Mechanical Engineer

• The Beginning
• My Work at ConocoPhillips
• Career Development
• The Future

The Beginning

I studied Mechanical Engineering at Newcastle University and at the end of my penultimate year I undertook an internship within the automotive industry. Although the internship was an excellent and valuable experience, I felt myself drawn to the upstream oil and gas industry.

As a young engineer I was looking to work for a company that could give me global opportunities, challenging workscopes and the chance to work with, and apply, the latest technologies and work practices. In my final year of University, I attended a ConocoPhillips recruitment presentation and it quickly became evident that they fulfilled this requirement. I was impressed  by their strong commitment to the engineering profession, willingness to give responsibility to their graduates and their friendly attitude.

After going through the recruitment process, I was fortunate enough to be offered a position within the company which I did not hesitate to accept. 

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My work at ConocoPhillips

I started work with ConocoPhillips in September 2010 and spent my first year in the well integrity group, which forms part of the well operations department (this department also includes drilling, completions and well intervention). The team covers the design, construction, operation and examination of wells to ensure their integrity throughout their lifecycle. This has been a fascinating place to begin my career especially as well control has come into intense focus after events in the Gulf of Mexico.

One of the most satisfying aspects of my role has been the ability to gain an operational perspective of projects from conception through to execution and post job evaluation. This broad workscope has allowed me to gain extensive offshore experience on six different installations and to undertake projects that require hands-on and theoretical engineering application. ConocoPhillips has given me real responsibility from day one and all the work I have undertaken has been of business value.

Career Development

ConocoPhillips places a large emphasis on career development and this has been clearly evident during this first year. I have experienced the right balance between taught courses/qualifications and on-the-job training, which provides a great foundation to build a career on.

One of the highlights of my first year in the company has been taking part in the Engineering Academy.  This was a 12-week programme that consisted of eLearning, group exercises and presentations that gave me an insight in to other aspects of the company ranging from geology and reservoir engineering through to downstream operations. The final two weeks of the academy were based at the company’s global headquarters in Houston, where we were joined by other graduates from across the world. The opportunity to build a global network and gain an inside view into the running of a large multinational company so early in my career was invaluable.

I am working towards my IMechE chartership and ConocoPhillips actively encourages this. I have been assigned a mentor who I meet with on a regular basis and the company has an IMechE approved and monitored professional development scheme that helps streamline this process.

The Future