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How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? - Career (3) - Nairaland

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Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by Nobody: 5:09pm On Nov 24, 2015
okay
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by Nobody: 5:10pm On Nov 24, 2015
Working with IOCs is like working in any other cmpany you can think of,but the difference is that the level of dicrimination can be over looked based on the kind of pay you make at the end of the month.
Let me drive you down to the field (offshore) where about 80% of oil production takes place:
There are the production/drilling companies,servicing companies and marine/logisticts companies

All these categories have there level of discrimination amongst their permanent and contract staff and also discrimination amongst the different categories I mentioned earlier.
For instance,if you work for the servicing and marine companies,be rest assured that your loyalty shouldn't be in doubt when you have some one from the production/drilling categories around.

The same thing is applicable between the servicing and marine categories.What this implies is that any report tendered by the man in charge against you must be treated with urgent priority as the kind of environment they find themselves needs strict adherence to safety precautions.

Most people think that rigs and servicing companies like Halliburton,schlumbeger,baker huges etc are oil companies;they are not.
What the rigs does is to provide a platform for the servicing company like schlumbeger to work on and the job of schlumbeger is to service the oil wells for steady flow of the black gold which has rendered Nigeria handicapped.

Therefore,in terms of discrimination,you find it in all aspects of life,but your relevance wherever you find yourself can't be over emphasized.
In my place of work,which is one of the big time production company,you still find it here.You see an artisan in the US, called an expatriate in Nigeria and most of them can't do the job more than their Nigerian counterparts,but would earn far more than them.

Though the discrimination is quite minimal in my place of work.The truth is that the people who complain the most are unskilled and semi skilled workers.Most of them are graduates employed by their contractors as unskilled and semi skilled labours working under engineers and technicians.
If you really want to get the best out of life,quit complaining and whinning,find a way to become very relevant wherever you find yourself.

4 Likes

Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by Nobody: 5:16pm On Nov 24, 2015
MadCow1:
Being a Contract staff in an International Oil company is nothing like being in the banks. It all depends on what your job description is.


I started my working career in Nigeria in an IOC as a Contract staff. My job description was good. I was an assistant to a lead engineer.

My salary was ridiculous. Infact, I remember going into the club on a Champagne run after I received my first alert.

Because of my job description and the boss I had at the time, I worked like I was a full staff. No complaints as I was doing the job of a lead. The environment was very professional and really enjoyed my work.

Now the down side I experienced was with my Contractor. Every Contract Staff in an IOC is managed by a Contractor. Your salary is not paid directly to you but through your contractor who then takes a percentage of that salary before paying you the rest. My first contractor was taking 55% of my contract value. It's also very difficult to change who manages your contract as your contractor owns the contract and you work for him not for the IOC. Whereas companies like SPDC has a set percentage overhead any Contractor can take from a Contract Staff, companies like Total does not meddle in such so alot of Contract staff are getting fhucked over by their contractor. A friend of mine was on a day rate of 80,000 Naira and his contractor was paying him just 40%. He was entitled to a Christmas bonus that was being paid to his contractor that he never got. The Christmas bonus was the equivalent of his 1 month salary (22 days pay).

There were a few discriminatory aspects to working as a Contract staff in an IOC, but I couldn't care less. Example is that Contract Staff and Permanent Staff have different lunch feeding Times. After the Permanent staff are done, then the Contract staff can go eat what's left. grin The food is good but I never bothered. One annoying part was that most Oyinbos in these IOCs are contract staff, but they can go eat with permanent staff whilst we blacks wait for them to finish. There were many cases of Black Expatriates (some of whom were managers) being turned back at the door of the restaurant unknowingly.. grin Then during the new year when things like Calenders and Diaries come in, only staff anf Oyinbos Expatriate contract staff gets the Diaries .. We black Contract staff only get calenders. So I never had any calenders of my company in my house. grin


My advise to Contract Staff in IOCS is please be confident in yourself and take pride in your work. If you are of the menial contract staff designation (errand boy/girl), better go asking for real work to be assigned to you voluntarily, learn the ropes and make yourself an asset so when an opening comes up you can move away from that errand boy position into a proper office job.

