What do you do if the oil and gas industry is rapidly evolving?

Start with the basic skills and knowledge first. It's important to start from the beginning. Then keep reading the news, preferably scientific journals, and determine what would the future bring as an addition to the sector. The industry is already automating a lot of its processes, and the next step is using AI to maximize chances of successful explorations.

Areas of science and engineering fundamental to the exploitation of fossil fuels like Physics, Thermodynamics and pipeline flow remain. A fundamental grasp of physics, chemistry and engineering, provide a solid educational base for this business. What is evolving is how we apply learnings and how we work with each other to access maximum value for projects and daily production targets. Yes...it's good to build knowledge in data analytics and AI, but focus first on your passions, your emotional quotient and then assess how you can apply your strengths in these areas towards advancing teamwork, recognizing how to work with and learn from others and how to consistently deliver results as we transition towards a renewable energy future.

In an ever-evolving energy sector skill up if the key. You have to continuously learn. But it is also important to recognize what kind of skill is required in the market and amongst those skills which one aligns with your future goal.

Every Industry is evolving, new technologies are coming in, the best way to keep up with the change is embracing the change. One has to accept that change is the only constant and you have to update yourself to stay relevant. Taking up trending courses, training, learning about new roles are some of the ways you can use to keep yourself updated.

The shift to unconventional resources, as well as energy transition and digitalization, all contribute to a changing competitive landscape that requires oil and gas players to become more nimble and to compete in new roles. Outstanding players should focus on operational excellence leadership, through which workforce are aligned to enhance their capability to embrace shift toward the new mindset. Operational excellence creates value through systematic and repeatable actions that are clear and addressable for everyone across the company and will gradually lead to continuous improvement of operating performance, so that the company can remain resilient and versatile for any change in business environment.

The sector needs to adapt and evolve, not just in terms of technology and operations, but also in its approach to talent acquisition, retention, and its overall perception. This challenge also represents an opportunity for the industry to redefine itself and appeal to a new generation of professionals. Embracing change not only helps the oil and gas industry navigate its current challenges but also positions it as a vital player in the global energy transition. By attracting and nurturing talent across digitalization, communication, and collaboration, the industry can accelerate its evolution towards a more sustainable and innovative future.

You have to evolve as quickly as the industry evolves/change. For instance, Oil Industry is changing in perspective, today's subjects that were not important or less important in the past i.e. clime and environment are now very important and key for certain field and technology development, besides that the adoption of the latest development in technologies i.e. data analytics / machine learning, AI; you may not need to learn all of these as your role in the industry doesn't require you to do it but, read, learn how to use it in your roles or processes. The evolution brings changes, as nature, the smartest, strongest, or those whom adaptability is fast will survive or will give the opportunity to live within the industry for much longer.

Keep calm and think ahead. Envision the industry’s landscape over a decade, and also your personal and professional aspirations. Tech companies constantly parade their latest innovations, but their adoption may be slow. For instance, retrievable ESPs (without a rig) have been available for decades but their adoption is still limited. A field's life is in the order of decades, and the many of the technologies used are decided upfront, reflecting what has been proven to work before. If things are still working it can be hard to justify a change. It's a business, not a tech showcase. Always get a firm grasp on the basics before betting on a specific technology. After all, such a gamble may not yield the expected returns for your time.