How to become a successful drilling engineer

If you want to work in a managerial role and work with different parts of drilling equipment, you can be excellent as a drilling engineer. This regulatory role requires monitoring the well drilling process safely and efficiently. Before you can work as a successful drilling engineer, you must first meet many requirements. Find out what a drilling engineer is, what he does, the skills they have and how to become a drilling engineer.

 

What is a drilling engineer?

A drilling engineer works for Petroleum Chemistry companies and plans and manages the drilling operations of oil platforms. They design, manage and maintain various drilling equipment and machinery and oversee the drilling process to ensure its safety and efficiency. Drilling engineers usually design and implement ways to drill wells in ways that save on Organization costs and keep other employees safe. Some drilling engineers work long, rotating shifts and may require commuting to different workplaces.

What does the drilling engineer do?

Drilling engineers are specialists employed by mobile drilling units or offshore oil platforms to monitor the well drilling process, from building initial well design to testing plans to implementing these plans and schemes in workplaces. They are working on a team of drillers to extract resources including metallic ore, natural gas and minerals from a variety of land types whether on land or in water. Drilling engineers typically serve in supervisory roles to monitor the performance and productivity of their drilling team.

The common job responsibilities of drilling engineers are:

• Preparation of data sheets every well the team drills

• Creating production flows and planning for drilling various wells

• Monitoring the Daily Progress of staff and well operations

• Track daily costs and funding of drilling efforts and compare costs with cost proposals

• Establish safety protocols and processes to ensure the protection of drills at all times

• Construction and execution of drilling contracts and services to teams and customers

• Drilling wells on different surfaces and designing directional paths

• Assessing the risks of any drilling site

• Report management and logistics of each drilling operation

Drilling engineer skills

Successful drilling engineers must have effective leadership and interpersonal skills to assign tasks to them based on employees ‘ skills, expertise and interests. Since drilling engineers are regularly on their feet throughout the day, they must have considerable physical endurance to perform most of the relevant hard work. Some employers may expect drilling engineers to visit different destinations to oversee specific teams or design drilling tracks on different types of land, so the desire to travel is important.

Other common skills of drilling engineers for success include:

• Interpersonal and auditory abilities

• Leadership and delegation skills

• Strong physical endurance and manual skill

• Ability to report

• Verbal and written communication skills

• Ability to team up and collaborate

• Ability to solve problems and think critically

• Ability to remain calm in high-pressure situations

How to become a drilling engineer

Effective drilling engineers must see the necessary training, licensing and training to perform well in this role. To become a great drilling engineer follow the steps below:

1. Earn your bachelor’s degree

Most employers require drilling engineer volunteers to have at least a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering or a related field. The courses offered in this program provide an overview of the basics of Engineering, Science and mathematics and how they relate to oil or gas production, drilling and transportation.

The courses most involved in drilling engineering include thermodynamics, well testing, engineering ethics, mechanics and geographic statistics. These courses include class lectures and laboratory experiences.

2. Participate in the internship

To gain experience in the field of drilling engineer, take an internship before or immediately after the end of your undergraduate course. It is possible to overshadow a full-time drilling engineer to better understand their tasks and how to work in the drilling environment. This can help you better understand if you want to devote all your time to this role after graduation. Consult with your professors to see if the program is partnered with companies offering internships for college credit.

3. Gain practical experience

When you are ready to pursue a full-time role, you can start as an entry-level employee working under the supervision of a drilling engineer. You can help these professionals conduct research and collect data for future drilling engineering projects before you move on to higher level field work. As you gain additional job experience, you may receive more complex responsibilities, such as traveling to different drilling sites, designing different platforms and oil paths, and implementing solutions to complex workplace challenges.

4. Get your license

Once you have worked as a drilling engineer for several years, you will need to obtain a license from your state. Most states have similar qualifications to obtain a drilling engineer’s license, including a bachelor’s degree, several years of work in the field of drilling engineer and admission to professional engineering exams and engineering principles. These exams will test you on the basic engineering experiences you have learned from your engineering degree program.

After obtaining this license, you must maintain it by regularly complying with the updated continuing education requirements, which are all different in the state. Review your state’s specific requirements to better understand what you need to renew your license.

5. Get your certificate

A great way to upgrade your skill set to be promoted in your role is to earn an additional certification. Consider receiving one from the Society of petroleum engineers. The requirements for this certification include a bachelor’s degree in engineering, four years of relevant work experience in the field, and a proven track record of ethical job performance. You must also take the written test and be accepted and continue the education necessary to regularly renew this certificate.

6. Improve your education

Some employers may require volunteers to obtain their master’s degree in petroleum engineering. Even if not required, this degree can help you stand out among hiring managers and can make you eligible for promotions, more complex and important responsibilities, and higher salaries. The programs last about two years and offer courses such as water geology, reservoir engineering, and industrial applications.