The DEVEX YP event featured a wide range of industry panellists including Nigel Bradburn of Energy Institute, Willie Reid, Director of Strathyclyde Oil and Gas institute, Jackie Mann, Senior Vice President Human Resources, Proserv, Dan Purkis, Technology Director and Co-Founder, Well- SENSE, Mark Lappin, Director of UK/Netherlands Exploration and Subsurface, Centrica as well as John Costaschuk Reservoir Engineer BP and SPE representative.

The discussions were informative and motivational, with an emphasis on encouraging young professionals to be resilient and innovative during this challenging time. We were encouraged to find ways of accessing free training and to continuously learn and develop our skills. Mark emphasized that we should always seek to add value to our skill set, thinking of ourselves as a business, focused on growth. Willie challenged us to find what we are passionate about, to enjoy what we do and to discover and remain true to our values. Jackie’s key point was that we should seek to develop our own opportunities and be versatile enough to maximize them. Dan highlighted that we should remain passionate and think about how we use our time while John encouraged us to harness the power of our networks.

Overall it was a very good session with the main takeaway being that we should embrace the opportunity to follow a multidisciplinary career path. The question we will be asked of our experience during this downturn is…what did you learn? Let’s make the answer a good one.