Let’s faace it, the PIP was a lay-off, hence the subject line. Has anyone heard of geoscientists getting jobs elsewhere?
IT and engineering can bounce to different industries. Geos though, might be more difficult.
11 replies (most recent on top)
Hahaha the diva in recruiting is so accurate
Double whammy for geoscience:
- The factory layout in the Permian leaves little to no room for insight from geoscience.
- Discoveries elsewhere can only be seen first with decisive investment in data, and dedication to extract maximum value. We are reactive and never commit to geological insightful programs. Hence, others are frequently first and cheaper.
Compound that with short time spans in management, the decision by committee to reconcile prospects between regions, and the inability of the prospect to properly assess risk. The decisions made by a newly minted downstream engineer now presiding over exploration are definitely going to be subpar.
CAF has always been blamed on Upstream headcount, especially geos. (Never on bloated management structures, and endless business with ourselves). EMUV and the restricting of UBD has proven fruitless: just look at how much value the portfolio side of the organization (including divestments) has brought.
Geos with their techs and expensive software licensing are the obvious low laying fruit for a lay-off. We also have a shameless population of old timers hanging around because they are trusted by their management buddies over the new talent of the younger generation. Plus the retired in place, just playing the game, holding out to bleed the cow dry for a bigger payout.
Not a pretty picture for new hires and even less for those squeezed in the middle - those of us hired with the rational expectation the old guard would make room for us. They didn’t.
Lastly, we have a resource organization who dropped the ball on fostering talent and has no control on deployments. They should be the first to be axed. Followed by the diva in recruiting. And their generation of has-been supervisors and managers.
Geos need to face the harsh reality: the days of making big strikes are over. Yeah there is a new discovery every year or so somewhere international by some company, so...what, 10 geos maybe working on that team at one company? Even if there are 20 companies doing the same thing, how many geos does that leave out of work?
Because the unfortunate truth is that oil and gas severely over-expanded during the 2002-2014 years, and now it's slimming back down again. We geos are paid a lot, and therefore expensive, AND most executives running companies these days are engineers or finance guys who don't really understand how critical it is to understand the subsurface. They buy and sell base production, they don't really invest in big discoveries like back in the 20th century (read previous paragraph). Until the next boom, which could be a decade or more away, opportunities for geos in oil and gas will be very hard to come by. I'm luckily still clinging to my paycheck but I see the writing on the wall and am making plans to get out. All geos reading this should, too. Unless you want to deal with the stress the rest of your career.
Geos....get ready. Unfortunately you’re on your way out. I see it playing out everyday and it makes me sick! It’s like a chess game, move this one here, that one there and oh geez..... I don’t know what to do with that one. Soon the Geos, young and experienced will end up out the door. But, that doesn’t mean that I’m saved. I’ll be riding that same train. I’ve saw this coming since April and now it’s being played out. I honestly wish these Executives, Managers and Supervisors would just quit the poor, pitiful, sympathetic act. They are doing everything to save their tails. Just remember...trust NO ONE!
@fff- your post was very insightful and inspiring. Thanks
@ayk+16QEjzqa
Lots of jobs in Chicago and Colorado - depends what family side wins ;)
Coding from graduate school - some applied at URC.
@fff-
Where are you relocating to? I would love to leave the swamps of Houston, even if that means a pay-cut. How did you learn coding? Was that through the job at XOM?
I am getting several interviews in different industries - finance, tech, and renewables.
I am fortunate that, in addition to PhD in geoscience, I have engineering background and demonstrable skillset in data analytics, with relatively up-to-date programing skills. I'm leaving O&G for good.
There is no doubt I may take a paycut; I was making almost ~$250k after a decade in the industry.
But this is such a great opportunity to move to a better place, to be closer to family, and to do something more meaningful and edifying. More importantly, I am sure the companies where I'm being considered are healthier and have less imbeciles and brownosers in management. I haven't gotten a hint of the toxicity that exudes at Exxon. They have solid retirement plans; also they don't seem to be on the verge of ruin for the next decade. Money, at this point, is secondary, and the starting $150-175k base pay isn't too bad. It may even put me in a less stringent tax bracket. :)
I feel for the colleagues soon to be booted, some of them are one trick ponies, and the oil industry has an overabundance of them.
It pains me the most, the newly minted stratigraphers and hard rock geologists, coming out of schools without prospects. They were lured by a dead end industry and setup by universities unable (or unwilling) to adjust to market trends.
Most of my older colleagues have been retired in place for a while, s—ing the tit and stuffing money away for their second homes and boats and ridiculous wine trips. They will die on that hill.
Finally, I am looking forward to see the useless supervisors and managers out on their asses, without technical skills, no personal accomplishments, and laden with awful leadership behaviors. They deserve what's coming to them.
Yes, very true and if you buy books on C++, Java etc, there are many jobs out there. No worries at all. Before I got booted out I was worried about the job market, and the market is really good out there. You might have to relocate but you will find something. Economy is not bad, only oil and gas is bad.
Younger geos, like myself, who usually have some other technical skills like programming, can try to pivot industries. I've had some luck landing interviews for coding positions at smaller companies outside of oil and gas. I've seen some older geos on LinkedIn land positions at the USGS and other agencies as advisors or interdisciplinary scientists.
OP- sorry meant LAID OFF****