How worth is doing my Graduation MS from University of Louisiana Lafayette in petroleum engg (not ranked high)?
I got a offer from this university for MS in petroleum engg.
This is a tier 4 university and is not among top ten universities that provide MS in petroleum engg.
How is the job scenario after graduation? The scholarship or part-time work on campus to fund my studies?
March 1st, 2010 at 9:24 am
In this business, rank is not that important. And honestly, neither is a masters degree. With the current economy, hiring is not as high as it was last year, however, they are still hiring and still paying high salaries. The reason being that the majority of the petroleum engineering workforce is over the age of 40. They may not desperately need people right now, but they will in the next 10 years as 50% of their workforce starts retiring. They need to get young engineers in the office with the older guys so that we can learn from them before they leave.
It is my opinion that you would be better off to hire on with a company right now, then to wait 2 years because the market will probably get worse. Also, this industry almost totally relies on experience rather than formal education. The pay difference for a masters degree is only a few thousand dollars per year, so you really don’t need it. If you go on to any company’s website and look at open positions, salary is based off of years of experience, not your degree.
March 1st, 2010 at 9:24 am
Petroleum Engineers are sustaining the current economic downturn. Lay-offs usually start elsewhere in the industry. But, by the time you enter the workforce, who knows?
This is a great industry and great career, if you are willing to travel.