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The years just ahead offer terrific opportunity for petroleum professionals in the early stages of their careers. With the Big Crew Change upon us, thousands of senior-level professionals will soon retire. Early- and mid-career professionals will rise to fill their ranks – and the greatest gains will go to those with the greatest talent and drive to seize the opportunity. One of the most important steps you can take to propel your career is to improve your technical knowledge and skills, and broaden your perspective. But it’s not just about “taking courses.” I can tell you, based on my diverse and exciting experiences over a long career, that the courses you choose – and the organization that provides them – make all the difference. [Keep reading]

What’s the difference between a “good” teacher and a “bad” teacher, between a great learning experience and a bore? Intuitively, we all know the difference. Bad teachers are dull and uninspiring. Their lectures drone on and on, and before long it’s a struggle just to stay awake. I had an English professor once who so inspired me that I spent time in the library expanding my knowledge of the literature we were discussing. Making an “A” in his class was easy. [Keep reading]

In the drilling contractor and other oilfield service markets, the most painful manifestation of the Big Crew Change is in entry-level employees... [Keep reading]

After devoting 39 years to drilling operations and research for Exxon – and then another 20 years consulting and teaching drilling for OGCI/PetroSkills – you’d think I’d be ready for something else. But to me, drilling seems as fascinating today as was the day I visited my first drilling rig... [Keep reading]

As the technical training manager for Mobil Oil, I hired world authorities on many subjects to teach our employees. Over the years, as we monitored course evaluations, I learned that it takes more than just a world class reputation to provide a valuable learning experience. Unless you refresh the content of a course regularly, it will go stale very quickly – regardless of who’s teaching it. As technology advances, the course has to keep up to remain relevant. [Keep reading]

Drilling and development decisions often involve high levels of uncertainty about various geologic parameters. The industry has become adept at addressing these uncertainties in prioritizing drilling decisions based on expected monetary values (the “Earning” part). Early wells are typically those with high expected monetary values, ideally some combination of lower cost, higher success value, and higher chance of success. What is often overlooked, however, is the value of the information learned for properly sequencing the wells (the “Learning” part). [Keep reading]