Should I do petroleum engineering

[Firefenex]

Hi, This is my first time on this site. Im a senior in high school applying to colleges for petroleum engineering; during my junior year i wentto a petroleum engineering convention in San Antonio and fell in love with the atmosphere. I loved the idea of figuring out ways to get oil out of the ground and i loved the idea of making a lot of money: i know some just design parts for drilling but i dont know what to expect in this field. People say you must love math, and be prepared to live away from home most the time. I like math (Im decent at it) and I wouldnt mind traveling, but i have no actual idea of what its like to be away from home for months, ad i dont feel like i have an understanding of what certain jobs are and do in this field. So in order to truly find out if this is the right job for me...

I wanted to ask petroleum engineers
what is your job title?
what do you do?
how often are you away from home?
what math do you actually use? ( physics, geometry,calculus)
and not to be rude, but how much are you paid?

Anything that can help me decide is greatly appreciated

 

[chicopee]

One of my wife's relatives had a son who graduated as a Chem. Eng. from MIT. He got a job from an oil company and got stuck somewhere in the prairies of the Dakotas for 6 months living in a trailer. As a young guy that may sound adventurous but sucks in your social life, so he quit the oil company. Worse, you could get stuck in the Middle East where restrictions really abound so be choosy as to where you go.

 

[Firefenex]

I live in san Antonio Texas, so hopefully there will be openings near me or in corpus. But you said he lived in a trailer?! I would imagine his would put him in a a apartment or something. Thanks for ur 2 cents

 

[weldstan]

As a Senior in HS, you will graduate around 2018/19. It's difficult to advise you at this time; however, do expect to travel as a petroleum engineer or petroleum geologist. Oil is found in the darndest places over the globe. This past summer, on my return to San Antonio from Yellostone, I met many an oil field worker, including engineers, living at the KOA (2/3 full with oil patch workers and their families) in Carlsbad. Often there are few places to stay where the oil is. Workers in the Eagleford have been and are being housed in numerous substandard facilities and rents can be high. The infrastructure supporting oil booms can be awhile in coming.

 

[MortenA]

Choose engineering because you like (or any other field for that matter). I dont belive that you are going to "survive" through academic studies if its not a field that holds your inetrest. Forget the "bucket of gold" (or go into "investment banking" or something similar) imo! Focus on the journey not the end and dont be afraid to replan along the route!