Few extra tips:

- You can get into an oil coy even with a 2.2
- Aside your qualification, strong networking skills (not necessarily based on ethnic links) will get you in faster and ahead of performance at interviews. I already assumed that the applicant is smart (not paper qualified).
- Get your applications into any of the companies you would like to work with, an open application is fine. Companies file them for a year, so make plan to update on annual basis till you get an opportunity.
- Best way to get in might come small, take up contractor positions. Tough route but more financially rewarding on the short term, you will break out with focus and prayers.

Okija_juju: #Tagged...


I'll chip in later

Following

dsypha: hehe, dis one dat everybody wan work for oil company!!! pls how about us dat are reading Industrial Chemistry any hope?

Always be hopeful, what class of degree did you make? When and where did you graduate from? My friend heads a Lab in one of the majors and he mentioned that they are looking to fill some contractor positions.

You can retrain and get a PGD in Pet Eng or Chem Eng to give you opportunity into core Pet Eng or work as a Process Engr in subsurface areas. Probably even as a drilling rep or in HES..limitless opportunities.

As a final year student of soil science and land resource management, is there any hope? And please don't tell me to make first class.

Thanks, x-fire and Igbonla, for your input.

Of course, I know you don't need a First to get into the industry, but there is no gainsaying that having one gets you invite almost automatically (except you don't meet other criteria), then it's left for you to prove yourself because you will be subject to same tests and interviews with others.

Also, there are many 2.2s in the industry, but it's tough especially at entry level, and it takes some circumstances (luck and God's grace essentially) to get opportunity to prove yourself (=invitation for test/interview) in the first place.

Deewater, good one too.

I also did this article to douse the craze about oil and gas: http://www.jarushub.com/jarus-on-sunday-the-oil-gas-industry-craze/

Igbonla made a very important point there. Contract is another good window to 'break' into the industry.

Class of degree is not that emphasized in contract positions. And we are talking about 250k - 400k (or more, which is what a manager earns in another industry) here as monthly net for even contract staff. Also, with experience as a contract staff in the big IOCs, it becomes quite easy to penetrate the upcoming independents who prefer poaching contract staff of teh established IOCs, pay them more and get them do teh job. I know many Shell contract staff my organization poached.

Lolxxxx

A first class or a 2.1 is not necessarily a "must-have" to work in the Nigerian oil sector.
That's one of the major myths that many people hold.
I graduated with a first,couldn't break into the sector for good 3 years after graduation,while a friend of mine that graduated with a 2.2 had already established himself in one of these prestigious oil coys.
I thank God for my life now.

igbonla:

Always be hopeful, what class of degree did you make? When and where did you graduate from? My friend heads a Lab in one of the majors and he mentioned that they are looking to fill some contractor positions.

You can retrain and get a PGD in Pet Eng or Chem Eng to give you opportunity into core Pet Eng or work as a Process Engr in subsurface areas. Probably even as a drilling rep or in HES..limitless opportunities.

pls bro, does it mean ur frend is in d industry? and he read ind. chem? pls expansiate o, am still a student bro

with my economics and statistics am there

My cousin who read marine biology in fed. uni didnt sweat a bit when he got employment with mobil oil. The paramount ruler of my l.g. recommended him to the paramount ruler of the l.g. where oil is drilled. He only came back with appointment later. That was all! Then, not as if am disputing what Oga Jarus is advising on. Just that, if you are opened to any God-fatherism, i tell u, u dont need Jarus advice. This is naija. Connection links to connection and you are good to go. Being indigene of an oil producing state is also an advantage. So many factors go with it but God-fatherism is the paramount.

Chai...see how everyone dey mention “oil &gas" as if say na dodo.....I beg come join me for farm ooo....Nigerians are hungry!

incase u haven't considered it, ur odds of breaking into o&g in canada and the U.S are higher than in your own country...hardwork&good grades...all else equal...

RedBenson: My cousin who read marine biology in fed. uni didnt sweat a bit when he got employment with mobil oil. The paramount ruler of my l.g. recommended him to the paramount ruler of the l.g. where oil is drilled. He only came back with appointment later. That was all! Then, not as if am disputing what Oga Jarus is advising on. Just that, if you are opened to any God-fatherism, i tell u, u dont need Jarus advice. This is naija. Connection links to connection and you are good to go. Being indigene of an oil producing state is also an advantage. So many factors go with it but God-fatherism is the paramount.

Nobody doubts the fact that connection also works in some cases, but we are talking of an engineering graduate who does not know anybody. And he is just one in a million Nigerian graduates who do not know influential people. You also didn't specify what he/she was employed as. There are many indigenes employed as contract staffs / service workers (lowly paid workers) in many oil and gas companies within the vicinity of operation.

