Here at the PESGB we recognise the value of the ‘wealth of knowledge’, held by our members. It’s a wonderful resource for the community and something we felt could help those working in the oil and gas or wider energy industries.
If you would like to pass over your Pearls of Wisdom then please email pesgb@pesgb.org.uk
If you would be interested in being interviewed for a video please get in touch via pesgb@pesgb.org.uk
When you start off working in the oil and gas industry, or any industry for that matter, you do not know everything, you are not an expert, but that’s okay. Take advantage of the experienced people surrounding you and learn from them.
I wish I was more forthcoming with my questions. Almost everybody you encounter is willing to help you, and they certainly do not expect you to know everything fresh from your MSc!
Chris Cowley
Just take every single opportunity and run with it. Especially in the petroleum industry, reputation and networks matter. You are more likely to be given diverse opportunities if you make yourself visible, both technically and socially.
Amrit Madhoo, Schlumberger
Jobs are in very specific locations, so you need to be prepared to move around.
It’s cyclical, so sometimes you need to hang in there.
James Harpin
That it’s fine if you don’t start with a major operator, working for a small consultancy meant that I was exposed to potentially much more of the industry than I would have been for an operator.
After a few years you focus on geology, geophysics or petrophysics and tend to spend the rest of your career doing that role. Very few companies offer geoscience roles, but some companies do support a change between disciplines.
Simone Silcock, Statoil
Take the time to compare your job as a geoscientist to those of your friends who have gone into other office based jobs – it makes me realise how fortunate I am to be doing something that I enjoy!
John Waldron, Centrica
It is really important to have a job that you enjoy doing, both motivating and challenging.
Get a good work-life balance and get involved in anything you can – present at conferences, write papers, join committees…
Simone Silcock, Statoil
I really wished that someone had told me the obvious when I was a student and when I had just started my career; that, Geology is fantastic, BUT every company is a business! You can conceive the most fantastic scenario for basin development, or for fault-system evolution, but it is meaningless until/unless it impacts the net present value. Basically, it would have been very instructive to understand early on that both operator and service company alike needs to make a profit. And that is the bottom line!
Amrit Madhoo, Schlumberger
