[ElJefe]

So we have a thread on North Dakota and Canadian Oil Sands, but a lot of that involves coming in as a low-skilled laborer.

How about for guys with an academic degree (my case, economics). Right now, I work in Gas Asset Optimization, and I'm beginning to think about what my next move should be. It's a junior position but good for me because I'm getting my life together.

Bonus schemes in the energy sector are supposedly not as regulated as in finance. Can anyone attest to this?

Other thoughts on career paths?

As the world grows wealthier demand for commodites will continue to increase. Barring a major war that will set global GDP back, this trend will continue as lesser developed economies converge to higher GDP levels. I figure energy's a good industry to be in.

[scotian]

As you guys know, the energy sector has been pretty good to me but I can understand that many guys don't want to be working outside, exposed to the elements dealing with a bunch of rowdy tradesmen, like myself.

The good news is that there are plenty of opportunities for office work and for you to use your degree. Check out websites such as rigzone and oil careers, just use the search function and you'll see.

One such career that I know of because my buddy's uncle does it is cost estimator, also known as quantity surveyor: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantity_surveyor). These guys basically estimate how much a project will cost throughout construction from the clearing of the land, civil engineering, mechanical work up to when the plant is ready to run. He doesn't have a university degree but is good with computers and he said that one of the main programs he uses is at work is called Oracel Primavera 6: http://www.oracle.com/us/products/applic...042373.htm

That's just one of the many options.

[ElJefe]

Aw, now you make me sound like a wuss! I just think I'd be a fool not put to 6 years of studying to some kind of good use.

I know talk is cheap and plenty of morons get an academic degree, but there is a sub-group who do have a comparative advantage in brains.

[Sabra]

I got you ElJefe. What you want to look into is trading gas and other energy futures. These jobs can be very lucrative, with large annual bonuses, though it can depend on a lot of external factors (oil prices, weather, war, etc.). This seems very relevant to your economics degree. When you say you work in Gas Asset Optimization, what specifically do you mean? We used to refer to Gas Asset Management, meaning dealing with Operations and Maintenance of pipelines. But I guess with an economics degree you're talking about something else.

Many utilities have separate departments for buying and selling gas, oil, coal, etc (commodities). They also deal with negotiating the costs at which they sell electricity and gas.

What you want to do is look up how energy regulation and deregulation work in your area. Where do you live? In many places, utilities underwent a process called deregulation some years ago, allowing customers to purchase their energy from various private suppliers. Utilities often participate as competitors in these markets, though they do so through separate partially affiliated companies, which are separated by corporate firewall from the actual utility (gas and electric distribution).

So basically, the utilities first must purchase the raw materials they need to generate electricity, or distribute natural gas. They do so in advance, typically 3-12 month contracts, which must forecast the rapidly changing prices in the commodities.

Then the utilities sell electricity and gas distribution (the use of their wires and pipelines) typically under regulated tariffs set in coordination with government, and they sell the commodity (the actual electricity and gas) under competitive prices, or the customer can choose to buy the commodity from a different supplier.

All of these stages need people well versed in the energy field and also possessing other traits normally found in wall street.

When I worked in utilities, they used to hire business people right out of college for these energy futures trading jobs. They were high pressure jobs, and lots of people dropped out quickly. But those that stayed got large commissions, and their pay was indeed unregulated, as opposed to those of us working on the traditional nuts and bolts utility side.

If this doesn't work for you, Scotian made a good point about cost estimating. Another thing you could consider is procurement - working with contractors, suppliers, etc., if you have a talent for negotiation.

Also, utilities do negotiate with large customers (factories, private electricity generators, etc.) on contract terms. This is something you can work in as well. They also may sell service contracts on white goods, also through a partially separated company.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you want more info.

[TheBulldozer]

I met last night with a representative from both presidential campaigns that were advisors to each candidate's energy policy. While I am not in the energy field, I have done some off-hand work, mostly writing, in the industry, and have strong contacts very active within the Harvard/MIT energy think bubble.

I do know that money pushed into university research was in the energy field was exponentially increased under Obama. What I took from their conversation when the topic shifted to creating new jobs within the energy sector was that both candidates seem to agree that even money should be pushed into these university research labs because the data supports that the best ideas concerning energy are being produced in these environments.

Starting out by contacting some university labs may not be a bad idea. From what I've gathered from conversations is that the money is there, there is growth, and there is an agreement across party lines that money should continue to flow into these venues.