I agree that indigenship matters, but there are thousands of indigenes also pursuing the few vacancies out there.

Mind you.....Mobil Oil is not the same as Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited.

I am suppose to type END TIME THINGS, but i wont.

Jarus: Dear,

You’ve got a very interesting case there. But the good thing is, you’re already on track and my input will only be more of validation. Your plan is the route I would have advised even if you approached me as a first year undergraduate.

I like people that have plans for their post-school career right from their school days. I gained admission into university to study economics so as to become a banker, but somewhere along the line (around 200 level), I dropped that ambition and since then the only place I wanted to work was oil and gas industry. I was aware it was going to be competitive. That is the highest paying sector and it is only natural that almost every graduate will want to work there. I saw the competition ahead, I knew I needed to do something extra-ordinary to stand out from the competition. I knew thousands of people graduate with 2.1 every year, and everybody wants to join the sector. I burned midnight candles to ensure I made a First. While a First would not guarantee me automatic employment, it would at least get me invite for oil and gas company tests, now left for me to prove myself in the tests and interviews. Knowing the God factor in everything, that was also always one of my prayer points. To God be the glory, all my post-NYSC career has been in the industry, covering downstream, midstream and upstream. So I’m happy seeing someone that had similar plans.



Like I mentioned earlier, it is a highly competitive industry – thousands of graduates from Nigerian and overseas universities competing for few spaces. Given the nature of the industry – a technical industry – engineers, geologists and graduates of similar fields have the highest demand. But again, many of them are competing for relatively few spaces. So you have to be very hot to be able to compete and break into the technical window. For the support functions, like finance, commercial, HR etc, it is also competitive, but there are two factors that make them even more competitive: one, there are fewer support roles. A typical average oil and gas company may have 100 staff, 70 of them are technical guys (engineers, geologists etc), and the rest 30 shared by Finance (which may have like 20) and others like HR and Admin (10). So you can imagine the competition for these few spaces. Two, most oil companies actually prefer experienced hires for finance functions, they want you to hit the ground running, no time to train. There is also a third factor – though general – which is, most people hardly leave the oil and gas industry for another sector, you see people that have spent 30 years in Mobil, Shell etc, so there is a very low labour turnover rate, which makes openings very few. These factors account for the very stiff competition, moreso for support roles like Finance.

So I fully support your decision not to wait for the competition that will come with your petroleum engineering route, which is a technical route.

I don’t particularly support abrupt career change without passion, just to break into an industry, but since you said you have passion for finance, then I’m also with you on that. Good for you, you’ve already got a job in an accounting firm, one of the Big 4. You asked whether it’s too early to change your career path. Well, this is actually the best time to, if you want to. Interestingly, many big finance professionals also read engineering. I always mention that the Chief Finance Officer of one of Nigeria’s biggest oil companies actually had his first and second degrees in Mechanical Engineering, and he is a Finance guru today.



Go and start ICAN or ACCA immediately, and make the best of the training you will receive in that firm, which I know and indeed, the same firm some of my colleagues here trained. More than half of the job is done already, with your getting job in a Big 4 accounting firm. Try to waltz your way into being part of the energy sector group in the audit firm as that will make you part of teams that will be auditing oil companies and gives you exposure and network into the industry. After 2 – 3 years, by which time I expect you to have qualified as an accountant (chance of getting into oil industry finance role, especially upstream, without professional qualifications like ICAN or ACCA is as low as less than 10%), you then begin to throw your CV around, either through private network or public advertisements.

In fact, in my company – a fast growing independent company in the upstream sector - most people in the Finance department were from 3 of the Big 4: PwC, KPMG & Deloitte. Only few of us joined from other oil companies. That tells you that most organizations in the scetor prefer people trained in these big accounting firms.

So you’re already on track, just ensure you make the best use of the training opportunity in your new firm.

Lest I forget, did I mention 2-3 years there? Yes, for the big, more competitive IOCs, 2-3 years experience is still regarded as entry level and you are on track to be shortlisted for entry level roles there. But for others, it may take 4-5 years working experience in a big 4 accounting firm before you can get experienced level positions, which are what they usually seek for. In any case, start throwing your CV around after you are qualified.

All the best.

