Don't be fooled by these fancy project greek alphabet denominations and keep your professional vision intact. There is a life out there, and plenty of work if you are a diversified professional who is able to look beyond what you have learned working for Chevron. Spend your time wisely finding the best opportunity that you can get for you and your family. When it is time to move on, do it decisively and with no regrets, as nowhere it is written that Chevron owns your career.
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OP your post is spot on. While some doors close others open.
@pyu It's difficult not to be anxious in these uncertain times. But your post was very calming for me and a good reminder that there's life outside O&G. Not that I ever dreamt of being in a boring corporate job such as this, but if I'm laid off, I can apply my work experience into things I actually love doing.
Thanks for the post! Cheers!
Well the lowest human emotion is fear. That is what we are seeing at work, on this tiny little discussion board, even in our politics at the moment. Working at Chevron was an eye opener to me, I am a short term employee. What I noticed was, people's identification that they are their jobs. That somehow working in this organization, doing this tiny tasks defines them. I think this notion of security and comfort quells fear, which makes one prone to attach even greater to this.....I would say most of us intuitively know how bad this organization is....from behaviors to results we are dead last. But why do we stay? Fear of the unknown and comfort of knowing what we are dealing with no matter how bad. I spent my life using my left side of my brain. I attended all tier I engineering schools. Honing my intelligence. Not until I used my right side and intuition, that it became clear that this wild ride is just one big lesson of life. Most of us that get canned will have our ego's handed to us...a kick in the ass! You will soon find out your are not your job or Chevron because you will have neither and still function. I want to be generic on this example....but it is about a specific drilling engineer. He came in several years back when i just started and said I can't work in a place that is so broken, deceitful, and unhealthy. He had kids and a wife and bills to pay. But he left and bought a small sandwich shop and did STEM out reach. He lost his car, downsized his home. Bought a junker and kept doing what he loved.....public interaction and creativity making meals, and opening up STEM to children. He now is an executive at a tech company that is at the top.....it's not about this company in its self it is that the place aligns with his passions and just happens to be the most admired tech company. He found he could help many more people working there then by himself. His children are now out of the nest, his wife left him...they grew apart. So it's just him now. He makes more money than a person has a right to and gives most of it away. Saying, ah...I will make more of this tomorrow. We know how dysfunctional this place is, and when will soon get kicked out. Good! Did you grow up wanting to be a drilling engineer, a geophysicist, an HR rep? Probably not. Do you need a 5,000 Sq ft house and a Mercedes Benz, probably not. It is what is is...open your self up to doing something good without constant fear.
Adw, did you not know the volatility of the industry when career searching? I know several people who have been laid off multiple times and they are still in this industry. It's about the skills you have developed in this business and transferring them to your next role. You may be a drilling engineer now but with xyz company, you will be all those positions put together.
I agree with OP, one has to trust their abilities, try our best in given circumstances and things should be ok. Someone recently said to me "Stop being afraid of what could go wrong, and start being excited of what could go right".
If you are end of your career, go ahead get drunk and wine/bitch all night long. But if you believe you have some game left in you pick up from where you are and believe that there is life after Chevron.
Tell me what other job I could apply if I am a drilling engineer (I suppose I could drill water well in the drought hit California) or if I am a petroleum reservoir engineer or reservoir simulation engineer or deep water completion engineer or petroleum production engineer . What if I am already 10 years or 20 years or 30 years into my job. What I meant is that what jobs out there matching the qualification and yet pay half of my former salary .
@mzw - Take your opinion to the "No one gives a shit" website.
Zzk. Well said. Never have I heard so many weak people. If this was the Titanic, these are not the survivors. Not sure why anyone would want to hire these folks. Chin up, show your dignity. Not Gorgon, or Wheatstone, or Watson or someones brother in law. LOW COMMODITY PRICES! Dignity folks, show some dignity especially to your family. If you are posting here these comments I can imagine what your family and friends hear each day. Be lucky they are still around! I personally have moved myself away from long time friends who have nothing but doom to speak of.