Young Engineers in High Demand in Alaska
This week the United States government said it would open 3.9m acres of land in Alaska for oil drilling as a means to help curb rising petrol prices. However you feel about the issue of drilling within Alaska’s north coast, there’s one thing you can count on: the engineering job market at the very top of the country is about to explode, and most likely remain steady for the foreseeable future.
President Bush lifted the 27-year-old federal moratorium on energy exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf, but still needs congress’ approval to move forward. Even before these recent developments, the associated press was reporting that “Alaska’s oil industry looks to fill more jobs“. A proposed natural gas pipeline through the region is slated to become the largest construction site in North America. Coupled with the increased demand, is the fact that the majority of existing engineers in the area are now aging and slated to retire within the decade.
BP promises to be one of the biggest employers in the region and are currently looking to fill hundreds of engineering jobs in the area, most of them recent graduates. Take a look at their engineering graduates page where you can match your degree to current career opportunities.
BP Alaska has hired 600 people in the last 2 1/2 years, many of whom are recent graduates who could help offset anticipated retirements, Utsler said.
Even if the next presidential administration increases their effort toward renewable energy, America’s oil consumption is still far from going away. Our country, which constitutes just 5 percent of the world’s population, consumes 45 percent of its gasoline. Sounds like solid job security to me.
That said, what are the dangers of increased drilling in one of the last pristine areas of wilderness in America, and why do so many people oppose it? In 2005, a pipeline operated by BP leaked out 260,000 gallons of crude oil, covering two acres of land just 60 miles from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge where Bush has proposed drilling.
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