Finding the Perfect Oil and Gas Job Match

Unless you actually have a job in the oil and gas industry you probably take for granted all those wonderful gadgets and products that make modern lifestyles so rich and comfortable. Think of the airplanes that allow global travel, the cars that allow personal mobility or the freezers that allow us to eat strawberries in winter. Of course the energy that makes all these things possible is human energy in all those oil and gas jobs.

Oil and gas jobs have been booming ever since the birth of the industry in the 1890's. At the present time and for the foreseeable future oil and gas jobs are the source of personal wealth for millions of industry employees around the World. These people keep the oil and gas flowing and all those modern conveniences running.

Oil and gas jobs are the most complex part of an extremely complex economic sector. If you are considering applying for an oil and gas job it is good to have an overview of this complex industry. There will almost certainly be a niche oil and gas job for your particular skills and knowledge.

Broadly speaking oil and gas jobs can be thought of as falling into three arenas depending upon their proximity to the oil and gas fields. The three arenas are upstream, midstream and downstream. The upstream arena, closest to the oil and gas fields is known as the , exploration and production arena. The oil and gas jobs here are all about seeking new sources of oil and new gas fields, drilling test wells and operating them in order to extract the crude oil or raw natural gas. The core oil and gas job discipline upstream is 'geo-science'.

The midstream arena is all about transforming, storing, marketing and moving crude oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids and sulfur. The core disciplines here, are as various as they are in any other commercial sector. Business skills such as marketing, personnel and distribution predominate the oil and gas jobs in this arena.

The third arena is the downstream one where the oil and gas jobs are all about crude oil refining, as well as selling and distribution of all those hydrocarbon based products such as LPG, petrol, diesel oil or jet fuel which helps generate the electricity that keeps your freezer cool.

Within each arena there is complex network of inter-related oil and gas jobs. Each of them being done by people with a wide range of professional and trade based skills. So as well as the oil and gas finders and extractors there are the ubiquitous technological support services with their IT specialists, financial management, logistics specialists, sales, administration, human resource people and many others.

So if you are seeking an oil and gas job then think about which arena, which business function and which processes your particular skills and experience would best fit in. Remember too that oil and gas jobs often require relocation, especially in the upstream arena. There are more than 40,000 oil and gas fields Worldwide. The Middle East remains the largest source of oil and gas in the World. Saudi Arabia is on top of almost 22% of the World's known oil reserves. North America and Europe extract refine and distribute a lot of their own oil and gas therefore do not export much. So if you were to find an oil or gas job for a European or American company you are less likely to have to relocate outside your home continent.

About the Author:

Frank Cullen MD www.oilandgasjobvacancies.com

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