I dont want to be a fear monger, and this isn’t really a question you can ask managers. As a new hire, should I stay at EM? Ride out the storm? Will things get better? What is your advice?
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Only in EMIT can managers boast about not being technical and not even liking technology. I have had them ask me what an API is. I have never met an engineer or accountant boast about there lack of skill or interest in their field. So if you really want to work on technical issues, get out. Plus as you get older they push down your ranking which is humiliating when you are expected to coach kids who are getting much better rankings than you. EMIT boasts about going digital. Isn't that what we were supposed to be all along?
This is a decision you need to make depending on what you want. First you may not have a choice :) . If you are allowed to stay, it pays the bills. keep up your skills and resume. Once you find once you are ranked your are below 50% you need to leave.
Most of EMIT emps who stay long become generalists who eventually become advisors or management. Out of XOM, these are not employable, even within the O&G industry. Other O&G companies have technical specialists, rarely at XOM. If your career path is to become a System Architect, that is transferable to other companies. So my advice for most is to jump ship while you're young not unless you've set your mind to become an SA.
As someone else said you’re on a sinking Titanic ship with only the first few floors under right now.
They are in cost cut mode more than ever in the past. If you’re doing transactional tasks and are paid a good salary your work will almost certainly be eliminated.
CSLewis, as the great John McEnroe would of said : “are you f*cking serious?” Or are getting your kicks at yanking the chain of disillusioned employees? Anyway... Take what can be marketed and jump out of the plane while you still have a parachute that's working, even if not golden...
Based on your naive and quite funny questions.
If they are sincere, then stay on with Emit for you will fit in perfectly.
Might even make manager one day, if you can just knotch up the sarcasm and sadism.
Time will tell.
OP: GTFOH ASAP! You are on the Titanic, iceberg is just over the horizon. We have passed peak XOM. Take your talents elsewhere. I am a leader in XOM with 30 yr of industry experience, not a manager. GTFOH. Don't look back.
OP - given that you have very little vested with EM, I would advice you to get out of XOM ASAP. Don’t give in to the temptation to ride it out. In the unlikely event you are able to keep your job through upcoming layoffs, the future is bleak for the industry and bleaker for XOM.
Great question to ask on a layoff website...
Here’s my advice (former emit) — make sure you’re getting externally marketable skills, the name “ExxonMobil” doesn’t really carry weight outside the O&G Industry so can’t rely on that, but you if you can get exposure to enterprise scale that certainly helps.
Read job descriptions from companies you’d target and see if you have those skills in your toolbox. Also know that only the best of the best are making it 5 years now (pension vesting), so hit the ground running. Also if you’re in the US you’re a huge target because EMIT’s ultimate goal is a select few in the US and the majority in lower cost locations.
One problem with EMIT is the silo’ing , whereas outside companies want someone who has a larger breadth of experience, so try your best to work on getting skills / experiences that match up external job postings.
Finally, if I could give advice it’d be to get out of O&G altogether while you’re young and you can.