Petroleum engineers decide how to get oil and gas out of the ground safely, efficiently and profitably. You will drill wells, test them, watch their production, and use numbers to decide where to spend money next. Most hires hold a bachelor's degree in petroleum, chemical, mechanical or a related engineering field, so this roadmap builds that foundation first using free university material. Then it moves to the core petroleum topics: reservoir, drilling, production and economics. Finally it covers specialist work such as decline analysis, completions design and field development. Each stage en
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Every stage from beginner to expert, with lessons, practice drills, projects, interview questions and free resources. Free with a Rolearch account.
Stage 1 of 3 · about 16 weeks
Build the math, physics and fluid basics that every petroleum calculation rests on, and understand how an oil and gas field works from rock to sales line.
Calculus, differential equations and Excel modeling
Flow in rock, pressure falloff and decline curves are all differential equations. If you can set up and solve simple ones, later reservoir topics will feel natural instead of magical.
Physics, thermodynamics and fluid mechanics
Oil, gas and water move under pressure and temperature changes. Understanding pressure, density, viscosity and the energy balance lets you predict what a fluid will do in a well or pipeline.
Geology and the petroleum system
You must know where hydrocarbons come from and why they stay trapped. This lets you talk with geologists and judge whether a well location makes sense.
Programming basics for engineers (Python)
Job postings list C++, C# and Excel, but Python is the fastest way to automate repetitive calculations and plot production data. The logic transfers to any language.
Then 2 more stages (about 68 weeks in all) with lessons, drills, projects, 6 interview questions with strong answers and free resources.