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re: Which engineering degree is better? Petroleum or civil?

Posted on 2/14/16 at 7:30 pm to
Posted by BoostAddict
Member since Jun 2007
2989 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 7:30 pm to
quote:

Electrical



I have a degree in both... from my experience EE's are vastly overpaid.

So if you want to do some easy shite for the big bucks, I agree, go with EE.
Posted by Spankum
Miss-sippi
Member since Jan 2007
56106 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 7:41 pm to
quote:

Which engineering degree is better? Petroleum or civil? by Killer Joe Cooper


depends on what you want out of life....

PetE can make a ton of money and travel the world doing it, if you wish...otherwise, you'll generally be on the gulf coast or some other oil producing area...the con is that when oil prices go down, the bottom just falls out of the whole field. PetE is the epitome of "feast of famine", IMO....

CE is typically steady as hell, as road and infrastructure work never really stops. best thing about CE is that it is fairly easy to open your own consulting firm and also almost every city/town enlists the services of at least one CE, so you can live in a lot broader range of towns and locales.

the con for CE is that it typically doesn't pay quite as much as some of the other engineering disciplines.
Posted by Croacka
Denham Springs
Member since Dec 2008
61441 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 7:45 pm to
I make plenty as a CE


If you want to work for an oil company, a good gpa in most disciplines will get you hired


If I could do it over again, I'd still choose civil
This post was edited on 2/14/16 at 7:48 pm
Posted by CE Tiger
Metairie
Member since Jan 2008
41584 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 7:49 pm to
Im a CE working for the power company. Never even thought this was a possibility when I graduated but I love the work I do and the pay is worlds better than when I was in consulting
Posted by BoostAddict
Member since Jun 2007
2989 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 7:49 pm to
quote:

the con for CE is that it typically doesn't pay quite as much as some of the other engineering disciplines.



Depends who you work for. Civil/structural guys in the petrochem. industry make just as much other disciplines... at least at the places I've worked.
Posted by Croacka
Denham Springs
Member since Dec 2008
61441 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 7:57 pm to
Same where I'm at

All disciplines essentially are paid the same, based on experience and "grade/level"
Posted by FootballNostradamus
Member since Nov 2009
20509 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 8:04 pm to
Civil is gonna be your most broad degree and most stable from a job standpoint. However, as with most things, stability and consistency comes with a lower pay ceiling.

Petroleum will give you a higher pay ceiling (especially right away), but you're gonna feel the peaks much more than in civil.
Posted by Gaston
Dirty Coast
Member since Aug 2008
39062 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 8:07 pm to
Basic science >>> engineering.
Posted by lsusportsman2
Member since Oct 2007
27232 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 8:17 pm to
quote:

There are more civil jobs available, but they don't generally pay as much.

Petroleum pays more, but there is a glut of graduates combined with the industry itself practically in freefall.

Civil is by far the better degree to have today, though that wasn't the case 4 years ago, and may or may not be the case 4 years from now.


By far the best post in this thread.
Posted by Asgard Device
The Daedalus
Member since Apr 2011
11562 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 8:21 pm to
quote:

but there is a glut of graduates combined with the industry itself practically in freefall.



The refining industry is in a free fall? What? Their raw materials are as cheap as ever.
Posted by Slippery Slope
Hail Satan
Member since Nov 2010
20346 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 8:23 pm to
Electrical
Posted by Sun God
Member since Jul 2009
44874 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 8:23 pm to
Most of the high paying PETE jobs are in exploration/drilling. So he's got a point.
Posted by kingbob
Sorrento, LA
Member since Nov 2010
67212 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 8:31 pm to
quote:

The refining industry is in a free fall? What? Their raw materials are as cheap as ever.


Refining often hires more Chem E's than PETE's. PETE's are typically more drilling and exploration. That industry is in freefall. It's a good time to be a Chem E right now.
Posted by Sun God
Member since Jul 2009
44874 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 8:32 pm to
Is there an echo in here?
Posted by KG6
Member since Aug 2009
10920 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 8:35 pm to
The OP can rephrase the questions as, I want the easiest engineering degree possible, should I go PETE or Civil.

Honestly, mechanical can get you in a lot of placestuff and "substitute" for a particular degree (for example I'm doing more of a PETE job). Chemical doesnt always make as much as PETE, but it's much more stable and probably pays better than ME. Electrical can also pull in the money. I would never personally get a PETE degree, but I'd never get a civil either.
Posted by OweO
Plaquemine, La
Member since Sep 2009
114040 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 8:39 pm to
Hint. Its not civil.
Posted by Rex
Here, there, and nowhere
Member since Sep 2004
66001 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 8:40 pm to
quote:

Which engineering degree is better? Petroleum or civil?

Whichever makes you happier.
Posted by Halftrack
The Wild Blue Yonder
Member since Apr 2015
2763 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 8:41 pm to
Engineers are goofy ... Pocket protectors and all.
Posted by El Jefe
_______(\___ southeast of disorder
Member since Jan 2004
1224 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 9:14 pm to
Say what you will, but we have an opening posted through LSU for a entry level CE/EVEG. The majority of resumes we've received are from MEs and PETEs. Either they can't read or they are grasping at straws. As for salary, I'd put mine up against most of my engineer counterparts. And I can say the same for the other CE's I know.
Posted by BayouWrangler
Member since Feb 2011
1231 posts
Posted on 2/14/16 at 9:30 pm to
It's not the refining but the exploration end that is in freefall. There hasn't been a major new refinery built in ages with the exception of some large expansions.
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