As a Contract staff, learn to always have a savings as you can be fired anytime with no compensation or renumeration. That's why you are paid on a daily basis. I remember how I lost my job.. I knew it was coming, Ai just didn't expect it on that Tuesday. . grin keep a saving for the rainy days that can happen upon you at short notice.


Finally... I really enjoy being a contract staff. Apart from the fact that there is no job security, the pay is ridiculous. As a Contract staff, you make sometimes as much as 3 to 4 times the salary of a permanent staff. But if you want a permanent staff job, get all the experience you can out of your contract position and move on.


Hope this helps.


MadCow


very educative. Mad cow please do you know any reputable organization where a fresh engineering graduate can acquire profound experience in process control and Instrumentation.

Thanks for your anticipated response.
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by Nobody: 5:27pm On Nov 24, 2015
1. EXERCISE WELL: In many instances there are lots of good food and stuff in the Galley/Mess. You might gain weight and it is not healthy. On all oil facilities including work vessels, ROV Vessels and Seabed Survey Vessels, the food is there. On a work vessel used for seabed survey there was even midnight lunch. Specially made for night shift crew. But if you were greedy enough you could wake up and go have some. Although some FPSOs dey fall my hand nowadays. Una know una sef make I no call una name. Una get plenty corrosion issues for una FPSO. wink wink wink. Corrosion na problem for all, but una own na special case.

2. INVEST, INVEST, INVEST WISELY: While the pay might be good, you might be surprised that after years of toiling, all you have left are photo memories of your travels to holiday resorts. In Nigeria, lots of these guys are now going into property and some other business ventures. A lot of contract staff and core staff have been let go recently due to the fall in crude oil prices. More might just be let go in future.
Lot of contract staff had their salaries and benefits slashed too. In one company, the contract staff will not be paid December Salary and Benefits! Yes you heard me right, some contract staff will not receive December Salary or Bonus.

3. DEVELOP YOURSELF: You must develop your skills and expertise. There are people out there who are developing their skills. If they can perform your job function faster and cheaper, they might just replace you. There are courses out there. Develop yourself. Don't just wait for the Training Unit in HR to schedule you once or twice in a year.

4. HELP YOUR PEOPLE WHO ARE IN NEED AS MUCH AS YOU CAN (FAMILY OR NOT): Especially in developing them. Pay their fees when you can. Get them that Jamb form. As Nigerians we believe that the more people you help the more God will count the number of people that might suffer if you loose your job and the more God protects and sustains your source of income. kiss kiss

5. DO NOT BE RUDE OR HAUGHTY: This is typical of you guys in PH. You know yourselves. Some of you go as far as facebook to show off. You believe because your I.D is that of a staff, you look down on others. People come into your office and what you first do is to look at their I.D to see if they are core staff or contract staff. You know yourselves. The more your pride the worse your downfall will be. Respect the common man. Ehen and some of you lie to girls that you will get them into the IOCs vendors list so they will get contracts. You deceive them and sleep with them. Your payment is coming in full. undecided undecided undecided undecided

6. KNOW YOURSELF: You work with a servicing company and you have lots of photos at Helidecks/Helipads. You have photos from Caverton and Bristow and Aero. You claim oil worker and then you complain when people ask for money. Offshore there are cleaners, cooks, house keepers, etc. These guys also get on choppers. Do not be deceived. They are human beings. But my advice is , if you are a contract staff, of WAC, MPL, etc then respect yourself. Strategize on how to grow. Focus on developing yourself further. And if God blesses you to move upwards, do not be haughty either. undecided Stop wearing your safety boot home so the girls in the street will see you as an ''oil woker''. The days of ''him dey work for rig'' should be over. Know who you are and stop brandishing your Coverall photos. But do we listen? No we don't.

