Companies

One of the advantages of pursuing a career in energy is that you can perform the same job function for a wide variety of companies. Thus, according to your preferences, skills and background, you have the freedom to decide for which of them you would most like to work. Oil companies are considered the most glamorous and exciting places to develop a career in energy. Most oil companies function as large international corporations, performing upstream, midstream and downstream activities.

In other words, they are in charge of the whole oil production process – from exploitation to distribution to wholesale and retail sale. Working for an oil company usually implies spending large amounts of time away from home, but these employers offer great rotational programs and relatively high salaries. Oil service companies, often comparatively smaller in size, provide oil companies with valuable operational support; developing a career in energy in a satellite company can provide a similar experience to working for a larger firm. Pipeline operators own gas and oil pipelines; some of them also have their own refineries and oil and gas distribution companies. Their revenues are often similar to a medium-sized oil company.

Utilities are situated nationwide, as their main role is to ensure that there is no city or region deprived of oil derived products and gas. This is one of the niches in which job seekers can find it relatively easier to get a job; industry experts expect a large number of current employees to retire within the next five years, thus opening up a number of new positions that will need to be filled. There are a wide variety of utilities; some have generation assets while others are simply distribution companies.

Transmission grid operators are in charge of establishing the quantity and timing of electricity provided to a region, and are always looking for technical staff with excellent skills in quantitative analysis. Transmission grid operators provide an ideal environment where someone with a technical profile can develop a career in energy.

Equipment manufacturers are located all across the country, supplying major oil companies with all the equipment required to perform their upstream, midstream and downstream activities. Investment funds and banks play important roles and are exciting places to pursue a career in energy, especially if you are interested in the sector but lack technical knowledge or a background in oil-related organizations