Petroleum engineers play an important role in finding and extracting oil and gas from the earth. They design the equipment and develop the methods used to extract oil and gas after its discovered. Working with other professionals, such as geologists, petroleum engineers design and spearhead drilling operations to ensure the recovery of natural resources are successful. Many petroleum engineer jobs are on site where oil and gas is extracted. They support and oversee drilling operations to provide expertise for those working at the extraction site. The workers are trained, skilled and specialize in the extraction of oil and gas. At a drilling site, petroleum engineers also ensure extraction methods are compliant with local, state and federal regulations.

These engineering professionals combine skills in engineering, technology and natural sciences. To design equipment and tools to successfully drill for oil and gas, petroleum engineers must have a solid understanding of the earth's resources, including rock, sediments, fossil fuels and other natural elements. They must understand the density of the earth's elements to design and select the materials used to drill. Many tools and equipment used to drill are operated using advanced technology, which requires programming of computer applications to precisely set drilling equipment. This highly-regulated industry requires extensive knowledge of all related government regulations. In many cases, these professionals travel to inspect drilling sites on a routine basis after drilling starts. They also work with the community to ensure surrounding land owners understand drilling operations and how it affects their land.

Most petroleum engineer jobs require at least a bachelor's degree in engineering or a related discipline. Many of these professionals also obtain a Professional Engineer (PE) license. Along with a bachelor's degree, obtaining this license requires several years of work experience and passing several exams. Each state oversees licensing of engineers. Oil and gas drilling is done in about half of the states in the U.S., so job opportunities are more common in those areas. Many work in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, California and Alaska. Metropolitan areas that have many jobs include western North Dakota, southern and central Wyoming, and far northwest New Mexico. All of these areas do a substantial amount of drilling and employ petroleum engineers. More than 28,000 of these professionals were employed in the U.S. in 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average salary was approximately $128,000 per year, which is one of the highest paid engineering disciplines.