Best Paying Jobs in Energy
Do you want to start making money on the jobs in Energy immediately?,in addition to the compensation package you’ll get with your new energy job?
If so, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, I’m going to give you five of the top-paying jobs in the energy sector so that you can decide which one is right for you.
You’re also going to learn a little bit more about what each one has to offer and why these positions are so well-compensated in the first place, which should give you an idea of how valuable they truly are.
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Solar photovoltaic installers
A solar photovoltaic installer is responsible for performing installation and maintenance on solar panels.
These installers are mostly required to complete a four-year apprenticeship to become certified, which includes eight months of onsite training at an approved facility.
Some states require licensure, and this job typically requires moderate technical skills and a background in physical work.
This is one of the best-paying jobs in energy, with median annual earnings of $45,700 as of May 2017.
The employment outlook is projected to grow by 20% through 2026, which means that there will be roughly 2,600 more jobs available over that time period.
Electrical power-line installers and repairers
Electrical power line installers and repairers install, maintain, and repair electrical distribution lines. They inspect poles, towers, and other structures to ensure that they are safe for use. They also climb utility poles or towers to make repairs.
Their work may expose them to heights, electricity shocks or burns from live wires, and falling objects.
As a result, they must be in good physical condition and have excellent balance. The median annual wage of an electric power-line installer is $61,000 per year.
A hydroelectric plant operator installs turbines, generators, pipes and valves for hydroelectric plants. They can earn more than $94,000 annually on average.
A petroleum engineer calculates ways to extract oil from underground deposits through various methods like fracking. The median annual salary for this job is about $119,000 per year.
Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics
HVAC technicians install and service heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
They work on both residential and commercial buildings.
To become an HVAC technician, you will need some post-secondary education or training from a technical school. The median annual wage for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics was $59,630 in May 2015.
Compare that to the top five jobs in the energy sector with a high salary: petroleum engineer ($128,170), mining engineer ($108,510), nuclear engineer ($97,620), computer hardware engineer ($90,880), electrical engineer ($87,240).
All of these jobs require at least a bachelor’s degree. If you want to be in charge of constructing new power plants or wind farms, then your best bet is to go into engineering.
Those types of engineers can earn upwards of $80,000 annually. There are also many opportunities as an environmental engineer which earns more than $70,000 annually.
Environmental engineers do things like design ways to clean up hazardous waste sites, manage storm water runoff and make sure factories have proper pollution controls.
Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers
A petroleum pump system is one of the best paying Jobs in Energy. It’s operator, operates equipment to produce, store, and transport gasoline, diesel fuel, and other petroleum products.
A refinery operator operates a refinery’s machinery to produce high octane gasoline and fuel oils from crude oil. Gaugers measure and control the thickness of fluids such as crude oil or molasses.
Petroleum pump system operators can earn $90,000 to $120,000 per year while gaugers can earn around $60,000 annually.
A nuclear power reactor operator controls the flow of water that carries heat generated by nuclear reactions from a reactor core to electricity generating turbines that are used for producing electricity.
Nuclear power reactor operators can make up to $110,000 per year. Chemical plant and system operators manage chemical plants for processing different types of raw materials into industrial chemicals and commodities like plastics, fertilizers, fibers, detergents, synthetic rubber etc.
Wind turbine service technicians
A wind turbine service technician is responsible for maintaining and repairing turbine blades, bearings, gearboxes and other parts of a wind turbine. On average, these technicians make approximately $74,000 per year.
The positions are currently projected to grow by 24% between 2016 and 2026.
Petroleum engineering: The petroleum engineer is often tasked with extracting crude oil from subterranean deposits via drilling wells or pumping oil from beneath the earth’s surface using geophysical techniques.
The job typically requires an advanced degree like an MSc in chemical engineering or petroleum engineering, as well as 3-5 years experience working on projects related to petrochemicals development before advancement to senior level roles within the industry are possible.
These professionals can expect salaries ranging from $83,000-$112,000 per year.
Geophysicist: Geophysicists study the Earth’s physical characteristics using a variety of methods such as seismic waves, magnetic fields, gravity fields and heat flow. They primarily use this data to locate minerals and natural gas that may be located under Earth’s surface.