7. STOP SHOWING OFF FOR SECURITY REASONS: You will get kidnapped someday. And people think that just because you get paid goo, you do not have responsibilities. They do not know that your cream is 10k and you belt 15k and your phone 100k. Meanwhile you have loans from your cooperative. Yes you went there last month.At the end of all these Taxes, Union (NUPENG/PENGASAN) deductions, Pension deduction, Loans, you barely have 150k to take home monthly. But wetin concern kidnappers? You be oil worker. You get money. Pay Up!!! angry

8. WORK SAFELY. SAFETY FIRST CANNOT BE OVER EMPHASIZED: Make HSE Management and appreciation a habit. Listen to all instructions. Obey rules of Positive Intervention Systems (Stop work cards/Take 5 Cards/ Red Cards) and obey all rules pertaining to drills, SOPs and Company specifications and rules of engagement. You probably know about 1000 ways to die on DSTV/Multichoice SonnyMax right? Well out there there are 1 million ways to die. When an accident occurs they mainly first look for who to blame before any other thing. Did he do it safely? Was there a job hazard analyses done. Did they fill the right permit to work(PTW)? Was the PTW approved. Is the PTW still valid? Did they have a tool box talk? Cover your arse even in the office. Use the handrails. Yes maintain the minimum 3 point contact.

9. AVOID OFFICE POLITICS AS MUCH AS YOU CAN: This is actually impossible. Being friends with someone automatically means you are enemy to another person. But try to stay out of all these office scheming and all that. I am not saying do not fight for that nomination on that course in the U.K. I am not saying do not fight to be nominated to be on that new project. But do not intentionally remove another man's name from these things. If we all relax, these things will go round. But do we listen? We back stab, we gossip, we set each other up. Life in that office is not static, situations are not permanent either.

10. KEEP YOUR HANDS AWAY FROM THE INTERNS AND CORP MEMBERS: We guys will never listen or learn. Yes we know that when these girls came to the office they were naive and dressed like ''Village girls''. In a month's time they are wearing pump heel shoes, micro and ''bastard'' mini skirts, and show your boobs tops. They are eyeing the ogas and the boys as well. KEEP YOUR FLY ZIPPED, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT AND KEEP YOUR EYES AND EARS WIDE OPEN. Leave these little girls alone. Stop sending them to withdraw 100k and telling them to tell the cashier to write down your balance so that their eyes will pop out when they see what you have. grin grin grin grin grin

Ok I no go reveal the secrets again.

19 Likes 2 Shares

Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by scantee(m): 5:28pm On Nov 24, 2015
ksstroud:
Scantee with due respect sir, we will highly need you here....
You're an helper, you know
present sir, i de ground, you sent me a pm?
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by Nobody: 5:30pm On Nov 24, 2015
Sir, please how can I penetrate the oil and gas sector as a Graduate process engineer? sir can you please tell me relevant professional courses that can boost my chances of getting employed in a reputable oil and gas firm. I would also appreciate if you can put me in the know about any reputable and recognized organization where I can do some professional courses. Thank you very much sir and God bless.




mykel231:
Working with IOCs is like working in any other cmpany you can think of,but the difference is that the level of dicrimination can be over looked based on the kind of pay you make at the end of the month.
Let me drive you down to the field (offshore) where about 80% of oil production takes place:
There are the production/drilling companies,servicing companies and marine/logisticts companies

All these categories have there level of discrimination amongst their permanent and contract staff and also discrimination amongst the different categories I mentioned earlier.
For instance,if you work for the servicing and marine companies,be rest assured that your loyalty shouldn't be in doubt when you have some one from the production/drilling categories around.

The same thing is applicable between the servicing and marine categories.What this implies is that any report tendered by the man in charge against you must be treated with urgent priority as the kind of environment they find themselves needs strict adherence to safety precautions.

Most people think that rigs and servicing companies like Halliburton,schlumbeger,baker huges etc are oil companies;they are not.
What the rigs does is to provide a platform for the servicing company like schlumbeger to work on and the job of schlumbeger is to service the oil wells for steady flow of the black gold which has rendered Nigeria handicapped.

Therefore,in terms of discrimination,you find it in all aspects of life,but your relevance wherever you find yourself can't be over emphasized.
In my place of work,which is one of the big time production company,you still find it here.You see an artisan in the US, called an expatriate in Nigeria and most of them can't do the job more than their Nigerian counterparts,but would earn far more than them.

