Earning Job and Career Security

Abstract

What's Ahead - David Vaucher, TWA editor-in-chief, on “Earning Job and Career Security.” Think of all the benefits a job in the oil and gas industry gives you: excellent pay and benefits, the chance to work on challenging projects and see some really exciting places around the world, and maybe even flexible work hours. But what about job security? Arguably, job security is the ultimate benefit. After all, how great are salary and challenging projects if you work in constant fear they could disappear from one day to the next? This is the idea behind being a tenured professor at a university: Not having to worry about losing their jobs, university professors who have earned tenure have the freedom to focus their energy on teaching and research. Of course, while academia and business have ties to each other, they are entirely different operating environments. Certainly, the market is good now for young professionals in oil and gas because energy prices are high and the level of skill required to bring this energy to the market is extremely high. But can anyone really count on something similar to tenure in oil and gas—or really in any other industry? In today’s business world—in which seemingly nothing matters more than how much a stock price moves from quarter to quarter; in which technology enables work to be done from anywhere, by anyone with an Internet connection; and with an energy mix that is broadening to include other options besides oil and gas—can we as young professionals in the oil and gas industry be assured a measure of security, not only in our day-to-day jobs but also in our long-term careers?