O&G question - what does a field engineer do?

[shirt]

Hi guys,

Apologies for the thread, I guess you guys get a lot of O&G queries so I hope you're not sick of them just yet!

I am looking for an 'in' to the O&G industry and have seen that one of the multis have around 35-40 graduate positions as entry level 'Field Engineers'. Some of the locations are very appealing to say the least.

So, Q1 would be 'What is a Field Engineer?'

I am 28 with 6yrs Engineering/Production/Design experience in the steel industry. I am trying to construct a new CV tailored towards entry level O&G jobs. Any pointers would be most useful. I want to show that I have relevant managerial, H&S, and engineering experience but as I'm going for grad. level jobs I don't want to overdo it.

Cheers guys.

[isrplc]

Apologies for brief reply, but to me the field engineer is usually hands on working on site/rig.

[onlynik]

You may also have to travel from site to site, working at different locations fixinf and troubleshooting problems with whatever has gone wrong.

[Lambchopski]

isrplc said:

Apologies for brief reply, but to me the field engineer is usually hands on working on site/rig.

yup same for me too.

[VetteG]

A field engineer works in the field, essential to an engineers progression in the O & G industry and not a bad starting point. There is no substitute for hands on!

G

[isrplc]

Seems quite obvious dosen't it?!

[ScottishNut]

I'm classed as a Senior Field Engineer and what VetteG says is correct. It is usually an offshore based job for a number of years after which, they expect you to be ready to move into an onshore position (large variety from project coordinator to HR etc) but at least you will have the experience to know what you are talking to about clients.

Certainly a good starting point in the industry and gives you time to find your feet and see the big bad world on the rigs!

[shirt]

isrplc said:

Seems quite obvious dosen't it?!

It does, but i wanted to ask anyway.

Thanks guys, I am working on my CV and will be applying. Hands on is what I am after having spent the last couple of years chained to a desk job, and I want a position where I get to learn as much as possible about the engineering/ops side of the industry before going on to specialise.

[isrplc]

Great. Have you done much research? Do you have a specific area of interest?

[shirt]

I did some research into specific companies earlier in the year but intend to start in earnest now I am freer to move geographically.

I am interested in Subsea and also in the design side of things. Not too sure though as I get bored designing components that are simple iterations of an old design - I'd need to be doing concepts for sustained interest.

I would be aiming to get a thorough look at those areas which spark an interest anyway as I have taken jobs in the past that sounded great but ended up being dull. Money and location will also come into it later, but whilst I'm still young and single I'll go anywhere with interesting work and cold beer.

[Pablo16v]

shirt said:

I did some research into specific companies earlier in the year but intend to start in earnest now I am freer to move geographically.

I am interested in Subsea and also in the design side of things. Not too sure though as I get bored designing components that are simple iterations of an old design - I'd need to be doing concepts for sustained interest.

I would be aiming to get a thorough look at those areas which spark an interest anyway as I have taken jobs in the past that sounded great but ended up being dull. Money and location will also come into it later, but whilst I'm still young and single I'll go anywhere with interesting work and cold beer.

I spent 5 years as a field engineer with Schlumberger and for a single guy it was pretty much a dream job. In that time I filled 3 passports with entry stamps and visas and worked in places I would never have visited otherwise. Ok, it wasn't all fun and games and I ended up in some real sh*t holes but the overall experience was fantastic.
You do need to have the right frame of mind though and be happy spending large chunks of the year away from home and possibly not knowing where you're going to be one month to the next. Each company will be different but most years I spent between 180 and 240 days out of the country.

[shirt]

that sounds perfect to be fair. i've lived on my own for 3 years in a city where i don't know anyone, spending much of my freetime renovating a pile or rubble into something resembling a house and 9-5 doing a job i don't enjoy. i would work anywhere, sthole or otherwise. i tend to holiday in strange places anyway, being paid to see palces i wouldn't normally think to go to would be great.

can i ask what sort of background you had prior to schlumberger?

[Pablo16v]

In short I went straight into the oil industry after leaving school in 1988. I studied part time for 3 years (while working as a lab technician with Schlumberger funnily enough) to get a National Certificate in Mechanical Engineering then joined a company called Expro. I worked as an instrument tech for 2 years then offshore as a welltest technician for 4 years. That experience was invaluable as I was involved in so many aspects of offshore operations from drilling through to final production. I then re-joined Schlumberger as a field engineer before moving onshore permanently in 2003.