[upbeat music]

(Describer) Title: I Can Be Anything I Want to Be, A to Z. Kids in white coats work in a career lab.

It's so cool that hands-on careers like machinists give you the chance to do on-the-job training while you're still learning. Even though you can start your training in high school, you'll still need to earn a certification before you can really launch your career. Okay, but you're done training after that certification, right? Well, not really. Since there are industrial advances, you'll need additional training all throughout your career to keep up. Oh, I've heard of that. It's called continuous learning, and it's not just for hands-on careers. For example, loan officers have to keep up with the legal requirements of loan approval and any changes to federal lending rules. Yeah, consumer education helps nurses keep their license active and their certifications current. It's good to know that the nurse taking care of you when you're sick is up to date on all the latest techniques. Plus, it's just a good policy in general to always be learning new things to grow your skillset. Lifelong learning. That's good to know. I wonder if that applies to my dream career?

[electronic tones]

[Electronic Voice] Attention, attention.

The Office of the Alphabet is calling with an urgent career request. Please stand by. Wait, I didn't know you had a dream career. What is it? I'll tell you later. First, we have to research a career that starts with the letter... P. Perfect. Let's see. Painter. Police officer. Pediatrician. Pipe fitter. Piano tuner. Personal chef.

(both) Yum! Oh, petroleum engineer. That sounds like it has something to do with energy. You're right, it does. To learn more, let's talk to a petroleum engineer.

[electronic tone] Hello.

Hi, Lab Squad. My name is Joe Starkey. I'm a petroleum engineer with Ascent Resources. So you've worked in drilling a long time. Can you tell us what a petroleum engineer does, and what the day-to-day job looks like? A petroleum engineer is responsible for finding, developing, and even transporting oil and gas. And each day can be a little different. A petroleum engineer may be out on a drilling rig, working in the office, or out on a pipeline. Where some places a petroleum engineer might work? A petroleum engineer can work anywhere in the world. And if you're lucky, you may even get to be a petroleum engineer right here in Ohio. You could work in a refinery, at a company like Ascent Resources where we find and develop oil and gas wells, or you could be a professor, teaching new petroleum engineers. It sounds like getting an oily start is important if you wanna work in this field.

[laughing]

So how did you initially get started? I was looking for a career where I could travel and work anywhere in the world, because I really enjoy traveling. What's your favorite part of your job? I enjoy working with the people in this industry, because they're extremely innovative. They're always looking for ways to do things safer, faster, and more efficient. Thanks for talking to us today. This industry sounds like a gas. Goodbye, Lab Squad. Have a great day. Wow, I never thought about careers in the energy industry before. Besides oil and gas, there's solar, wind, geothermal, even wave energy from the oceans. Sure. This definitely gave us a lot of fuel for thought. Oh, now I get it. What? Comedian. I'll bet that's your dream career. But your jokes are terrible. I'm not sure that's the career for you. No?

(Describer) He dons goofy glasses.

Well, I guess I won't need these then.

[laughing]

Okay, now that's funny. Maybe I was wrong. That's good, because I was really nervous about sharing this career.

(Describer) Windup teeth.

Here, hold these. What else do you have in there? My whole routine. Take a look. Is that why I found this rubber chicken underneath my desk? Becky! I've been looking for her everywhere. That would explain this, too.

[horn honking]

So you see, my grandma was a clown, so a whoopee cushion and a nose... Accessibility provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

(Describer) Ohio Broadcast Education Media Commission. Accessibility provided by the US Department of Education.