Though the discrimination is quite minimal in my place of work.The truth is that the people who complain the most are unskilled and semi skilled workers.Most of them are graduates employed by their contractors as unskilled and semi skilled labours working under engineers and techcians.
If you really want to get the best out of life,quit complaining and whinning,find a way to become very relevant wherever you find yourself.
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by obamma: 5:40pm On Nov 24, 2015
See what real bank staff are saying about the bank they work for http://Checkoutmyemployer.com/

You can win infinix hot note smart phone, if you worked/work in bank and write a review for the bank on the site.
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by banio: 5:41pm On Nov 24, 2015
I saw the thread about surviving in the bank as a contract staff. I think the bank is fair, U get tips and relatively no hazard. I know a friend that was a contract staff in one IOC. He had an accident and was sacked without any benefit, because that's what his contract states. If he was a staff the company will have treated him until he gets to his feet, even if it takes months. He said the staff gave them all the hazardous task like handling of chemicals. Do U know I was just checking the meaning of slavery today. I bet U contract staff are slaves.
Long live Nigeria without sycophants
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by rakumiii(m): 5:44pm On Nov 24, 2015
Vanquay:
I changed Majors from Petroleum Engineering to Computer Engineering this year, I'm not sure if that's the right choice yet.


But I certainly don't want My Job opportunities to be tied down to a particular Region. Also, if you harbor Office jobs, this could be for you. There's the issue of overexposure and danger to your sperms, but Fvck your Goldigga on time and you should be okay tongue


Overall The Monetary benefits outweigh the disadvantages.

Why did you change from Petroleum Engineering to Computer Engineering? Did you talk to professionals about this before you made the change? I hope you know Petroleum engineers are the highest paid engineers in every country in the world.... countries who have oil..
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by Erect: 5:48pm On Nov 24, 2015
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Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by TOMTOM15(m): 5:51pm On Nov 24, 2015
Mrbigman1:


Depends on what u wanna go for and what u read in school.

Engineering, if it's drilling, or producing work.

Computer science and engineering can do almost everything. They are the ones with the greatest opportunity in dis field including electrical and electronics.

If na geology, it's another good deal. Depending on what u read den I can direct u on what u can go for.
I read chemistry any chance for me in ioc..
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by Nobody: 5:56pm On Nov 24, 2015
TOMTOM15:
I read chemistry any chance for me in ioc..

Yes. Especially in laboratories on production facilities where compulsorily pre-loading and daily QA/QC checks are done on crude.

Besides offshore facilities all depots and terminals have laboratories also. All cargoes go through compulsory QA/QC checks. Some labs also go further to carry out analyses on Effluent water discharge from oil water separators etc., etc. In order words these chemists are active in environmental protection and pollution control.

1 Like

Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by Nobody: 5:57pm On Nov 24, 2015
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Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by TOMTOM15(m): 6:08pm On Nov 24, 2015
dabriggs:


Yes. Especially in laboratories on production facilities where compulsorily pre-loading and daily QA/QC checks are done on crude.

Besides offshore facilities all depots and terminals have laboratories also. All cargoes go through compulsory QA/QC checks. Some labs also go further to carry out analyses on Effluent water discharge from oil water separators etc., etc. In order words these chemists are active in environmental protection and pollution control.

Do i need to do any proffessional courses to stand a chance...
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by tollytexy(m): 6:12pm On Nov 24, 2015
PLANETMARS:
omo u b ancestor o u don dey nairaland for almost 10yrs. Haa seun suppose give u small tin as appreciation o

I tell u.. I don tey no be small
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by ABEngine(m): 6:25pm On Nov 24, 2015
MadCow1:



You are wrong regarding renumerations of a Contract staff in IOC's bro.


As a Contract Staff, my basic salary was higher than some Permanent Staff. It's only when they start raking in their benefits that they trumped me sef. Infact the difference in the gross annual pay at some point was under 2 million naira.

You should also understand that your pay is dependent on your job description. I know Local lead Engineers who were taking home over 1.5million naira per month.

I also know Logistic Officers who were taking home 150'k - 250'k per month.

A Project manager (Nigerian Expart) was on a 1300 USD day rate. How many permanent staff make that kind of money per day?

It all depends on your job description hommie and the size of the project/department. Speaking strictly of IOC's and not servicing companies.

This evaluation should be done on equal job designations and levels, this you have duly pointed out.

