Benefits to Becoming a Petroleum and Natural Gas Technician
If you are looking for a job that will keep you on your toes and will always be in demand, look no further than the field of petroleum and natural gas. By learning how to become a natural gas technician, you will have a skillset that will make you a desirable employee in a field that pays well and offers plenty of job security. Not only is the demand for these skills high, but it’s also only getting higher. In fact, The United States is the world’s largest producer of crude oil.
This job offers more than just a good salary and job security. No two days as a technician are the same. It is an excellent job for those who don’t want to find themselves doing the same thing every day.
The Benefits
Before we discuss how to become a natural gas technician, we should go into a little bit more detail about why you should become a natural gas technician.
1. You won’t run out of work
Do you have a hard time in a working environment where you often wonder what to do next? Working as a technician, you will never have that problem.
Some people might think that work slows down in the summer, but that is simply not the case. People will need their furnaces serviced or fixed in the winter, and in the summer, you will have to attend to things like barbeque grills and pool heaters. You are hardly ever doing the same thing two days in a row.
As an added bonus, once you have finished your petroleum and natural gas technician training, you can take courses to become certified in working with air conditioning units.
There truly is never a slow moment for gas technicians.
2. You are needed
Because there is always a need for gas technicians, you will have job security. This is especially true because being a gas technician is a skilled trade. It’s not a job that anyone can get. But, once you have the proper training, you could be on the fast track to a rewarding career.
As of now, there is a gap when it comes to skilled trades in our country. This gap has been exacerbated by the fact that the industry isn’t slowing down. The gas and oil industry are expected to grow by as much as 12.5% this year alone1. Because of this, graduates of training programs have a great chance of finding work as soon as they become certified.
3. Great pay
Typically, to get a job that pays well, you need to complete at least four years of college. This is not the case with a gas technician. In fact, only about 25% of gas technicians have a four-year degree2, while an equal number go into the field with their highest level of education being a high school diploma or a GED.
As for the petroleum technician salary itself, it’s a perk of the job. The average salary for a petroleum and natural gas technician currently sits right around $65,000 per year.
It is also a job that allows for upward mobility. There are plenty of people in the field who make six figures, if not more.
How to Become a Natural Gas Technician
If you have an interest in becoming a gas technician, we recommend taking a training course through a vocational school. These courses will vary in length but can generally be completed in less than half of a year. If you have completed one of these courses, you might be interested in an apprenticeship. These also range in length but generally last for two years.
There are no educational requirements for the position, and it is entirely possible to learn on the job. In fact, most jobs offer on-the-job training.
We recommend taking a training course because it will open many more opportunities for you. Having a certain set of skills before you go into the trade will give you that much more room for upward mobility.
If you are interested in becoming a petroleum or natural gas technician, please apply today at Lackawanna College!
1 https://www.rystadenergy.com/newsevents/news/press-releases/back-to-work-us-og-employment-to-recover-in-2022-hit-pre-covid-19-levels-in-5-years/#:~:text=After%20a%20dismal%202020%20that,by%20the%20end%20of%202022.
2 https://www.zippia.com/gas-technician-jobs/education/