Marcellus Shale Jobs in Southwestern PA

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Looking to land a job in the Marcellus Shale drilling industry? You’re not alone. According to Mike Forgione, a representative from the PA Institute of High Priority Occupations, there are a number of jobs available, including:

Jobs in the gas industry range from title searches, to making sure state environmental regulations are followed to determining where to drill, designing, building, drilling, transporting water, welding pipe, maintaining wells and other outside jobs.

Forgione said drillers require experience, best obtained through internships, and some jobs, like engineering and Department of Environmental Protection positions, do require a four-year college degree.

Engineering positions, which require bachelors’ degrees, yield $60,000 to $80,000 annually.

Nontechnical college degree positions are also open in the oil and gas industry. These include information technology, human resources, public relations and office relations.

Blue-collar positions include construction supervisors, heavy equipment operators, drillers, diesel mechanics, CDL truck drivers, pipeline welders and well tenders.*

Dennis Dull, also from the Institute, said the following about “roughneck” jobs:

"It’s the meanest, ugliest work you’ll ever have, with 12- to 14-hour days, 14 days on, seven off. We start with an aggressive, open, honest interview and extensive background check."*

Being a roughneck is hard work, but it pays well and there are plenty of openings.

One place to start your shale industry job search (at least in southwestern PA) is with the Institute: 724-635-0211.

*Pittsburgh (PA) Daily Courier (Feb 16, 2012) – Program attempts to spark interest in oil, natural gas careers

2 Comments

  1.  
    If I was like the hundreds of thousands of unemployed HS graduates, or soldiers coming home from the wars (no disrespect intended, but, those kids who just don’t have the chops for college-I was one of them) around the country I would be there in a heart beat. Think of the adventure it would be, going from a humble existance in some small town where your prospects are dim at best, to traveling to a new exciting place and landing a +50K job right off the bat. Imagine a young man who would be working some meanial job, at minimum wage, in a place where there is no industry, packs up his pick-up truck with some essentials and some money in his pocket, says goodbye to his family and friends, then embarks on a journey that will change his life. He is able bodied, willing to learn, and eager to earn. He tells the person at the interview he is will to do anything to get his foot in the door. The American dream unfolds for him. A story with a happy ending. How many reading this has had this expirience? 
    Drilling companies who hire veterans should receive tax subsidies for doing so. We have a problem in this country right now with unemployed men and woman who have served this country with honor but have extreme difficulty finding employment when they are dischrged. (Again, no disrespect intended) It is terrible for someone to realize there is not a market for a tank driver/gunner in the civilian market, yet for the past 3 -4 years it is all they have done. They can learn to do anything with the proper training, they just need a chance. Not many industries give them that chance these days. The gas industry will and they do.