I can say for sure that in terms of renumeration the daily rates of some contract staffs in certain organisations couldn't surpass same of their equally yoked permanent staff but here is the trick...

1. Health benefits 2. Crazy bonuses/allowances pegged on production benchmarks or something else worth renumeration 3. Training facilities in terms of frequency 4. International mobility and most importantly 5. PROMOTION (why have you all failed to acknowledge this?) These and more make the permanent staff position unique.

Someone else should kindly discuss "Start off grants"..
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by Nobody: 6:25pm On Nov 24, 2015
TOMTOM15:
Do i need to do any professional courses to stand a chance...

Though I am no Chemist, I am a Safety/Loss Prevention Engineer no one can deny that there is added advantage to have attended some professional courses.

You may want to consider these and more:

-Petrochemicals e.g petrochemical feed stock etc.
-Basic Petroleum Chemistry
-PVT/Core analyses
-Finger Printing Techniques
-Laboratory Safety Courses
-Process Chemistry Applications/Software e.g HYSIS grin grin grin of course it will come first. it is very common. PROSIM, CHEMCAD, ASPEN PLUS
-Environmental Analyses (Bio-assay/toxicity testing), Pollution Prevention/Control and Waste Management (as side dish). If you like you can do NISP/ISPON too.


These are basic. Most specialized courses for chemists are overseas.

2 Likes

Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by PLANETMARS(m): 6:32pm On Nov 24, 2015
tollytexy:

I tell u.. I don tey no be small
#respect
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by TOMTOM15(m): 6:33pm On Nov 24, 2015
dabriggs:


Though I am no Chemist, I am a Safety/Loss Prevention Engineer no one can deny that there is added advantage to have attended some professional courses.

You may want to consider these and more:

-Petrochemicals e.g petrochemical feed stock etc.
-Basic Petroleum Chemistry
-PVT/Core analyses
-Finger Printing Techniques
-Laboratory Safety Courses
-Process Chemistry Applications/Software e.g HYSIS grin grin grin of course it will come first. it is very common. PROSIM, CHEMCAD, ASPEN PLUS
-Environmental Analyses (Bio-assay/toxicity testing), Pollution Prevention/Control and Waste Management (as side dish). If you like you can do NISP/ISPON too.


These are basic. Most specialized courses for chemists are overseas.
Wao thanks... I was thinking of switching to chemical engineering before but now that you lemmie knw there is chance for chemist i might not, or should i cheesy?
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by Nobody: 6:34pm On Nov 24, 2015
ABEngine:


This evaluation should be done on equal job designations and levels, this you have duly pointed out.

I can say for sure that in terms of renumeration the daily rates of some contract staffs in certain organisations couldn't surpass same of their equally yoked permanent staff but here is the trick...

1. Health benefits 2. Crazy bonuses/allowances pegged on production benchmarks or something else worth renumeration 3. Training facilities in terms of frequency 4. International mobility and most importantly 5. PROMOTION (why have you all failed to acknowledge this?) These and more make the permanent staff position unique.

Someone else should kindly discuss "Start off grants"..

You mean the ''thing'' they pay as you come in? The term doesn't seem generic.
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by Nobody: 6:43pm On Nov 24, 2015
TOMTOM15:
Wao thanks... I was thinking of switching to chemical engineering before but now that you lemmie knw there is chance for chemist i might not, or should i cheesy?

Well, frankly I prefer the engineering part of everything. The word ''ENGINEERING'' just sounds as if you are a problem solver. cheesy cheesy cheesy grin grin

The choice will depend on you. What is the worst that can happen? Can a Chemical Engineer easily work as a chemist or vice versa? What is the curriculum like? Do you have more advanced courses in Chemical Engineering? Does chemical engineering cover all the Chemistry Modules and More?

Listen, when I was in Uniport, I attended Geology Classes for fun. I participated in assignments, joined them in arguing geology, blasted sedimentology as an elective etc. So when I speak today, the knowledge I bring is not just from my own discipline.

There are a million things you can do AB. But the decision must be one you will be happy with. So tomorrow when you sneeze you do not say ''if only I had studied chemistry i would have found a cure for sneezing''.

