It seems like the constant bo-m and busts are becoming more frequent, and with the addition of climate change and the renewable industry being the future, I truly question why our interns would choose to work in the oil industry. Maybe there is something im overlooking, but this isn’t an industry that is growing if anything it’s just companies swallowing up other companies and shrinking (aka less jobs and future prospects).
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Kid, oil’s been around since the invention of the light bulb, the telephone, the car, the airplane, radio, TV, the internet, cell phones, EVs, and even AI. It’s outlived ‘the next big thing’ a dozen times — and it’s not going anywhere
What is clear to me is that this generation (so I've been told) has had it worse than any previous generation. There is no arguing with them, it just is. Next topic.
lol it’s the senior employees who still do all the work and have a work ethic …not the younger generation who presents the senior people’s work as their own, are constantly on social media looking for a hookup or watching tic toc.
Sometimes this site is like a teen movie. Boomers, HR, “old timers”, and the government are the bad guys. Millennials and Gen Z (who invented WFH) are the good guys. All we need is some mean girls, moody 130 lb boys, jocks, and some dramatic music to finish it out. Man I hate those movies.
@tk+1jv1bhhg5 You must of grown up with a privilege life. I was married in 1988 and my spouse and I both worked for oil companies and had kids in daycare just like you would today. We both worked until the kids got out of college and then my wife retired. Many of my friends and relatives had both spouses working. We paid 8-10% for our first mortgages and auto loans were up there as well.
And why isn’t the new generation choosing to go into oil and gas if it is so great like you boomers think? Oil and gas has a huge identity/image problem and if something doesn’t change there won’t be replacements when you old timers finally retire.
Lol boomers have absolutely ruined the world as we know it for future generations. The politicians you elected (and from your generation, who refuse to retire so they can continue to get rich) printed money and devalued the dollar by 99% since going off the gold standard in the 70s. Meanwhile salaries haven’t kept up with inflation. By ruining the value of the dollar, millennials and gen z now have BOTH spouses working instead of just the husbands, which means more competition for fewer jobs that you old white men never had to deal with in the 70s, 80s, 90s or even 2000s. Also we now have to get advanced degrees (MBAs, law degrees etc) just to compete in the same playing field as our parents generation. Clearly denial is not just a river in Egypt.
There were also no online job postings. If you needed a professional job the choices were looking through ads in the Sunday papers,which you could get at the library, looking in the back of professional journals, contacting headhunters, and networking. There was no internet so responses were all done by mailing cover letters and resumes or using the fax machine. There was lots of cold calling involved too. People in the current workforce do not know how easy they have it. What you have now a great thing. Highly skilled people should not be laid off and then not be able to easily find opportunities.
@pz+1jv1bhhg5 you must be kidding. The workplace is soooo much better now than in the past. I didn't get 3 weeks PTO until my 10th year at my company... 4 weeks after 20 years. Furthermore, there is a dearth of opportunities compared to the past. There was no tech industry in the 1980's. The "boomers" all crowded into very competitive job market. Furthermore, there was NO work from home. Gen Z and millennials invented "work" from home. I'd stop worrying about climate change and get over yourself dude. Thanks in advance.
I forgot to include pandemics, toxic masculinity, meteors, lack of socialized medicine, no WFH, aliens, and conservatives. It’s a jungle out there. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Yea boomers climate change wasn’t a huge issue when yall were our age. We have to deal with climate change, plus AI, plus the same bo-m bust nature you all had to navigate. A lot more headwinds for 30 year olds than you old dudes who need to retire already.
Couldn’t have said it any better!
Been doing it for 40 plus years and still came out ahead of any other career I would of had. Been laid off, mergers, total comany sold, and still made a good living. Got two to three good payouts and found a job within months of all and banked the payouts. Paid off our house and all other bills with one of them. If you are looking for comfort you might be in the wrong industry, but play it for what it is and you might come out okay. Key to it all is never live outside your means. We could of afforded bigger houses, better cars, etc. None of those things would of done anything but put us in debt. The best advice I ever got was not leaving beyond your means and in fact living below them. It is all about saving for the rainy days. If you do that you should be able to thrive in any industry.
