Looking for local job opportunities that pay well? Recently, there has been an explosion in job opportunities in the natural gas field.
An abundance of Marcellus shale has been found in Western Pennsylvania, and many large companies are moving their regional offices to Canonsburg, PA to cash in on the “gas rush.”
Joe Butera took time out of his busy day to come to BPHS on Friday, Nov. 15 to tell students about his careers in natural gas, senior financial management, and now as business development manager at E-Safe Technologies, which is located in the greater Pittsburgh area.
There are many different jobs on the site for natural gas, so if one doesn’t float your boat, there are plenty of other chances for you to find something you like. Such jobs include: pipeline maintenance, field manager, and drilling.
On the job, you are expected to identify potential drill sites and estimate the amount of oil, shale and natural gas in the mines. Other people will be prioritizing the job sites by potential profit value and finding places to turn the product into profit. Of course, there will be the people who are involved in the actual drilling and completing wells.
Most companies would like you to have a Bachelor’s degree from a college or university. Some fields require at least that or higher while some kids can start working in certain fields with just a high school diploma. It all depends on where you want to work and how much money you plan on making.
Joe and a few of his colleagues working in the industry for some years said that one of the best things about a job in this type of field is completing a well and watching all your hard work pay off into a nice paycheck. Also, the friends you make on this job are like any other. They don’t know why that is but apparently the friendships on this job are ones you will remember for a lifetime.
Another job that was highlighted in the presentation was a Senior Financial Analyst. This well paying job has a starting salary of around $55,000 and can grow to a maximum annual salary of $110,000.
This job expects you to be able to be very capable with your math skills as well as good with interacting with people. Most days for a financial analyst are spent analyzing business deals, making recommendations to senior management, and creating upsides and downsides for potential opportunities.
Occasional traveling in and out of the country can also be expected when having this job. This has been described as one of the worst parts of the occupation. Employees do not like this part of the job because with one phone call your life can be changing for awhile. One day you can be at home and the next you could be in a foreign country working out deals and listening to business pitches.
Again, this career will be a lot easier to obtain with a Bachelor’s degree and Mr. Butera also recommended an MBA if you are really looking to advance in this occupation.
Mr. Butera had this advice for an aspiring student: Work hard in school, but make sure you have fun every once in awhile, or else you will burnout eventually in this field. Most importantly though, do not quit, you can find other opportunities in this field if you do not like the one you’re in.
If you are having trouble deciding what career you might want to take on, either of the careers mentioned above are very good and adventurous and will keep you interested and on your toes.