1 Like

Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by Teeboy15(m): 6:48pm On Nov 24, 2015
dabriggs:


Yes. Especially in laboratories on production facilities where compulsorily pre-loading and daily QA/QC checks are done on crude.

Besides offshore facilities all depots and terminals have laboratories also. All cargoes go through compulsory QA/QC checks. Some labs also go further to carry out analyses on Effluent water discharge from oil water separators etc., etc. In order words these chemists are active in environmental protection and pollution control.

Boss
I studied civil engineering. I'm good at AutoCAD, Civil3d n pdms. Pls school me on professional courses to take so I can break into the oil n gas sector.
Thank u
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by jascon1(m): 7:06pm On Nov 24, 2015
Bamz:


Hello bro...

Did you work in production or some other workgroup? Please be speicific, thanks
if you can understand, specifically...Junior Seismic Processing Analyst
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by Fab001: 7:10pm On Nov 24, 2015
Goodevening house.
Please I have a question.
Does polymer technology or rather, do polymer technologist have any relevance in the oil&gas industry? (both servicing and production) .
I recently bagged an ND in polymer technology from a polytechnic.
I'm presently preparing to go into petroleum engineering(in uniben to be precise) proper through jamb since that's where my interest lies, is this a good decision?
Will my polymer certificate be useful to me or give me any added advantage in the long run?
Please your thoughts,comments and advice will be greatly appreciated.
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by Fab001: 7:13pm On Nov 24, 2015
Goodevening house.
Please I have a question.
Does polymer technology or rather, do polymer technologist have any relevance in the oil&gas industry? (both servicing and production) .
I recently bagged an ND in polymer technology from a polytechnic.
I'm presently preparing to go into petroleum engineering(in uniben to be precise) proper through jamb since that's where my interest lies, is this a good decision?
Will my polymer certificate be useful to me or give me any added advantage in the long run?
Please your thoughts,comments and advice will be greatly appreciated..
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by afroxyz: 7:13pm On Nov 24, 2015
I work in the oil and gas industry, drilling to be specific. I am a roughneck with about 4 years experience. Yes, there is apparent discrimination between contract and full staff. While as a contract you only get paid your basic, with little allowance, full staff enjoy numerous benefits. They are eligible for loans and even have their dstv subscriptions paid for them. They also have job security which contract workers don't enjoy.

But also within the full staff, there is discrimination between local workers and 'expats'. While a Nigerian driller may be earning N1m a month, a foreign driller earns about $12,000 pet month. His flight ticket us paid for him, including other benefits we (blacks) never get to hear of.

However, due to the crash in oil prices, there is a lot if labour turnover. A lot of people have lost their jobs. Rigs are packing up. Surely, this is not the best time for oil companies. So I advise oil workers to ALWAYS have side runs and businesses. Emphasis on businesses and not house(s). Invest in something that would remit daily or weekly cash. Stop carrying concubines and think your job has infinite elasticity. Also thus should be an eye opener for those hoping to get into the industry. These are not the best times as companies are downsizing.

Personally, I hate my job ad a rig worker. Can't wait to get out of an organisation that typifies Karl Marx's objectification of workers.
The company values it's tools and equipment above human beings.
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by TOMTOM15(m): 7:14pm On Nov 24, 2015
dabriggs:


Well, frankly I prefer the engineering part of everything. The word ''ENGINEERING'' just sounds as if you are a problem solver. cheesy cheesy cheesy grin grin

The choice will depend on you. What is the worst that can happen? Can a Chemical Engineer easily work as a chemist or vice versa? What is the curriculum like? Do you have more advanced courses in Chemical Engineering? Does chemical engineering cover all the Chemistry Modules and More?

Listen, when I was in Uniport, I attended Geology Classes for fun. I participated in assignments, joined them in arguing geology, blasted sedimentology as an elective etc. So when I speak today, the knowledge I bring is not just from my own discipline.

