Petroleum is always one of the highest income sectors not only in Vietnam but also in the world. Therefore, this sector is increasingly attracting many young people to pursue.

According to Dr. Ta Quoc Dung – Head Deputy of the Faculty of Geological and Petroleum Engineering – Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), said that depending on working for local firms or foreign ones, the starting salary of Petroleum Engineers ranges from 500-1000 USD / month. According to Pay Scale Researchs, the average annual income of a Petroleum Engineer in Australia is 115,517 AUD / year (i.e. about 2 billion VND).

However, higher wage means higher job requirements. Every graduate from Petroleum Engineering must have knowledge and skills such as:

• Handling – doing experiments, analyzing – assessing projects;
• Mapping, designing technological process of drilling – mining;
• Analyzing – assessing – processing in mine management, engineering drilling – mining;

To be compatible with the context of international technology integration, the Petroleum Engineers not only need specialized skills but also have to be fluent in English and aware of economic changes. Students have to accumulate social skills and develop a profound understanding of essential softwares, skills in leadership and teamwork, presentation, problem solving, etc.

In Vietnam, the oil industry is still young. The oil refineries in Dung Quat and Nghi Son are going into operation as a promising sign for the strong development of this industry in the future. This sign promises a desirable career opportunity as well as formidable challenges in the future for anyone pursuing this sector.