Interest in oil and gas jobs appears to finally be dwindling. According to a recent Bloomberg report, just 400 students will graduate this year in the U.S. with petroleum engineering degrees, representing an 83% decline from the more than 2,300 graduates who represented the class of 2017. Typically, there is more interest in oil and gas career paths when prices are booming. Though Big Oil companies are currently raking in the profits, the industry doesn’t seem to be attracting new candidates eager to line their own pockets. “Personally, I think we are heading to a bit of a crisis,” Colorado School of Mines petroleum engineering department head Jennifer Miskimins told Bloomberg. “As petroleum engineers age, the industry will need to replace a retiring cohort of Baby Boomers. But we are not seeing enough petroleum engineers to fill the demand.”
A 2019 survey from consulting firm EY saw a massive disconnect between how oil and gas executives feel about their own industry and whether Gen Z and Millennials are actually interested in pursuing a future in fossil fuels. More than 60% of Gen Zers polled found careers in oil and gas unappealing, 39% of whom found the field to be “very unappealing.” Similarly, 44% of Millennials polled found oil and gas careers unappealing, with 23% of those respondents finding the field “very unappealing.” Executives worry about younger generations because they rightfully understand that polluters aren’t “good for society” and in fact “cause problems rather than solve them.” Data from Pew Research released in 2021 corroborates this finding.
There is markedly more interest from Gen Z and Millennials in addressing climate change compared with other generations, according to Pew. Nearly a third of both demographics polled say they’ve taken action to address the climate crisis, either through donations, volunteering, participating in protests, or contacting lawmakers. And, though there’s less data readily available on those choosing studies focused on renewable energy, there certainly has been more interest in pursuing those paths. A quick search of colleges that offer such programs brings up dozens of schools that offer programs focused on solar, sustainability, and more. Clean energy jobs appear to be on the rise and the need for that workforce is only growing, according to data from the Department of Energy. Thank goodness the next generations are taking notice.