You are not the first generation to face headwinds. My father in the late 50's bagged groceries one summer with degrees in engineering and geology. I graduated in 1983 and stepped into 25 years of layoffs, downsizing and mergers... We all face challenges, the talented ones make a career of it.
Hydrocarbons will be part of our world for generations. If you’re passionate about this industry, build your future in a field that’s not just surviving—it’s enduring.
AI will never replace the engineers and geologists monitoring parameters on the drilling rig. AI will only enhance the data input into the human brain to make decisions. But it is about time that the high tech hits the oil patch.
By the way...Senior management isn't going to bet the farm on a computer's geologic interpretation quite yet. Your concerns are unfounded... Study the career that you want to do for the next forty years and buckle up....
AI still requires training datasets. Have been around them for years and they are not ready for prime time . Fault interpretation is a major weakness. Manual QC and corrections are almost a full time job with AI work. The Human interface will be required for many years to come. You will adapt with the changing technology and enjoy an amazing career.
I don’t think anyone is arguing that hydrocarbons aren’t going away, I think n what is being argued is they will be produced from countries outside of the USA and using far less manpower bc of companies consolidating and AI. How can a young person 25 years old make a career out of this industry? It will be nearly impossible I think.
Because hydrocarbons will still be used worldwide long after you retire. Cold fusion was supposed to put me out of work in the mid 80's... Still got 40 years of service when I eventually retired. Yep, life gets interesting in the oil business and it helps to be wise with your money but it was a very challenging and rewarding career. I worked / lived in many countries and met incredible people. Also found a bunch of grease along the way. No complaints.
@gg+1jv1bhhg5, getting canned from a job can be tough. This industry can be stressful. I really hate to see someone like you that couldn’t handle the stress. I truly hope you found a job that fit your temperament better, and one where management was more sensitive to your feelings. Keep your head up!
No one is asking you questions????
This original post was a question, Mensa! Do you even think before you post?
As long as we need high density portable fuel people will need hydrocarbon based fuel. We also cannot live without plastics which are petroleum based. Have you ever tried drinking a large soda through a paper straw instead of a plastic straw. Or tried walking up a mountain in the winter with all wool instead of lighter weight synthetics.
Let’s get back to the point of the post, what I’m asking is even with the pay premium to work in oil and gas, do college students really believe they can make a full career in this industry? Seems like wishful thinking to me as western countries turn towards renewables and companies continue to do more with less (artificial intelligence)
I wonder why OXY has so many haters — it must be the culture.
No one is asking you questions. They are responding, just asking that you go away. So if you think this helps your mental health, go for it. However, your posts are getting increasingly strange, so maybe its having the opposite result.
@bj+1jv1bhhg5 Another one who doesn't like hearing the truth. I'm here to warn people about Oxy and Ill keep doing it across all mediums that I can. Why keep responding to me when you know I won't be silent, which is what you want? You just don't like hearing the truth about what you are. If you people keep asking questions Ill keep answering. I notice none of you have ever responded to defend the company, but you keep complaining about my responses pointing out what the company is. Just ignore me if you don't like hearing the truth, but don't keep stating Oxy is great when the evidence is to the contrary.
@bc+1jv1bhhg5, so why keep showing up? If I kept showing up somewhere and nobody listened to me or wanted me to be there, I think I would stop showing up. Your anger controls you to the point that every day you can’t wait to get on here and insult this company and its employees. Since you admit you’re not convincing anybody, do something else with your time. Maybe put your thoughts in a diary or journal. Talk to a counselor. Whoever fired you or insulted you is probably not even with the company anymore.
The industry is fine. Its Oxy that is the problem. You can post everything wrong with them using facts and examples and you can draw on years of experience to point out the systemic flaws, disgraceful culture and repulsive attitudes that have resulted in huge catastrophes, damaging business decisions and massive employee turnover and all you'll get on here is one of two answers. 'Best Company Ever' and 'you must have been let go' The problem is you.
Money and not trained to work in any other industry. 1) The oil industry pays extremely well and so when it is risk weighted for layoffs you still are ahead. 2) if they are interns in petroleum engineering they may be stuck because they are not perceived to be as versatile as mechanical, electrical, or chemical. The is especially true at the BS level.