Petroleum engineers design and develop methods for getting oil and gas from underground deposits, and work to find ways to extract oil and gas from older wells.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of petroleum engineers is expected to grow about 17 percent from now to 2020.

Job prospects are expected to be excellent because of growth, and because replacements for petroleum engineers who are retiring or leaving to form their own companies will be needed.

The discovery of accessible gas/oil in shale has not changed the type of engineers companies hire, but it has increased the demand for talent.

Rob Fulks, director of unconventional projects at Weatherford Engineering, said, "The type of engineers has not changed. The oil and gas industry still is in need of drilling, completion and production engineers. Graduates of petroleum engineering studies can choose an area in which to specialize.

"Shale oil and gas wells are completion intensive, with a majority of that budget now being spent on completion assemblies, hydraulic fracturing and other completion-related activities. The drilling side has become so efficient that days-per-well (or days to total depth) in every shale basin see improvement every year," he said.

Some of the first wells in the Barnett Shale are now entering the 12th to 15th years of production. In theory, if the wells are worked over and refractured every seven years or so, a well can produce for 20 to 25 years. However, there are no shale wells that old in the U.S. yet.

Fulks said the question of the expected lifetime of shale-gas fields can be answered more accurately once some of the shale basins have a few more years of production history.

This industry is not weather dependent, with activity continuing rain or shine, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. And the demand for engineers continues, as well.

"We still look for engineers with solid experience in the basic disciplines, and we focus on engineers with strong business acumen and communication skills. This hasn't changed over the years," said Ross Buckner, human resources manager, Plains Exploration & Production Co.

The focus on oil production in shale plays is expected to continue while natural gas prices remain low.

"The direction our business has taken over the past several years has been to concentrate on our higher-margin oil business. We will see continued growth in oil shale plays and in the Gulf of Mexico, while activity in gas fields will remain near-lethargic levels until gas prices recover," said Hance Myers, vice president and corporate information director, Plains Exploration & Production Co.

"We expect the demand for engineers with the right skills to accelerate as technology and opportunities to find and produce oil expand," Buckner said.

Petroleum engineers must have a bachelor's degree in engineering, preferably in petroleum engineering. Some engineering programs offer academic credit for job experience.

Petroleum engineers should have good problem-solving, analytical and math skills.

It's also important to be able to work with a wide variety of people from different backgrounds.

High school students interested in this career should take courses in math, including algebra, trigonometry and calculus; and science courses in biology, chemistry and physics.

For more information about Plains Exploration & Production Co., visit www.pxp.com.

Learn more about Weatherford Engineering at www.weatherford.com.