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Lesley Long and Crisiana Edison sat in Peltier Auditorium at Nicholls State University last week to get some insight into their futures.
The two were not consulting with a psychic offering personalized fortunes for each Nicholls student who consulted it. Long and Edison, respectively a junior and senior in NSU’s Petroleum Engineering Technology and Safety Management program, were instead listening to oil and gas veterans talk about the industry’s outlook and the next generation’s key to finding work.
The university’s PETSM department hosted its annual industry forum on Thursday, when program alumni shared their own stories of rising through the ranks of oil and gas. Those industry leaders emphasized the keys to sticking out in both the interview room and on the job. They also offered tempered reasons for optimism for a job market struggling with depleted oil prices.
Mo Gourrier, a retired drilling and completion team leader for Chevron, was the keynote speaker for the event. Gourrier told the students about what he would look for in potential hires, and what questions they should ask in interviews to make companies remember them. According to Gourrier, those companies are looking for “the cream of the crop.” Chief among the qualities those companies look for, Gourrier said, are an understanding of hard work and integrity.
“They want people with people skills. They want somebody that can come in and deal with people, know how to treat people,” Gourrier said. “I don’t care if it’s entry level or whatever; they’re looking for leaders.”
As happens at many oil and gas events, safety was a popular topic. Gourrier stressed the importance of personal safety, saying it has to be a core value for workers. Knowing when to stop work in such high-risk environments for the sake of oneself and one’s fellow coworkers is essential to a long career in the field.
“You must understand that your personal safety is up to you. Nobody can do it for you. You are responsible for you. I’ll give you that you have the full power of the company. But your company can’t do your personal safety,” Gourrier said.
That emphasis on safety worked for Long and Edison, who both have plans to work in the safety field in the future. Long, from Morgan City, came to Nicholls’ PETSM program after seeing her brother graduate from it. Edison, from Hattiesburg, Miss., also followed in her brother’s footsteps at Nicholls. They each have plans on getting their Master’s degrees after graduation, but they are both looking for internships or jobs in the safety field to get more specialized experience in the meantime. They see the benefit of safety training as a flexible skill that covers a variety of fields. While Edison expressed optimism about the oil and gas downturn, she said she has looked into opportunities outside the industry, such as a safety manager position with online retail giant Amazon.
“I would still keep a positive attitude [about the industry]. First of all I have confidence in God that he’ll still provide. And I know there’s different opportunities in different areas like Amazon,” Edison said.
Matt Perrin, a drillsite manager for Chevron, spoke to the malleable nature of safety positions. He encouraged those without safety experience about their job prospects, noting any job, any daily activity requires safety. Those who can present their use of valuable, general skills in other experiences put themselves ahead in the hiring process.
“They want to know, give me an analytical skill, give me a leadership skill, give me a mechanical skill. How did you get through that skill in a safety aspect?” Perrin said.
The industry leaders shared a dose of cautious optimism with the next generation of industry workers. The market has been in a considerable slump for more than two years, as the price of oil has cratered with a supply glut. $100 barrels of oil at the end of July 2014 have given way to barrels hovering between $30 and $50 over the past year, according to Bloomberg. As recently as last month the barrel price of West Texas Intermediate was near the $50 apex but has dropped to around $43 at press time. According to Gourrier, however, better times could be looming.
“It’s truly an exciting time. I don’t have a crystal ball, but I can tell you things. There’s little small indicators that let us know that things are turning around, and not too long from now, turning around significantly,” Gourrier said.
Chad Hebert, a manager of Workforce Logistics, provided a more tempered short-term outlook, saying he could see another dip in prices before they come back up again, with prices ultimately hitting stagnation through 2017.
However, he agreed with Gourrier in regards to the industry’s shifting labor market. According to Gourrier, an aging workforce means 60 percent of drilling and completion operators in the Gulf of Mexico will soon be departing for retirement. Gourrier said 25 percent of the labor force has less than five years of experience, and that number is trending upward. Hebert said these signs point to a wave of opportunities for the next generation of oil and gas workers.
“With the number of people coming back into the workforce that may not have the experience as people we lost, there’s going to be some opportunities,” Hebert said. “The future is bright. I don’t want anybody to think that the future isn’t bright because of where we are right now.”
For Long, the signs of openings are music to her ears. As someone who both studies and works full-time, all the while tending to a family, the career prospects awaiting her help her persevere.
“I’m a full-time student, I’m a full-time mother, wife. So, there’s a lot behind it, but anything is possible, and that’s why I say with the success comes the hard work. I try not to focus on all of the work I have ahead of me, because I know eventually there comes an endpoint,” Long said. •
