My assumption was that the oil company did not love me and, I certainly did not love them. I was in the industry to make $$ and retire. To do so, I had to learn to hustle for the work.
Over a period of +35 years, I worked for 9 different companies after graduating: Getty Oil, Amoco, T H Hill, Halliburton, Purssage Engerie , Union Texas Petroleum, Arco, Vaster, ExxonMobil. All but one as an employee. I collected pensions from Amoco and ExxonMobil. I was never laid off or fired. I simply left when I got a better offer (normally driven by more $$). My last 15 years was with EM. I finally took the EM at 65 yo. 35 years in the oil patch was enough fro me :)
But, it WAS a wild ride with many busts and booms. To survive, I had to keep my skills tack sharp. My thing was ERD, then extreme HRZ completions, then DW subsea tree installation via wire. I authored many industry SPE papers and coordinated several industry events….. I was always trying to position myself at the leading edge of technology and operations for the benefit of the company (and for me). I also maintained an oilfield network and used it to move to the next job opportunity. And finally, I prayed a lot that I would stay employed, be able to provide for my family and make retirement.
I don't see how a young person in today's oilfield could do any less than I did (hustle for work) and expect to maintain some sort of continuously employment in this industry. The instability inherent within this industry is nothing new; from what I can see that is not going away. You always need to be planning and positioning for the next job.
Good luck to your all - JG