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A Day in the Life of the Women of O&G

by Jaime Kammerzell

From Rigzone Contributor. Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Although far fewer women work in the oil and gas

(O&G) industry compared to men, many women find

rewarding careers in the industry. Five women were

asked the same questions regarding their career

5 choices in the oil and gas industry.

Question 1: Why did you choose the oil and gas

industry?

Woman 1: Cool technology, applying science and

money.

10Woman 2: It seemed interesting and the pay was

good.

Woman 3: They offered me a job! I couldn’t turn down

the great starting salary and a chance to live in New

Orleans.

15Woman 4: I did not really choose the oil and gas

industry as much as it chose me.

Woman 5: I chose the oil and gas industry because of

the challenging projects, and I want to be part of our

country’s energy solution.

20Question 2: How did you get your start in the oil

and gas industry?

Woman 1: I went to a university that all major oil

companies recruit. I received a summer internship with

Texaco before my last year of my Master’s degree.

25Woman 2: I was recruited at a Texas Tech Engineering

Job Fair.

Woman 3: At the time, campus recruiters came

to the geosciences department of my university

annually and they sponsored scholarships for

30graduate students to help complete their research.

Even though my Master’s thesis was more geared

toward environmental studies, as a recipient of one

of these scholarships, my graduate advisor strongly

encouraged me to participate when the time came for

35O&G Industry interviews.

Woman 4: I was working for a company in another

state where oil and gas was not its primary business.

When the company sold its division in the state

where I was working, they offered me a position at

40the company’s headquarters in Houston managing

the aftermarket sales for the company’s largest

region. Aftermarket sales supported the on-highway,

construction, industrial, agricultural and the oil and

gas markets. After one year, the company asked me

45to take the position of managing their marine and

offshore power products division. I held that position

for three years. I left that company to join a new startup

company where I hold the position of president.

Woman 5: My first job in the oil and gas industry was

50an internship with Mobil Oil Corp., in New Orleans.

I worked with a lot of smart, focused and talented

geoscientists and engineers.

Question 3: Describe your typical day.

Woman 1: Tough one to describe a typical day. I

55generally read email, go to a couple of meetings and

work with the field’s earth model or look at seismic.

Woman 2: I talk with clients, help prepare bids and

work on getting projects out the door. My days are

never the same, which is what I love about the job I

60have.

Woman 3: I usually work from 7:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

(although the official day is shorter). We call the field

every morning for an update on operations, security,

construction, facilities and production engineering

65activities. I work with my team leads on short-term

and long-term projects to enhance production (a lot of

emails and Powerpoint). I usually have 2-3 meetings

per day to discuss/prioritize/review ongoing or

upcoming work (production optimization, simulation

70modeling, drilling plans, geologic interpretation,

workovers, etc.). Beyond our team, I also participate

in a number of broader business initiatives and

leadership teams.

Woman 4: A typical day is a hectic day for me. My

75day usually starts well before 8 a.m. with phone

calls and emails with our facility in Norway, as well

as other business relationships abroad. At the office,

I am involved in the daily business operations and

also stay closely involved in the projects and the

80sales efforts. On any given day I am working on

budgets and finance, attending project meetings,

attending engineering meetings, reviewing drawings

and technical specifications, meeting with clients

and prospective clients, reviewing sales proposals,

85evaluating new business opportunities and making a

lot of decisions.

Woman 5: On most days I work on my computer

to complete my projects. I interpret logs, create

maps, research local and regional geology or write

90documents. I go to project meetings almost every day.

I typically work only during business hours, but there

are times when I get calls at night or on weekends

from a rig or other geologists for assistance with a

technical problem.

Adapted from URL: <http://www.rigzone.com/news/article

.asp?a_id=11508>. Retrieved on February 14, 2012.