Petroleum Engineering - The Best Profession

Abstract

Special Section: The Value and Future of Petroleum Engineering Short of choosing a life partner, deciding on a profession may be the most important decision any of us ever makes. And there are many who would debate which of these takes precedence. I consider myself amazingly fortunate in having made perfect choices in both categories. Anyone who has met my wife, Dina, can vouch for the first one. This is my opportunity to talk about the second. When people ask me what I think about petroleum engineering as a profession, I answer, “Petroleum engineering is not just a great profession; it’s the best profession.” Here is why. Name another profession that is fun, intellectually and physically challenging, personally and financially rewarding, and critical to true global sustainability on both a macro and micro scale. I can’t think of one. Beyond the basics of skills, aptitude, education, and interest, the way we choose our professions has changed dramatically over the past 50 to 60 years. The goal for many of our parents, and even some of us, depending on our age, was to join a company where we could make a good living, rise in the ranks, and work from graduation to retirement. That world no longer exists. Today the question of what to consider when choosing a profession consumes magazines, books, and the internet. A 2018 online Harvard Business Review (HBR) article reported on what motivates people at work, beyond obvious basics such as salary, time off, and benefits. To find answers, HBR’s people analytics team collaborated with Facebook. Based on surveys conducted twice a year asking what employees value most, the team identified three big buckets of motivators: career, community, and cause. As the article said, “It turns out we’re all hoping to find a what, a who, and a why.” Career—The What According to HBR, career is about work. It’s about autonomy, about using your strengths, and promoting learning and development. It’s at the heart of intrinsic motivation. It’s what you do throughout your working life, and may span many jobs and many companies. Engineers share many traits, perhaps the most common of which is our love of solving problems. Petroleum engineering is the pinnacle of problem solving. For the 7.2 billion people on our planet, we have to solve the problem of how to deliver affordable energy from oil and gas, and how to do so safely and economically. We must solve the problem of operating in ways that don’t threaten our planet and its future generations. And, we must do all of this in a way that helps our employers achieve acceptable return on investment.