There are a million things you can do AB. But the decision must be one you will be happy with. So tomorrow when you sneeze you do not say ''if only I had studied chemistry i would have found a cure for sneezing''.
Wow! you got me thinking....
What i can deduce from what you said is that Engineering supersede any other science courses and i knw you re telling me indirectly to go for the best grin
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by green9der: 7:19pm On Nov 24, 2015
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Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by Theflint1(m): 7:26pm On Nov 24, 2015
dabriggs:


Well, frankly I prefer the engineering part of everything. The word ''ENGINEERING'' just sounds as if you are a problem solver. cheesy cheesy cheesy grin grin

The choice will depend on you. What is the worst that can happen? Can a Chemical Engineer easily work as a chemist or vice versa? What is the curriculum like? Do you have more advanced courses in Chemical Engineering? Does chemical engineering cover all the Chemistry Modules and More?

Listen, when I was in Uniport, I attended Geology Classes for fun. I participated in assignments, joined them in arguing geology, blasted sedimentology as an elective etc. So when I speak today, the knowledge I bring is not just from my own discipline.

There are a million things you can do AB. But the decision must be one you will be happy with. So tomorrow when you sneeze you do not say ''if only I had studied chemistry i would have found a cure for sneezing''.
Good evening boss. I'm a microbiologist and working on my masters in Environmental and public health microbiology. Are there any opportunities for me in the oil sector? ...and are there any professional courses you can recommended for me as a microbiologist?
Re: How To Survive In The Oil And Gas Industry? by Theflint1(m): 7:33pm On Nov 24, 2015
MadCow1:
Being a Contract staff in an International Oil company is nothing like being in the banks. It all depends on what your job description is.


I started my working career in Nigeria in an IOC as a Contract staff. My job description was good. I was an assistant to a lead engineer.

My salary was ridiculous. Infact, I remember going into the club on a Champagne run after I received my first alert.

Because of my job description and the boss I had at the time, I worked like I was a full staff. No complaints as I was doing the job of a lead. The environment was very professional and really enjoyed my work.

Now the down side I experienced was with my Contractor. Every Contract Staff in an IOC is managed by a Contractor. Your salary is not paid directly to you but through your contractor who then takes a percentage of that salary before paying you the rest. My first contractor was taking 55% of my contract value. It's also very difficult to change who manages your contract as your contractor owns the contract and you work for him not for the IOC. Whereas companies like SPDC has a set percentage overhead any Contractor can take from a Contract Staff, companies like Total does not meddle in such so alot of Contract staff are getting fhucked over by their contractor. A friend of mine was on a day rate of 80,000 Naira and his contractor was paying him just 40%. He was entitled to a Christmas bonus that was being paid to his contractor that he never got. The Christmas bonus was the equivalent of his 1 month salary (22 days pay).

There were a few discriminatory aspects to working as a Contract staff in an IOC, but I couldn't care less. Example is that Contract Staff and Permanent Staff have different lunch feeding Times. After the Permanent staff are done, then the Contract staff can go eat what's left. grin The food is good but I never bothered. One annoying part was that most Oyinbos in these IOCs are contract staff, but they can go eat with permanent staff whilst we blacks wait for them to finish. There were many cases of Black Expatriates (some of whom were managers) being turned back at the door of the restaurant unknowingly.. grin Then during the new year when things like Calenders and Diaries come in, only staff anf Oyinbos Expatriate contract staff gets the Diaries .. We black Contract staff only get calenders. So I never had any calenders of my company in my house. grin


My advise to Contract Staff in IOCS is please be confident in yourself and take pride in your work. If you are of the menial contract staff designation (errand boy/girl), better go asking for real work to be assigned to you voluntarily, learn the ropes and make yourself an asset so when an opening comes up you can move away from that errand boy position into a proper office job.

As a Contract staff, learn to always have a savings as you can be fired anytime with no compensation or renumeration. That's why you are paid on a daily basis. I remember how I lost my job.. I knew it was coming, Ai just didn't expect it on that Tuesday. . grin keep a saving for the rainy days that can happen upon you at short notice.


Finally... I really enjoy being a contract staff. Apart from the fact that there is no job security, the pay is ridiculous. As a Contract staff, you make sometimes as much as 3 to 4 times the salary of a permanent staff. But if you want a permanent staff job, get all the experience you can out of your contract position and move on.


Hope this helps.


MadCow

Good evening boss. I'm a microbiologist and working on my masters in Environmental and public health microbiology. Are there any opportunities for me in the oil sector? ...and are there any professional courses you can recommended for me as a microbiologist?

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