Oil prices are soaring again, and oil and gas companies are responding by launching new exploration programs into extreme environments never before explored, to include deep ocean drilling far offshore, extreme weather condition environments such as the Arctic Ocean, and deeper into the earth's crust than ever before attempted.

Some of the areas now opening up to exploration include the Arctic Shelves, north of Russia. The Canadian Arctic is being opened up as well. Additionally, scientists on offshore oil exploration platforms are working on solutions to drill deeper than ever before in traditional locations. It is believe that massive oil reserves may exist offshore at depths in the crust up to 6 kilometers deep, presenting new challenges for the drilling crew on offshore platforms.

The challenges that offshore workers will face in these new environments are being met with new training programs the oil companies and offshore drilling contractors are putting into place. Once hired, both technical and labor-orientated employees are given up to 12 weeks of additional training to learn how to operate in extreme conditions, both location wise and drilling depth wise.

For those willing to work in extreme environments, the growing movement to explore where no man has gone before provides excellent opportunities to begin and advance an offshore career path. Science and engineering job openings abound, as do the traditional workhorse positions of the oil industry - riggers, drillers, roustabouts and roughnecks.

The types of resources being searched for is also transitioning, as offshore exploration shifts to searching for deposits that are smaller and harder to develop. New technologies and techniques for accessing these resources are being developed and implemented, and huge numbers of engineers hired for the first phase in the process - over 6000 engineers placed in the last two years alone.

“It's exciting stuff”, said one offshore professional. “You need to know how to deal with these heat and pressure extremes, and it makes for some pretty crazy times punching down that deep.” Those with experience as core specialists, as well as the traditional drilling crew, will be in high-demand worldwide.

Other positions that be required to deal with the challenges and stress of drilling at greater depths include safety professionals, mechanics, structural engineers, and electrical workers, technicians as well as engineers. Welders will also be in high demand.

Oil companies are looking to replace aging talent, as half of the current workforce will retire in the next 10 years. Offshore job seekers positioned with talent, skills and experience will be well poised to experience a very successful career.

For all the engineers hired, drilling crews will be manned to implement the new techniques and technologies developed by the engineers.

Drillers and the drilling crew working to penetrate record depths in the earth's crust will be pushing their equipment to extremes of pressure and heat never before encountered. New equipment and techniques are now being engineered to handle these extreme environments.

Industry professionals project huge hiring increases, as the new wave of exploration ramps up into the greatest push to find more offshore oil than we have ever experienced. For those wishing to break into the offshore oil and gas drilling industry, there has never been a better time.