Jarus

http://www.jarushub.com/how-do-i-break-into-the-oil-gas-industry/

U said so much and can't seem… tó pùt it in a nutshell

[size=30pt]Those days when we dey Uni dey study Petroleum Engineering, we bin dey happy say when we gradj we go work for oil company...my brother, when we finish, even groundnut oil company we no see...[/size]

Hmmmmmmmm am threading my path to Software and Information Technology.....................I think that's where the ISH is nowwwwww the Oil sector will come and Go

igbonla:

Always be hopeful, what class of degree did you make? When and where did you graduate from? My friend heads a Lab in one of the majors and he mentioned that they are looking to fill some contractor positions.

You can retrain and get a PGD in Pet Eng or Chem Eng to give you opportunity into core Pet Eng or work as a Process Engr in subsurface areas. Probably even as a drilling rep or in HES..limitless opportunities.

Hi Igbonla.. Thanks for your comment. As per the contractor filling at the Lab, am kinda interestd. Majored in Chemical Eng, 2.1, with the popular offshore safety training(Bosiet).. Sent you a mail.. Mërcí

Do Mass communication graduates have any prospect or chance in the oil and gas industry?

@jarus wat about safety officer....can a safety officer work in oil and gas company, what's the qualification and years of experience do they always require.

Replys ASAP

Thanks

Jarus and X fire....well done guys.

Just like X fire said, it sometimes depend on luck.

I submitted my cv in 2009 but got called for test early this year...4 whole years.

I was on vacation then so had tym to read well.....luck no 1.

The newspaper I bought on my way from lag to abuja for the interview talked about the effect of oil bunkering on current oil production( the pet minister's pix, deziani was there).
In the interview I was asked the name of the pet minister, number of barrels we produce and reason for the drop......luck no 2.

I was the only igbo guy among the 12 guys who passed the 145 man test....one of the interviewer happened to be an igbo woman .....luck no 3.

When God says it's your time, there's nothing anybody can do about it.
However you need to get yourself ready.
Without my 2.1 in accounting plus ACA, I wouldn't have been called in the first place.
Just like Jarus said, no professional qualification no invitation for a finance job. At least I know that about the big 5( chevron, shell, exonmobil, Agip and Total).

@OP, you have a job now with one of the big 4 accounting firms...dat is a plus for you. 3 or 4years work experience there will position you very well, but please try ICAN or ACCA in addition.
All the best.

everybody want to link their profession to OIL and GAS................

Thebrightest: I am suppose to type END TIME THINGS, but i wont.

.i for say u're d opposite of ur name ***na joke i dey joke o***










but i get d sarcastic note...

Stay close to oil pipe lines

Contact me For your LPG GAS PLANT and the installation at affordable price we can aswell write a complete feasibility report on the said subject...this is a very cool business which u can venture into....

remzytimer: Contact me For your LPG GAS PLANT and the installation at affordable price we can aswell write a complete feasibility report on the said subject...this is a very cool business which u can venture into....

Please sir, do you have cng type 1 bottles, like 300 - 350 bars

Lol what about me, I'm a potential psychologist, any advice will be really appreciated

akereconfi: Hmmmmmmmm am threading my path to Software and Information Technology.....................I think that's where the ISH is nowwwwww the Oil sector will come and Go

bro,i have the same dream as you.i am a production engineering graduate whom will be serving this nation come nov.I want to do thread a path information technology too but i dont know how to go about it.Please can you shed more light on how to do this.
God bless you as your reply back.

x-fire:

Nobody doubts the fact that connection also works in some cases, but we are talking of an engineering graduate who does not know anybody. And he is just one in a million Nigerian graduates who do not know influential people. You also didn't specify what he/she was employed as. There are
many indigenes employed as contract staffs / service workers (lowly paid workers) in many oil and gas companies within the vicinity of operation.

I agree that indigenship matters, but there are thousands of indigenes also pursuing the few vacancies out there.

Mind you.....Mobil Oil is not the same as Mobil Producing Nigeria
Unlimited.

Lols. When i said 'Mobil Oil', i meant Mobil Producing Nig. Unlimited. He was employed as one of the safety workers in the deep sea drilling (dont know if that is what they call it) but he works in the oil rig (offshore). I also agreed with you in some other of ur factors described. Abov all, when the grace of God abounce, all things are made possible.

Sodiq3: Do Mass communication graduates have any prospect or chance in the oil and gas industry?

Disappear jare from here b4 i open my eyes. Wetin u wan go 'mascom' for oil? Abeg go becom town cryer for ur village jare. Everybody wan chop oil money. Na wao.

RedBenson:

Disappear jare from here b4 i open my eyes. Wetin u wan go 'mascom' for oil? Abeg go becom town cryer for ur village jare. Everybody wan chop oil money. Na wao.

looooooooooooollll @redbenson you nor go kill person.Abeg give d guy small hope na..engineers never get work finish for oil coy,na mass com wan con get abi