Case studies: Drilling engineer: Simon

Simon earned a degree in physics from Imperial College. He went on to obtain a Masters degree in Marine Geology and Geophysics from the Southampton Oceanography Centre. He now works for BP as a drilling engineer.

I chose drilling engineering (or well engineering, as some companies call it) as it offers a highly varied and exciting career path working with dynamic and motivated people. A junior drilling engineer can very quickly end up planning and coordinating high profile exploration or development operations. The technical nature of modern wells, the importance of safe drilling operations, the daily cost of drilling and new technology all provide challenges that require skills in analytical design, activity coordination and interpersonal communication.

Studying physics at university provided me with an ‘analytical toolkit’ and a scientific approach that can be applied when solving complex problems. I gain job satisfaction in understanding the technical details behind a well design or drilling programme decision.

BP takes graduates from a variety of degree disciplines into job roles like mine. An engineering degree is most common, but once you’re at interview, it’s a level playing field, and anybody has the chance to impress. Interviewers will often put your CV aside and observe how you solve problems or deal with uncertainty.

I spent my first year offshore on mobile ‘jack-up’ and ‘semi-sub’ drilling rigs. During this time, I developed an understanding of the equipment required to drill a well. I assisted the wellsite leader (or ‘company man’) by compiling casing tallies, calculating cement job volumes, and reporting progress to the onshore planning team. By working with experienced wellsite leaders, I gained insight into drilling fundamentals such as well control, drilling practices and environmental regulations. In between ‘hitches’ offshore, I completed training courses and enjoyed regular time off to recuperate.

Following this experience, I moved onshore to oversee drilling operations of a high profile appraisal well. The budget exceeded £40 million. I enjoyed working directly with a senior drilling engineer and a wells team leader to resolve numerous operational issues. On successful completion of this well, I moved to planning my own wells from the Clair platform, west of Shetland.

I enjoy the varied nature of my job. I travel nationally and internationally and complete extensive training. One day I can be working on a highly technical problem and another I will be leading a meeting with parties having ‘dialled-in’ from offshore and overseas. No day is the same.

Drilling a well is a 24-hour-a-day, ongoing operation that costs a significant amount of money. A drilling engineer should expect to be on-call on occasional weekends. The nine-to-five office job existence does not apply. Some people find working rotations stressful, but every work format has its advantages and disadvantages.

My tips for graduates are to speak to people who work in the oil and gas industry (especially drilling engineers). The most successful drilling engineers are technically proficient but also have a high degree of coordinator skill and can communicate well with a wide range of people.

All the major international oil and gas operators have graduate training programmes which extend across the technical disciplines. These are great learning and networking opportunities, as graduates recruited participate in training and socialising events together.