Energy Sector Offers Great Opportunities for Engineers

As little as ten years ago, prospects for engineers in the energy sector on home soil, here in the United States, were pretty dismal. The vast majority of the world’s energy is produced overseas and our country has been increasingly reliant on foreign imports for natural gas. However, as new oil fields emerge in the Dakotas, and alternative sources for natural gas extracted from shale emerge, the picture is changing rapidly.

Engineering students interested in working in the energy sector are now finding that there are numerous opportunities, right here at home. Many of them start in the industry right out of school and find that their lives are dramatically impacted for the better. 24 year olds are capable of purchasing their own new homes almost immediately after starting work, thanks to the high pay rates and the overwhelming demand for qualified engineers.

Kelli Stevens, a spokeswoman for Suncor Energy stated, “Right now, we’re hiring quite a few of process engineers, reliability engineers and mining engineers. We hire co-op engineering students, especially in Fort McMurray, but also across Canada for our refineries, wind farms and offshore developments. And in many of those co-op positions, we give them a chance to do a rotational role. They start working in one group and a few months later they’re transferred to another group so they get to see a few different areas of how things work around the company.”

Stevens continued, “When you’re young and trying to figure out what is it you really love to do, you’re really only going to figure it out by doing it, so the more they are exposed to different areas, the more chance they have to figure out what means the most to them in terms of future work.”

Instead of having to look overseas for work, and undergo a difficult transition to a different culture, engineering students are suddenly finding plenty of opportunities right here at home. As new exploration opens up more oil fields and opportunities, these trends are expected to continue. In fact, the United States is set to become a major exporter of natural gas, instead of an importer, thanks to these advances and changes.

Want more information about these and other exciting careers in the energy sector? Give the pros at Footbridge Energy a call today!