Get A Life In Oil and Gas, Not A Job

We live in trouble times. The oil price crash in June 2014 has brought fear and panic in the headlines, colleges, boardrooms across Tanzania.

Cost cuttings, Massive layoffs, bankruptcies, canceling of the project, and slowing down of the oil and gas activities across the world.

Young oil and gas professional received mixed messages. They told in college how much they needed in the industry. But they are now struggling and suffering to find the job in the industry.

Since the oil price crash oil and gas companies layoff reach  over 350,000. So if you graduated towards oil and gas qualifications, or generally your college students seeking to break into the oil and gas you will  find this article informative.

This guide isn’t about setting up a new business. Being entrepreneurs is wonderful. But I strongly believe entrepreneurship isn’t for everybody. So this article gives practical advice to my fellow young oil and gas profession on how they can survive, deal with this turbulence industry, have control of their career and bring their life back.

Why laid off Happens
Before industry started to crash In 2010 to 2014 we saw many oil and gas activities. It was hard to stay months without hearing gas discoveries announcement on the news. Job opportunities were immense. Oil and gas companies  recruited at the college campus. It was a common for a person to land a job to multiple companies and then you pick the one that best suit you. But following oil price crash in June 2014. Companies started to slow down the activity in the region. Slash their staffs. And  many people find hard to get the job in the industry.

In fact, oil and gas activities flourish in the time of high oil price but in the time of uncertainties, oil and gas companies cut costs. So downsizing increases in the industry. No wonder.

Are The Oil and Gas Sexy For Yong People

In the 1980s the oil and gas crashed. Many people lost jobs in the industry. By 2008 the oil price had fallen again. This brought more laid off among the oil and gas companies. By 2010 oil price wear soaring over $ 100 per barrel. So the industry recovered and employment was on the rise. So companies started to recruit.
But In summer 2014, the oil price slump hit the industry.And employee wiped out again

I just wanted you to understand that our industry is volatile. This is not the first oil price meltdown and perhaps are not the last. I m not energy economist, but I strongly believe there will be another industry crash.

If you are wondering whether to be or not to be in the oil and gas, I will encourage young people to join the industry as long as you are able to withstand with pain that oil and gas deliver. The oil and gas is the most rewarding sector. If you are looking for the industry that will reward you in terms of compensation and making difference. I will strongly suggest you break in this sector. The best part is the energy consultant foresee the potential job growth in the emerging market such as Tanzania, Mozambique, Uganda, Angola and so on.

The formula has Changed
The traditional rules to achieve the oil and gas career success was focusing on the oil and gas specific programs.

But in today’s unemployment reality and the lack of predictability in the industry these rules have dramatically changed in the recent years.

Those who have skills that can be well transferable to the industries are the happiest career professionals I have met because they are not only limited to oil and gas employer. If the oil and gas industry crashes they can easily transfer to other industries and enjoy large economy.

Those who acquire transferable skills are the one who going to thrive in this volatile industry. The one with oil and gas specific skills such as petroleum engineering, geology, petroleum geosciences, petroleum chemistry, reservoir engineering and so on feel beholden to only oil and gas employer. And find themselves difficult to find the job to the other industries when the oil price crash.

How Can You Thrive When The Rule Has Changed?

Now, this is the most important part of this article. As we have seen the approach to career success has changed in oil and gas. So how do you survive in this volatile industry? The answer is pretty simple. Add transferable skills
The smartest way to thrive in this industry is to add transferable skills. If you wondering how? keep reading you will find out how.

1.Unemployed Graduate
If you have graduated with oil and gas specific course such as Petroleum engineering, petroleum geosciences, Petroleum Geosciences, Petroleum geology, geophysics or geology and you didn’t manage to land a job in the oil and gas, now is high time to consider add skills that can be transferable to other industries.

Many skills are well transferable to other industries. I strongly suggest you get some certification or training of those skills. As an example, skills that transferable well to other industry sectors that you can pursue include, welders, pipefitters, Stream fitters NDT inspectors, mechanics, plumbers, electrician, safety, heavy truck, and tractor driver.

If you are planning to slide for a master degree and unsure of the right program to pick. Never limit yourself by studying university programs that are specific to oil and gas this is because is very difficult for a non oil employee to hire graduates with these skills. But as you switch to the transferable skills you position yourself to enjoy the large economy than the limit to only one industry.

Forex ample,  students studied degrees toward qualification in oil and gas, they should also take additional training that can be adapted to meet the requirement for several jobs in several industries.

For example, a petroleum engineer students might have a strong background in mathematics. So you can consider to have teaching training certificate and specialize in mathematics.
A petroleum geosciences students might opt for the survey studies, and petroleum chemistry students might go for chemical processing engineering.

You may consider the idea of change with a fear or loss because you will be out of the oil and gas. But the fact is there a lot of mechanics in oil and gas, welders are dire demand for oil and gas not to mention safety officer s.

So you may apply for oil and gas jobs with these kills once the oil price restore.

Never take your age as an excuse for learning new skills. You are never too old to learn new skills.

High school Students
For students looking to break into oil and gas, they should enroll in universities program that is well transferable to several industries. You don’t have to be petroleum engineering to work in oil and gas sector.

There are a lot of mechanicals in oil and gas. So if you are keen to work in oil and gas I will strongly suggest you enroll in the transferable program such as Electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering. There is opening for these skills in several industries.
Imagine that, you graduate in electrical engineering, and you got a job in the oil and gas. So once the industry crash, you can easily switch to other sectors simply because the nonoil employer will be willing to hire a person with electrical engineering.

Don’t misunderstand me I am not against oil and gas specific programs. And I don’t say the oil and gas specific courses are worthless. But that is the best way to survive in this volatile sector.

 

 

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