Natural gas was for some time thought to be one of those fossil fuels that was quickly running out and was a dead end. Now all of that has radically changed.  New discoveries in the United States have boosted the supply of natural gas to over 100 years worth according to some estimates. Other estimates project 9000 years worth of natural gas supply if we include methane hydrate that lies at deep ocean depths just offshore of the United States. Solar and wind are growing job sectors but natural gas will be the most important energy sector for this coming decade.

As oil man T. Boone Pickens has proposed in his “Pickens Plan” we need a bridge, or means of getting to a renewable energy economy. No other fuel is as abundant and clean burning as natural gas. Jobs in natural gas include research and development, exploration, pipeline construction and even home fuel cell installation.

Fuel cells powered by natural gas may be the best alternative to building dozens of new coal or gas fired power plants. Fuel cells ran by natural gas are about the same size as an HVAC or air conditioning unit and can produce a home’s hot water, heat and electricity for much less than any other fuel source.

For those graduating with a degree in chemical engineering or petroleum engineering  there will be many opportunities in the “gas to liquids” field of natural gas refining and processing.  This revolutionary technology can turn ordinary natural gas into gasoline or clean diesel.  For more on jobs in natural gas see.  New Jobs In Natural Gas