Takeover Tracker
32%medium risk
Materials Engineers
vs

67 shared · 16 different

core competencies

28%medium risk
Petroleum Engineers

Side-by-Side Comparison

MetricMaterials EngineersPetroleum Engineers
Risk Score31.7%28.3%
Risk TierMedium RiskMedium Risk
Risk Percentile49th31th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)6 / 155 / 15
Median Salary$108,310$141,280
Employment23K19K

Skill Comparison

|

Sorted by largest difference

Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material
Production and Processing
Chemistry
Controlling Machines and Processes
Economics and Accounting
Thinking Creatively
Mechanical
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization
Science
Design
English Language

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Materials Engineers

31%

total discount

Petroleum Engineers

31%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Materials Engineers

6 of 15 at risk
86%Perform managerial functions, such as preparing proposals and budgets, analyzing labor costs, and writing reports.
84%Monitor material performance and evaluate material deterioration.
76%Conduct or supervise tests on raw materials or finished products to ensure their quality.
53%Review new product plans and make recommendations for material selection, based on design objectives such as strength, weight, heat resistance, electrical conductivity, and cost.
51%Evaluate technical specifications and economic factors relating to process or product design objectives.

Petroleum Engineers

5 of 15 at risk
86%Maintain records of drilling and production operations.
86%Write technical reports for engineering and management personnel.
51%Analyze data to recommend placement of wells and supplementary processes to enhance production.
51%Monitor production rates, and plan rework processes to improve production.
51%Simulate reservoir performance for different recovery techniques, using computer models.

Wage Comparison

Petroleum Engineers earns +$32,970(+30%) vs Materials Engineers
Materials EngineersPetroleum Engineers
10th
$68,040$78,840
25th
$85,820$107,330
Median
$108,310$141,280
75th
$138,370$191,100
90th
$172,000$228,790

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Materials Engineers2028–2035
Petroleum Engineers2028–2035
20242030203520402045

Petroleum Engineers has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Materials Engineers.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

Salary weighted by displacement risk: salary × (1 − risk%)

Materials Engineers

$73,987

from $108,310

Petroleum Engineers

$101,312

from $141,280

After adjusting for AI risk, Petroleum Engineers offers $27,325 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

1%

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

0

Unique to Materials

0

Unique to Petroleum

Combined Protection Strategy

Regardless of which path you choose, focus on these protective factors

Fine Manipulation
Social Intelligence
Regulatory Barriers
Creativity
Materials EngineersPetroleum Engineers
Find transitions from Materials EngineersFind transitions from Petroleum Engineers