Sometimes referred to as the “Energy Capital of the World,” Houston is an epicenter for oil and gas production in the United States. It is home to 13 of the 20 of the nation’s largest energy transmission companies as well as 600 exploration and production firms and more than 170 pipeline operators in addition to the 5000 energy firms doing business in the area. Keep reading…
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About Houston Oil and Gas Jobs
Oil and gas are responsible for roughly 30% of Houston’s economy, which is part of why the city struggled so much in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that tanked gas prices nationwide. It is difficult to estimate just how many jobs are created by the Houston oil and gas industry, but the current number suggests that almost 300,000 employees are directly associated with the industry but that the effect of the industry extends regionally to almost 3 million jobs, making energy the economic engine of Houston.
Career Path
Jobs in oil and gas are many and varied, ranging from manual jobs out in the oil fields to engineering, research, and environmental roles all the way up to business and administrative positions. Those upper-level roles are typically filled through internal promotion so they are rarely open to external applicants but we will detail the other two categories of jobs in the Houston oil and gas industry. Many upper-level oil and gas executives started by working out in the oil fields and worked their way up to administrative positions. While these manual labor roles can be grueling, they are one of the easiest ways to break into the industry. They do not generally require any qualifications beyond technical certifications, but having a bachelor’s degree in science or engineering is looked upon favorably. The jobs served by these positions are varied, but they include tasks like delivering parts, mechanical repair, rig installation, and working on a pipeline.
Typical Compensation
Entry-level positions out in the field make roughly $50,000 annually but are ripe with opportunities for advancement up to managerial positions that can make as much as $100,000 annually. Engineering and research-oriented positions in the Houston oil and gas industry have higher qualifications but generate paychecks to match. For example, a drilling engineer must have a bachelor’s degree at minimum in engineering and usually several years of work experience but makes well over $100,000 annually. Research and environmental roles charged with developing new technologies and assessing environmental impacts have similar requirements in their respective fields and also make well over six figures each. It is no secret that the oil and gas industry is an extremely lucrative career path. While working out in the field can be dangerous and physically demanding, the paychecks offset the danger and lead to overwhelmingly high reports of job satisfaction among oil and gas employees in Houston.