COMMON QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ON OIL & GAS CAREERS (II)
Xfire is a graduate of one of the notable public universities in Nigeria, with working experience in the FMCG and petroleum industry. He currently works as an engineer in a multinational oil company in Nigeria. He is passionate about guiding people to achieve their dream careers, and he is known for his pragmatic approach towards career and life issues.
7. What are the most sought-after disciplines in the oil industry?
The oil and gas industry is a very vast and requires a wide range of disciplines. Almost all the major disciplines are required in the sector. Disciplines related to humanities, medicine and occupational health, social sciences, sciences, safety, IT, engineering, biological sciences and arts are required in various ways. But the industry is largely technology driven. Thus STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) courses tend to be higher demand, specifically engineering, and to a significant extent, geosciences. Mid level workers such as operators, technicians, roustabouts, crane operators, etc. are also required. Major engineering fields such as petroleum, electrical, mechanical and chemical can easily fit into almost all the engineering positions in the industry. Other fairly demanded disciplines include safety, social sciences and IT (Read my article on Top 10 Most Demanded Jobs in the Oil and Gas Industry on jarushub.com).
8. What are my chances with a 2.2?
Jobs in the industry are generally very competitive. Even those with very good grades still find it hard to break in. There are really no guarantees and it always takes an element of ‘luck’ to break into the industry. With a 2.2, the chances are much lower, especially with reputable and established oil producing/servicing firms. The most practicable way to go around this is to aim for smaller oil firms and/or get some relevant specialized certifications. Getting additional degree may help as one acquires some experience in the sector, but is almost ineffective without any experience. Networking can also be very helpful in securing a job.
9. I studied a course not relevant to the oil and gas industry, any chances for me?
There are very few courses that are totally irrelevant in the industry. Those courses may just be in very low demand. It may also depend on your location. A few graduate opportunities (like NNPC graduate programmes and the current NLNG recruitment drive) throw the door open to a wide variety of graduates including the those that studied ‘non-relevant’ courses. That provides a plausible chance. Another alternative is to change career entirely e.g. from a ‘non-relevant’ social science course to accounting (through ICAN or ACCA) or from Agric engineering to Mechanical Engineering through the MSc route.
But it must be said that not everyone can work in the oil industry. Career satisfaction can certainly be gotten elsewhere.
10. What of job security in the industry?
Over the decades, the industry worldwide tends to be cyclical. In times of high oil prices like we have now, job stability tends to be high. Companies recruit in this time of prosperity. When oil prices crash for a sustained period of time, it becomes uneconomical to sustain high level of production and there may be massive lay-offs. This can happen for many reasons -gloomy economy, oil glut, newer and cheaper technologies, political instability or uncertainty. However the industry is currently in a sustained period of high prices and job security is pretty high.
Moreover, the industry is skill driven. Some set of professional skills will always sell, and many experts will always find themselves in various aspects of the industry irrespective of the economic situation.
Generally speaking, job security in the industry is fairly high.
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