Is there really a shortage of petroleum engineers?
I am not sure if there are a shortage of petroleum engineers but there are not many petroleum engineers. As the people above me have said, people are leaning towards getting a chemical engineering degree instead as there are more opportunities for chemical engineers than petroleum engineers especially in this U.S. economy when even big U.S. oil companies are on a hiring slowdown. Because as a petroleum engineer, the main job you are looking for is in the oil industry it does significantly narrow your options upon graduating. The oil industry goes through cycles. There are up cycles when the cash is flowing like water and the hiring is great but there are also down cycles where budgets are cut and the hiring is more rigid. So in a sense it depends on if you are lucky to be graduating at the right time. This does not mean oil companies do not hire during down cycles, they just hire much less. I believe that oil will still be an integrated part in our lives for at least one more generatio
