Future Career Path in the Oil and Gas Industry - Essay Example

AN ANALYSIS OF SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED TO UNDERTAKE DEGREE STUDIES IN OIL AND GAS MANAGEMENT AND FOLLOW A FUTURE CAREER PATH IN OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY By Name Course Instructor Institution Location Date An analysis of skills and knowledge required to undertake degree studies in oil and gas management and follow a future career path in oil and gas industry Introduction Students of Oil and Gas Management generally progress into careers in industry. As such they need a range of skills in working with people in the industry. This is because the activities involved in oil and gas industry combine environmental, legal, and economic issues whereby a student taking this degree need to have a complete understanding of these issues. Therefore, in order for a students to prosper in an Oil and Gas management degree, he or she must have a wider knowledge and skills than just the specific regulations needed in this field. The present paper majors in discussing the skills and knowledge required to undertake degree studies in Oil and Gas Management. Definition of the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in this field Over the past years oil and gas sector has been having challenges arising from shortage of skilled labor force. In order to become a good Oil and Gas manager, there are three areas one need to highly focus on. First, an oil and gas management student need to have a passion in information technology (Chauhan, Cannas & Kumar 2012, p. 45). For a student to succeed in this field, he or she should be able to spend time thinking in order to come up with the appropriate solutions to problems. An oil and gas management student need to do thorough studying and reading constantly in order to stay updated about the new developments. Secondly, a student need to always stay humble. He or she should take enough time to familiarize himself or herself with the new experiences in the oil and gas industry. Students should not aim at becoming an oil and gas expert immediately they start their degree programmes (three years) but they should realize that they are always learning. Lastly, an oil and gas management student should be able to learn from his or her mistakes. An oil and gas professional goes through numerous experiences and works on various projects. However, people make mistakes while in oil and gas field and therefore, there is need of being able to learn from such mistakes since the entire professional field is a continuous journey. Professionals who succeed in oil and gas careers tend to have certain skills and knowledge that are conducive to that industry. One of the qualities that an oil and gas professional need to possess is flexibility in order to easily adapt emerging technologies and changing circumstances. While in the oil and gas industry one should be ready to face constant changes due to the impacts of governmental regulations, supply and demand, and international events (Sasson & Blomgren 2011, 89). Professionals in this field are expected to work on various projects or even shift from one company to another. For example, engineers who take part in Deepwater drilling projects may work in African coast line or Gulf of Mexico. After completion of one project, they are expected to move to the other project. Oil and gas field is ideal for individuals who like travelling and welcoming new challenges for them to be likely to succeed with their career. Being an oil and gas professional working for a company, one should be ready to work in different countries, especially when working for pipeline construction and drilling companies (Weijermars& De Jong 2008, p. 67). Therefore, one should be ready to relocate from one country to another. Students who like visiting new places and learning different cultures will be able to adjust to the frequent moves ahead in their profession. Moreover, independent thinking is another vital skill needed to prosper in oil and gas industry. This is because oil and gas require problem solving skills and creativity when working under stressful conditions (Chauhan, Cannas& Kumar 2012, p. 56). For example, for one to work as an offshore driller, he should be able to solve the problems that he can face, since this involves drilling at more than 500 feet deep. Therefore, in order to succeed in this field, one should have both creativity and intellect to handle the problems that might occur in the workplace. In this field, it is vital to have both written and oral communication skills. Since workers in this industry work together as a team, it is therefore, important to be able to communicate well with other coworkers and management (Khdair, Shamsudin &Subramaniam 2011, p. 23). For instance, when suppliers come up with new technology, they are supposed to train all team members how to work with it. As a project manager, one will therefore, be responsible for updating the company’s management about the project’s status and issues that have come across. Since almost all oil and gas jobs involve business management, problem solving circumstances, development and research, for a student to succeed in the oil and gas career should have strong analytical knowledge and skills to be able to find new, cost-effective, and efficient methods to use in oil refining and drilling as well as construction and operations of gas pipelines (Bains 2013, p. 78). Oil and gas industry professionals must also have analytical capabilities of determining whether the projects they run are economically feasible and determine ways in which the project should be funded as well as the type of returns that should be expected from the investments made. Ways of developing skills and knowledge in oil and gas industry There are various ways that can help students develop their employment skills whilst at university. To begin with, one should embrace all opportunities he or she has during education to take part in work placements any time. The more one involves in work based experience whilst at university, the more you are able to develop the relevant skills and knowledge. One should be always ready to work through problems and challenges and learn from his or her failures and successes. Companies employ personnel who have a “can do” attitude and who can work out solutions. In addition, whenever you are requested to participate in team activities or group work, try to take your time to learn from the different characters. Even if you work under which sector, you will relate with similar characters throughout your profession and therefore, it is essential to learn how to coordinate with different characters instead of working against them. Never be afraid or avoid any challenge or ask someone else to handle it. Education is the best place to learn on how to solve problems and figure out ways to achieve results.Whenever a problem confronts you, you should ask questions and learn from the more experienced professional around you or even your lectures. Exercising all these ways will enable one become a more qualified oil and gas professional than other students who simply concentrate on passing examinations. Oil and Gas career does not only require a student to pass exams, but also come out of university with all skills and knowledge needed to stay in the field. Bibliography Bains, R 2013, Opportunities for First Nation Prosperity through Oil and Gas Development,Studies in Energy Transportation, Fraser Institute. Chauhan, R, Cannas, C, & Kumar, A 2012, Breakthrough technology & incremental innovation in Oil & Gas Industry. The Edge of Innovation in Oil and Gas Industry, Level of R&D, Expenditure Vs Results in Energy Companies Breakthrough technology & incremental innovation in Oil & Gas Industry. Khdair, WA, Shamsudin, FM, &Subramaniam, C 2011,A Proposed Relationship between Management Practices and Safety Performance in the Oil and Gas Industry,Iraq. World Rev. Bus. Res, 1, 27-45. Sasson, A, &Blomgren, A 2011, Knowledge Based Oil and Gas Industry. Weijermars, R, & De Jong, V 2008, Closing Communication Gaps can improve the success of Oil & Gas Ventures,Oil and Gas Business Journal, 1-24. Read More