Is energy a good career path? find out the essential facts about energy engineering, which will enable you to make a more promising career choice.
Are you interested in becoming energy professional? If yes, then you should consider pursuing a career in the field. The demand for energy professionals is growing at a rapid pace due to the increasing global population and rising standards of living.
Energy is the source of life, and without energy, nothing would exist. It powers our homes, offices, vehicles, industries, and even our daily lives. In fact, energy consumption has increased significantly over the years. This increase in consumption has led to a shortage of energy resources.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the world consumed approximately 2,200 million barrels of oil per day in 2017. By 2040, the IEA expects the world’s demand to reach 3,500 million barrels per day. As such, the demand for energy professionals is expected to rise.
What is Energy Engineering?
According to Wikipedia, Energy Engineering is classified as a broad field of engineering that deals with energy efficiency, energy services, facility management, plant engineering, environmental compliance, sustainable energy, and even renewable energy technologies.
However, knowing what energy engineering is all about, is not the vital information TwinkleHub has to offer. In this article, we will look at more facts about energy engineering such as the careers in energy, what an energy engineer can do, the salary of an energy engineer, the best paying jobs in energy, and lastly the answer to your question.
Careers in Energy
We have numerous career choices in energy to pursue and earn a comfortable salary with other helpful work exposures, which are listed below.
Let’s check out the list of proper careers in energy, and their average salaries, with their primary duties which you are expected to do, once employed.
1. Power Plant Operator
The power plant operator has the duty of conducting a wide variety of tasks, to ensure the full safety of all the electrical power equipment when in usage. The power plant operator also takes charge of all controlling of the various power generation equipment items during operation, maintenance, and repair procedures, reviewing meters, control boards, and also gauges to ensure they all meet all the operational parameters, and also the testing equipment items to ensure they all meet all guidelines and as well, follow proper safety maintenance protocols.
The national average salary for a power plant operator is: 95,618 per year
2. Petroleum engineer
Petroleum engineers are known for sourcing natural reservoirs containing petroleum deposits, and they also develop solutions for the proper extraction of petroleum.
The national average salary of a petroleum engineer is: $75,189 per year
3. Welder
The primary duties of a welder are to work or operate fully on machines that repair or manufacture the various metal equipment, tools, and other structures as well. A welder has the primary duty of planning layouts through blueprints, measurements or even drawings, welding beams, pipelines, and other essential components, which involves reviewing the already welded surfaces to check out for faults and fix errors noticed.
The National average salary for a per-year welder is: $38,877
4. Transmission System Operator
The transmission system operator focuses/works more at the utility companies to oversee all generators and operating systems for any company that accesses power grids. The transmission system operators mainly work with certain machines to regulate all electricity flow and also monitor the power converters, to make sure no errors and the required amount of light or energy is passed with faults.
The national average salary for a transmission system operator is: $44,810 per year
5. Wind turbine technician
The wind turbine technicians take care of all installations, repairs, and maintenance of all wind turbines in an industry or company. They also inspect the performance of turbine towers, and they climb towers to fix and repair turbines, troubleshooting certain mechanical or electrical systems.
The national average salary for a wind turbine technician is: $48,810 per year
6. Electrician
The electrician takes care of all electrical installations, repairs, and even the proper design of power systems in a variety of locations like public spaces, factories, homes, and businesses as well. An electrician also takes care of numerous electrical issues and also installing equipment, fixtures, and wiring.
The national average salary of an electrician is: $55,532 per year
7. Surveying technician
The surveying technician works alongside the map makers and the surveyors to compute and also obtain all essential data that can help measure all-natural features of the earth.
The national average salary of a survey technician is: $56,578 per year
8. Water treatment specialist
Water treatment specialist is installs water purification equipment items to help people access clean and healthy water, and they also test for quality water to ensure the water is germ-free.
The national average salary of a water treatment specialist is: $61,089 per year
9. Nuclear power reactor operator
The nuclear power reactor operator is known to evaluate and also adjust the control rods on a reactor to properly ensure that it receives the essential amount to function properly, and also monitor other tools like the cooling systems, and other important duties.
The national average salary for a nuclear power reactor operator is: $61,924 per year
10. Solar panel installer
The solar panel installers are known for converting solar power into electricity by properly working with solar panels, and mounting and installing panels on rooftops. They also make sure that all installed solar functions properly.
The national average salary of a solar panel installer is: $62,663 per year
11. Industrial engineer
The industrial engineer is known to design and build production processes and layouts which helps companies eliminate waste, enhance productivity and also reduce costs.
The national average salary of an industrial engineer is: $74,228 per year
12. Chemist
The chemist is known to perform all experiments on the various chemical substance that will be used to review quality control or even used to create innovative products. Furthermore, the chemist also takes care of some research works on the certain chemical make-up of the numerous materials that will often be used in the manufacturing industry to keep all the products safe for consumers.
