Looking for an Offshore Oil and Gas Job? Head South to the Gulf of Mexico

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Before you start looking for work in the oil and gas industry, remember that it can be one of the most dramatically up and down ones to find work in. When the energy industry is booming, energy companies can hardly find hands to fill their positions. When the industry is down, however, getting a job can be difficult to find. But with energy, as soon as the market hits its low it is sure to rise back up if you’re willing to be patient.

If you are looking for offshore work, head for the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf has the majority of oil and natural gas deposits in the United States and neighboring Mexico. Historically, the Western part of the Gulf has produced the most oil and as a result, there are more active rigs located in Texas and Louisiana. The Eastern portion of the Gulf, which is comprised mostly of Alabama, Georgia and Florida has not been as dependable for oil production, so there are fewer active rigs in the area. Although the United States government planned to open the Eastern Gulf to more exploration, the Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010 caused the government to reverse their decision.

Major oil centers in the Western Gulf of Mexico

Start your search for an offshore job at the largest cities along the Gulf, or those located around a busy harbor. In Louisiana, look for jobs listings in Lafayette, which is the center of upstream oil and natural gas activity in the state. As oil companies gain funding and permits to open more drills, the available jobs will spread out from the Lafayette area to a specific sector in the Gulf that is being explored or drilled.

In Texas, the oil and gas industry is dominated by the city of Houston. Many rigs located in Texas are located nearby Houston and Galveston Bay, and there are often job postings in the area. In addition, since Houston is so large, the city houses most of the headquarters of large to mid-size oil and gas companies based in the United States. In addition to Houston, there are smaller operations across the state in town such as Port Author or Corpus Christi.

Petroleum is king in the Western Gulf of Mexico

The majority of drilling in the Gulf is done in order to extract petroleum, although more and more companies are gaining permits to drill for natural gas deposits. Since many natural gas deposits are found at the same place as petroleum, even though a company makes a switch to natural gas, the rigs will be located in virtually the same place.

The Gulf of Mexico is the hotbed of upstream oil and gas activity in the United States. If you are interested in working offshore, you will need to look where the deposits are found. If you are willing to locate to the states bordering the Western Gulf of Mexico, there are plenty of working rigs that need workers.