Mud Engineer Jobs

The demand for trained Mud Engineers is reaching all time highs. Noticing this, some have asked, “What does it take to get a job as a Mud Engineer?” To answer, the following page will start by describing what Mud Engineers do in the field. After detailing their scope of work, we will take a closer look at what they get paid by showing how their salaries are totaled. Once we understand what they do and how much they make, we will then list the key steps to follow in order to become a first-rate Mud Engineer. If you would like to learn more about how you can get started in this high paying field specialty ($75,000 and up), continue on the page below.

• Mud Engineer Requirements...

Scope of Work

Mud Engineers are known to have one of the most rewarding careers in the industry. Admired for their skills, they are responsible for maintaining drilling fluid at one or more drilling rigs. Since this can be a balancing act, Mud Engineers frequently test each rig’s fluid so that they can quickly develop effective treatment plans. After outlining how fluids should be treated, they then meet with the rig crew and tell them how to make certain adjustments. As you may have noticed, physical labor is not typically a part of Mud Engineer Jobs.

At the core of the job, Mud Engineers are technicians. Using special equipment, they test certain fluid properties that are known to affect drilling performance. After completing their tests, results are taken and studied to help determine how well the fluid is working. If test results show that the drilling fluid is out of balance, Mud Engineers come up with treatments to get it back in shape. In all, their work is mostly focused on checking key fluid properties and changing them as needed.

But this is not all that they do when at work. While on the job, Mud Engineers must also represent their employer. As a service rep, they are tasked with both managing fluid products and taking care of client needs. Since these needs can vary from one operator to the next, employers often provide Mud Engineers with company expense cards. To make sure that expense cards are not being abused, employers only cover expenses that are found to be work related. Regular expenses include; company trucks, plane tickets, hotel rooms, and more. With entry level Mud Engineer Jobs in states like Texas, Oklahoma, and North Dakota currently in high demand, having travel expenses that are paid for can be a great advantage.

Mud Engineer Salaries

When looking at how Mud Engineer salaries are totaled, we will breakdown the two most common pay schedules.

1. The first way that Mud Engineers typically get paid is by using a combination of day rates and base salaries. The day rate is earned when a Mud Engineer visits a rig and the base salary is earned even if they stay at home. Since day rates are stacked on top of base salaries, total earnings will rise with a greater number of rig visits. In addition to day rates are over-time bonuses, which are earned after working a set number of days in the field. Over-time bonuses can boost total earnings significantly when added to base salaries at the end of each month. Ultimately the average Mud Engineer Salary totals close to $75,000 per year.
2. Aside from the pay schedule described above, is another type of payment plan for Mud Engineers who do consulting. Since consultants often have a valuable amount of knowledge, they are typically contracted with fixed day rates and travel allowances. Although this may seem like they earn less money overall, consultants have been known to command rates of over $800 per day. In fact, after gaining a couple years of experience in the field, some consultants go on to earn $100,000+ per year. Of all the oil rig jobs that are out there, Mud Engineers truly have some of the best advancement opportunities in the industry.

Requirements

So, how do you get a job as a Mud Engineer? To start, you must go through a training program known as Mud School. While in Mud School, future Mud Engineers learn all of the special skills they need in order to enter the field. Right now, there are only a few Mud Schools that are open which means that your training options are rather limited. Based on a recent search, it looks like Ace Mud School offers the most affordable program that’s available, so click on this last blue text link and visit the Ace Mud School website to learn more.

Links

Mud Engineer Salaries - Learn more about salary statistics here