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The natural gas and oil industry in America is growing at a pace that hasn’t been seen in decades. New areas of gas and oil have recently been discovered and are now being pulled from the ground in remote places like North Dakota. This is an excellent time to look for work in this high-paying field, whether you are a basic labourer or a skilled technician.

Most of the jobs in the US are onshore. Recent discoveries in North Dakota have created a small oil rush, turning small rural towns into boomtowns overnight. Thanks to new drilling techniques, like fracking, natural gas is now able to be extracted from deposits previously thought inaccessible. America has many of these natural gas areas, so the future looks bright for drilling as long as the US government continues to cooperate.

A roustabout, or person who works the drill site, can earn about US$34,000 a year on average at onshore sites. Offshore workers earn much more, about US$54,000 a year due to the more remote and extreme working conditions. Brazers and welders are also in high demand to keep all the machinery in good operating order. These skilled tradesmen can earn as much as US$40 an hour.

Petroleum engineers get paid the most in the gas and oil industry because they are in charge of calculating and designing the methods to extract the gas. Whether onshore or offshore, these engineers make about US$85,000 a year. Offshore crane operators who can operate the big machines on drilling rigs are also in high demand and can make up to US$70,000 a year.

Most of the offshore oil and gas work is in the Gulf of Mexico, particularly off the coast of Louisiana. Texas, California and Alaska are the other main US states where oil and gas production is concentrated. Training for these kinds of jobs is done at special vocational colleges that are usually located near major drilling areas.

Within six months to a year you can get trained to do most of the technical aspects of oil and gas drilling work at a vocational college. The engineers are much more highly trained, earning at least a bachelor’s degree or more likely a master’s degree or PhD in petroleum engineering. The salary prospects for these lucrative positions average US$115,000 annually and there are always jobs to be found in the US in this area.