Other additional responsibilities for chemists may also include coordinating and also advising regular test procedures, developing and enhancing products, formulas, and also analytical methods/collaborating closely with scientists and engineers to interpret and conduct tests.
The national average salary for a chemist is: $80,583 per year
13. Environmental engineer
Environmental engineers are credited for often developing new strategies to improve air and water pollution control, and public health as well.
The national average salary for an environmental engineer is: $82,301 per year
14. Mechanical engineer
The mechanical engineer is known for manufacturing, developing, and designing numerous mechanical devices like heating and cooling systems, robotics, and transportation machinery.
The national average salary of a mechanical engineer is: $90,279 per year
15. Nuclear engineer
Lastly, nuclear engineers are known to conduct numerous forms of new research and also create instruments for medical and industrial usage.
The national average salary for a nuclear engineer is: $91,346 per year
What do Energy Engineers Do?
According to my little research, an energy engineer oversees difficult or complex energy conversion and distribution systems also works to improve energy storage systems, and help in managing the efficient use of energy in the building, manufacturing, and processing systems.
The question, Is Energy A Good Career Path?, proves to be Yes because an energy engineer can work in the below-listed sectors:
- He or She can manage operations of a wind turbine farm
- An energy engineer can analyze the efficiency of hydro-electric power systems
- He/She can oversee the production of innovative fuel-cell technologies
- Energy Engineers can also evaluate the economic viability of new solar power installations
- Lastly, an energy engineer can fully assess the environmental impact of alternative energy systems
Energy Engineering Salary
We want to look at the average energy engineering salary, so you can fully have an answer to the question: Is Energy A Good Career Path?
Although the salary of an energy engineer varies, the general or average energy salary in the United States per year is $86,119 and a huge salary.
Best Paying Jobs in Energy
Let’s take a look at the best-paying jobs in Energy.
1. The Civil Engineer
One of the best paying jobs in energy is the civil engineering department, known for the role of planning and designing sure projects. however, if you are a civil engineer with a bachelor’s degree, you will earn a minimum of $ 87,060 a year, and others also earn $ 144,560 as civil engineers also. It just depends on the company you work for, and the position you occupy.
2. Architect Engineer / Manager
With an average salary of $ 144,830 per year, an architectural engineer is among the highest-paying jobs in the energy sector for its professionals.
3. Petroleum Engineer
The petroleum engineering department also made this list as the top-paying energy job, with an average salary of $ 137,720 per year.
4. Renewable Energy Consultant
Another great or highest paying career in energy is the renewable energy consultant which receives an average annual salary of $ 66,015.
5. Solar PV Installer
The solar PV installer is another highest-paying job in energy that pays an average of $ 44,890 per year as a professional solar PV Installer.
6. Power plant operator
A Power plant operator earns around $85,950 every year, which made the sector appear on this list as well.
7. Solar Energy Technicians
Solar energy technicians supervise the maintenance of the solar systems, and earn an average salary is $ 52,559 every year.
8. Environmental technicians
Environmental technicians play an important role in the energy sector, and also another highest earning sector with an average salary of $50,620 every year.
9. The Chemist
The average salary for this job is $ 70,195 every year.
10. The Wind Turbine Service Technicians
The Median Salary of a wind turbine service technician is $ 54,370 every year.
11. Environmental Protection & Science Technician
The average salary for this job is $ 46,170 yearly, and it is also one of the best and highest paying jobs in energy.
12. Power plant operators
Power plant operators earn around $85,950 a year, and in most cases or company can earn over $ 117,130 over time, which makes it one of the highest-paying energy jobs that don’t require a bachelor’s degree.
Is Energy A Good Career Path?
The question: Is Energy A Good Career Path? has finally been answered using every essential fact about energy engineering which includes the careers in energy, what an energy engineer can do, the salary of an energy engineer, and the best-paying jobs in energy.
For further clarifications, Energy is a great career path that anyone can study abroad to obtain a certificate that will make you a professional in the various fields of energy engineering. A world without energy is unthinkable thought due to the great improvement of technology, which makes it essential in almost every aspect of our everyday lives.
Furthermore, The opportunities for energy career progression are limitless. So, the answer to our question; Is Energy A Good Career Path, is YES.
Therefore the question should no longer be the question to ask, rather seek ways to enroll in any energy course of your choice and prove to others that energy is indeed a career study.
The question, has fully been answered in this article, but if you have further questions to ask, then feel free to use the comment section below, and our response team will give you feedback instantly on answering the question that relates to this content.
Is Energy as a Career in Demand?
Of course YES, Energy jobs are in high demand. As the global energy sector continues to change, the future of energy is evolving every day, and this is great news because there are more opportunities for energy engineers.
With an energy career, you can work anywhere that has a power supply, including remote locations, so therefore energy is a good career path and also in high demand because the world as a whole is evolving greatly.
