also in some cases conduct random drug tests when you get to jobs sites.
There is still a lot of opportunity for the best paying jobs in oil and gas production. Some require very advanced degrees, but some you can get into with very little education and experience.
List of Major Companies That Offer the Best Paying Jobs In Oil and Gas Production:
Anadarko
BP
Chevron
Conoco
Devon
ENI
Exxon
Hilcorp
Ophir
Repsol
Shell
Suncor
Total
Drilling Contractors:
Diamond Offshore
Ensco
Ensign
Frontier Drilling
Helmerich & Payne
Maersk
Nabors
Noble
Pacific Drilling
Patterson UTI
Pioneer Energy Services
Precision Drilling
Rowan
Seadrill
Sidewinder
Transocean
Service Companies
Aker Solutions
BJ Services
Expro
Flowserve
Frank’s
GE Oil & Gas
Halliburton
Key Energy Services
NOV
Oceaneering
Schlumberger
Tesco
Weatherford
The first step is to make a personal commitment to this career move. If you are coming from a completely different field, expect to take a step back. It won’t be easy to get hired into one of the best paying jobs in oil and gas production if you lack a lot of experience. You may need to start at a lower level of pay or responsibility then what you currently experience. However, intelligent, hard workers can advance quickly in this industry.
Go now and apply to the oil and gas production jobs listed HERE. At the very least you will get your resume and name in front of a recruiter who specializes in this industry.