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QUESTION:

Is it a good time to get into drilling? I know that there has just been an industry crash, but does that mean that there will be people that have left the industry and as it recovers there will be lots of job vacancies?

I am 21 years old and have just left college. My qualifications are vocational and I am almost qualified to be a correctional officer if I study one more course like this one. The only problem is that I have not been enjoying the thought of working in a prison, it was a suggestion from my career guidance councilor before.

I wanted to be a Drilling Engineer on oil rigs and travel the world, but my father persuaded me that it would be too difficult and expensive to qualify here. Being a South African I was told that it would be much harder to enter a good oil industry job. Now I am 21 and I wish that I had just started at the bottom as a roughneck or even a cleaner.

I don’t know what to do, should I go back to college to study Petroleum Engineering? Try to get a low paid job on a rig? Will there be a job for me? Can you help me get a job?

(Question asked by Johannes Wesley)

ANSWER:

Wow, there are quite a few questions all rolled in to that short message that you submitted! Right now, it is not a good time to look for an oil industry job. The downturn is far from over, as companies will continue to cut costs even if oil prices move up. The industry has lost hundreds of thousands of jobs, half of these experienced people will be ready to come back again as things get better.

If you start on new college course in a discipline related to drilling, it is likely that by the time you finish, there will be opportunities for you. We can’t guarantee that though of course. It is also possible that you could find a low level job and work your way up. There will be a new generation of successful people in the oil business who are faced with exactly the same dilemma as you right now!

Don’t be concerned about where you are from, the oil industry is truly multicultural, it is very much a meritocracy. To be successful is hard, in many ways. The main challenge will be mental, its whether you can handle hard work, danger, frustration, disappointment, being away from family and friends and so on. Just getting an oil job will be tough (a good one at least), then that is the very beginning of the struggle. The rewards can be immense but you need to be 100% committed.

If you are unsure in anyway, then follow a different path. Some experienced oil hands say that the job was a calling, that they had no choice. If this is the case then follow your heart, whether you go back to college, or try to work your way up. If you are sure that you want to enter our industry, why not explore both options? See which direction Lady Luck points you towards?

We can’t help you get a job right now, drillers.com is for higher level experienced people. You are welcome to create a profile though, to start to build your online presence in the oil and gas industry.

(Answered by drillers admin)

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