Engineer here, 42. Been with XOM for six years. I don’t see a bright future with this mgmt, I agree with many colleagues that they have a fundamental lack of understanding what engineering is. Outsourcing is on the rise. I see that ageism is a real thing, and I don’t want to turn around in a couple of years and regret not leaving earlier. But I’m also a bit unnerved with the engineering jobs market in our industry.
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Everyone in their 40s should leave. You still have time to establish yourself at another company. Employers like those in their 40s who can bridge across the generational differences. Gen X and older millennials are in demand for this reason.
6 years is a good time to jump. Will look just right on your resume. Maybe wait a few months so your exit does not coincide with the NSI folks.
Yes, get out of there. Run like your hair is on fire. XOM is a miserable place to work.
I was an engineer and was lucky enough to retire. It’s not worth it. Get out while you still have your health and integrity
only people in TCs have a career, cheap and easy to develop.
I was in the same position 4 years in. Company did the bait and switch on me. I ended staying longer. Looking back I should have left sooner, and saved myself from the stress and misery.
I found other employment by gaining skills on my own and by taking classes that I thought was needed for the future. My supervisor at the time did not approve any of my training. So I paid for the training out of my own pocket. Looking for another job is tough but I managed to find what I was looking for after several months.
If your career is stagnating and you don’t enjoy what you do, then take back the control. Good luck.
Leave in your 40’s at the latest! Staying longer is death and you will stop getting raises and be fired and then have hard time finding a new job
Try looking at being a technical program manager or program manager in tech. Very similar type of job to what many do at EM.
@OP It depends on what you want to do and what you’ve been doing for the past six years.
If you’ve been based at the Spring, TX campus, chances are that you’ve done very little actual engineering. It’s not a knock on you, it’s just a fact. From what I’ve seen, most engineers at the big oil companies are good at following systems and know industry standards front to back. We’ve hired a few only to find out that they couldn’t do basic engineering tasks, such as validating the boundary conditions for a routine FEA or performing data reduction. Not making that mistake again.
I typically only consider candidates who worked at places like this for less than three years and who have directly transferable skills, but every hiring manager is different.
No career at XOM. Start forming your exit plan.
I wouldn't stay if you didn't have to. The way they PIP salary based on lowest % rather than performance is cr-p. (Exxon needs to be held accountable for that). Sadly Engis are the first heads they cut.
Secondly, the job market right now is really bad. The best time to look for a job is when you have one. Despite everything, "Engi at Exxon" looks really good on paper.
Good luck!
Just field another job offer and compare.