Day in the life
A Day in the Life of a Petroleum Engineer
What petroleum engineers actually do from the start of a shift to the end: the tasks, tools, schedule and realities of the job.
What is a typical day like for a petroleum engineer?
Review drilling reports. From there, the day usually includes plan wells, design drilling programs, and design completions. Full time, with rotations or on-call for field roles.
Hour by hour: a typical shift
No two days are identical, but this timeline reflects a realistic day for a petroleum engineer working full time.
- Review drilling reports.
- Call the rig.
- Run a reservoir model.
- Design a frac program.
- Review production decline.
- Meet geologists.
- Update economics.
Where petroleum engineers work
Petroleum engineers work in offices and at rigs and field sites.
Hours and schedule
Full time, with rotations or on-call for field roles.
Tasks you’ll do most often
- Plan wells
- Design drilling programs
- Design completions
- Model reservoirs
- Improve production
- Estimate reserves
- Manage costs
Tools you’ll use every day
- Petrel
- Eclipse or CMG
- Python
- Excel
- Drilling software
- Production databases
The best and hardest parts of the job
What people like
- Very high pay
- Technical challenge
- Global opportunities
- Carbon storage skills transfer
What’s hard
- Boom-and-bust cycles
- Field rotations
- Energy transition uncertainty
- Remote locations
You’ll likely thrive if…
- I like math and geology
- I want very high pay
- I can handle cycles
- I like field work
- I solve problems
- I like big projects
Not sure? Take the free Petroleum Engineer fit quiz or the Career Match Quiz.
Staying safe on the job
- Follow well control procedures
- Follow rig safety
- Prevent spills
- Manage H2S hazards