Oil & Gas structural engineering 1

[WWTEng]

I have never worked for the O&G industry but I am considering it as a long term career path. Majority of my background (6+ years) is architectural and some industrial. For those who already work in this industry, what are some of the differences between upstream, downstream and off-shore work. And how easy a switch would it be for someone with no background in the industry.

Thanks.

 

[PieRRound]

I personally think it would be a piece of cake for any savvy engineer. It won't take long to get the gist of things!

 

[JAE]

Watch out for the insurance requirements by the company as well as the contract language....their contracts are killers.

They typically are worded as though you were a sub-contractor installing widgets and not as a professional service supplier.

There are standard of care issues as well as very high insurance requirements.

 

[arlequin]

Structural principles are the same, and chances are that you will be designing to a steel building code as you do in architectural projects.

In my case (offshore subsea) I had to undergo a bit of specific training to know installation methods, transportation and lifting matters plus specific offshore software. The company I work for was happy to provide this training which lasted around 6 months.

For starters, to me is best to be employed by a company rather than self-employed (to avoid all the insurance malarkey) but all this would probably depend on your jurisdiction and business practices in your area.

Good luck

 

[delagina]

You need referrals to get into O&G if you don't have experience in the industry.
Or you can start with small O&G companies before applying to big EPCs like Fluor, Bechtel, etc...

O&G is good, they pay more than commercial, they also pay overtime.
O&G has a lot of fancy 3d softwares that employers would want you to know. That is your disadvantage getting into O&G without referral.

 

[WWTEng]

arlequin, delagina. Thanks for the input. You are right, it does seem harder to find a position in the industry. I am working on finding some references so hopefully that will help me out.

 

[delagina]

Your best chance to get in O&G is now. There's a boom coz of shale gas, many EPCs are hiring.

 

[WWTEng]

delagina, is Houston the main hub for this industry or are there other areas that I should also look into?

 

[LittleInch]

Upstream and downstream, at least onshore, is essentially about pipe racks and support structures for equipment. Offshore however is quite specialised and without either experience or having training in software like SACS or Flexcom you probably won't get very far.

Switching, yes it's possible, easy, not so much. You might need to take a more junior position than you expect to start with just to get a toe hold or pay yourself for some of the vendor software package training or industry driven general structural training packages. Not cheap but without it I think you'll find it more difficult than you think unless you have a lead in, whether personal or a bit of luck.

My motto: Learn something new every day

Also: There's usually a good reason why everyone does it that way

 

[delagina]

houston is also filled with thousands of o&g engineers with tons of o&g experience that you will be competing with.
there are many o&g engineering firms scattered in the US but yes, houston is definitely the main hub.

 

[GerryBertier]

Money and not having to deal with architects has always made me interested in O&G. But I'm not in Houston and I don't want to move.