I chose the technical path, but I’m starting to have second thoughts due to the increasing amount of technical outsourcing I’m seeing. It’s making me anxious about the future and the opportunities available in this field. I’m also uncertain about what other technical positions might be outsourced, and unfortunately, my supervisor hasn’t provided any clear guidance on the situation.
Am I overthinking this, or is there still a solid career path for technical roles?
We are a commodity corporation. It is less costly to "Look outside before reinventing the wheel internally."
Translation: Most technology that we claim that we invented internally can be purchased for far less money from a third party.
@2etq is spot on - from a recently retired high CL EMPT 40+ years
OP This is the answer of a current employee with a high CL. The answer is no. There's no technical career anymore. There're still a few very good technical people at EMTEC but all of them will be pushed out in the next couple of years. Darren has no interest in developing technology in the corporation. He prefers to buy whatever is available in the market. Yes, you might find a position that feels technical like contact engineer but you won't be doing anything really technical like designing a new plant. Also most high CL technical positions are given to managers whose careers reached a ceiling. Instead of laying them off or forcing them to retire now they're chiefs and senior principals. And everybody at Exxon knows that this is true.
@1sgo. Everyone who works at EM from university knows how it works. Poser dooshpag
To the people who said nobody chooses a technical path- that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.
Nobody chose a technical path. And only a troll or an Id..ot starts wondering only now. It was obvious why the technical path was chosen for you and it is a good thing. If you are real, you cannot think straight.
Only if you speak Hindi and willing to work for 25% of your current salary.
At EM, in HC10 - no it does not.
OP - you didn't "choose" the technical career path at Exxon. It was chosen for you. I think you are a troll
Try truck driving
There never was a technical path. Look at who has filled the top technical roles and the Kobe’s they have had.
Yes, yes it does exists. Path to exit.
Post from TheLayoff.com
A lot of truth in this post but I’d pump the breaks on the CL 26/27 separate groups. The aim for next year is to have the positions cut back to point where they do a large 26/27 total group. You just got a break for a year or 2 before it goes back that direction.
Yes they still exist at downstream manufacturing. Unsure about EMTEC until the headcount reductions settle out in 2030. By then, EMTEC will stabilize and job positions will become more prevalent.
You are not wrong for having concerns. Talk to your supervisor. We don’t lay anyone off, but you may need to take a broadening assignment in another part of the org as things settle out. This broadening assignment may help you in the long term.
In chaos and churn, there is opportunity. Stick around and you’ll experience the opportunities.
OP - depends on where you are located.
The person who commented here on multiple complex engineers + site Principal roles is probably at a big B and chemical. Most smaller sites don’t have Principals and only 1 or 2 of a discipline “anchor” who will be there for life or forced to abandon technical.
EMTEC outlook is to continue shrinking headcount in non-BTC areas. We used to have EMRE DTL/GTS + Upstream had their own senior advisory roles, then we all got collapsed into a merged group with only a few senior technical positions.
The large complexes split their CL 26/27 rank groups into an Ops/Maintenance group and a Technical/SHE group. If you think about this for more than a couple seconds you’ll realize this means they’re pitting all of the BTLs and maintenance second lines against each other, likely the most up and coming management path people. They can no longer use technical people as cannon fodder in assessment. I suspect many of these people received their first ranking less than excellent in their career this year and we will start to see people in these positions leave, followed by consolidation of business teams and liberal use of PULs to make things manageable.
This is all to say that I know many people on both paths, and the management track folks who aren’t HiPo or have a sponsor are worried.
I’m not going to pretend it’s entirely roses on the technical side, but there are still roles and you can still do well. I’m 100% technical at a gulf coast site and have gotten OPD three or four years in a row.
Last word of advice - go join Blind if you want to have actual conversations and get advice. Almost everything here is trolling and crying.
Yes - a technical career path still exists - but for Managers!
: @zji+1umGLyLp Those roles at the sites are not technical roles. They are stepping stones for those individuals to proceed in to management.
Superficial technical analysis is now done in KL remotely.
EMTEC also is offshoring everything as you know. Do 4 years, get your PE or Chartership, then leave and try and get into a company that does offer technical careers.
Here it’s all about the politics. Period . These SDAs and so forth there is no clear path unless you have a sponsor.
@qpd+1umGLyLp why do you say it's nonsense, every refinery has about 5 complex engineers or equivalent and they also rolled out principal engineers
Technically
@kjd+1umGLyLp This is unfortunately nonsense. Downstream technical career path has evaporated as any technical roles that remain in the company are all being offshored. As said below, just a handful of nominal positions left for yes men to fill.
I can comment on downstream technology. Technical career is still there but there are less and less positions. In refinery you can become a complex engineer for life or site principal engineer where you can get up to relatively high cl. Other than that you have to move to emtech and there you need to be in one of few differentiated technologies where exxon wants to remain competitive with respect to technical capability. So there are still good options for technical careers but less and less every year.
EM is choosing to eradicate real technical engineering positions. What's left are big talkers who have limited knowledge, but can rely on not being challenged. Any real issues go to the outside to consultants via contractors and suppliers at exorbitant prices. EM "technical staff" can then plagiarize the results as their own and get an atta boy.
Get out now! No future for technical
The future of tech will look something like this, companies will still need high-level tech people to help with the direction and understanding of tech, think Architect types. Everyone else will work for the cloud. There will be fewer mid-level and low-level techs which will mainly consist of the Help Desk.