Don't lose hope: 'The Mix' is on the way!

By Feso Bright

The are so many Energy, Oil & Gas and Extractive Industry Professionals who are not fulfilled today.What do I mean? You have probably taken time out from course of your career to attend a few Professional training programs, a Masters degree, an MBA related to the industries BUT you ask yourself- where is the return on my investment? How long will it take to get a payback? To what extent can I push the boundaries of 'hope', 'doggedness', 'self-belief', 'self-confidence', the expectation that your industry expertise and knowledge can and will count for something- today? John Maynard Keynes has said it: "...in the long run we are all dead"...so is there not the case for insisting on getting your return on investment today? Are you working as a retail banker or a litigation lawyer, an administrative clerk when you have energy, oil & gas, extractive industry certifications and qualifications? Do you feel you are unemployed but employed?

The world economy is in uncharted territory today. We live in a world where some University degree holders from developing economies can be found on the streets of London working as security guards and store clerks while less educated individuals from 'advanced' economies may earn 'top dollars' in developing economies for providing the simplest of professional services. Europeans also find themselves having to tap into multiple Masters degree programs just to secure a job in today's European market. The Greeks have tried, tried and tried but the economy that provided the world with the olympic spirit has not been able to find its enterprising spirit with more than 50% unemployment rate while the Americans are desperately trying to stimulate industry and create jobs. There simply are no jobs out there....!!!

Now, there is a big problem in the Energy, Oil & Gas, Extractive industry. Thousands of individuals continue to upgrade their skills and knowledge month on month, year on year via these short professional courses, certifications and Masters programs but how many professionals get the opportunity to apply the 'new knowledge' in the industry; how does the industry get value for this new intellectual capital base that has been created? You see, the industry supply chain is experiencing a mismatch. As a Nigerian I can testify to the fact that HUGE DEMAND GAPS exist for certain skill sets and professionals while at the same time there is an apparent OVERSUPPLY OF PROFESSIONALS; for example there is a dearth of engineers and skilled artisans in the local Nigerian industry yet you have so many PROFESSIONALS with University degrees who simply cannot find engagement within the industry. How is it possible that there is an apparently simultaneous oversupply and under-supply of intellectual capital and labour- respectively?

The immediate concern of this discussion is not the skilled artisans and engineers -who are generally in scarce supply within the industry- but the well educated and articulate professionals who have apparently constituted an 'oversupply' for the industry. So you have 3 degrees and a couple of professional qualifications but you cannot secure that desired position with BP, Shell, Exxon, BHP Billiton, De Beers, Morgan Stanly, Ernst and Young, KMPG...mention it. A hard fact of life is that you have probably shelled out in excess of the base- £15,000 to £35,000 in student loans, scholarship funding or cash to 'acquire your new specialist knowledge and skill sets but all that the employment market offers you today are some the following:

(1) Your former job with the same position and remuneration (i reckon that the whole idea behind your quest for self-improvement was to 'advance' from this position at worst)

(2) Recourse to an alternative profession or job (just to keep paying your bills)

(3) Recourse to spending on more professional certifications and degree programs (till the job market gets better)

(4) Starting on the path to your desired role from scratch (So you thought you would get into BP as an experienced hire but -shock of your life- you have to start from the graduate program)

(5) The opportunity to work in your dream role and create value for the industry but with much less pay than anticipated

(6) The RARE opportunity to work in your ideal role and make a healthy return on your investment within a short period of time

These claims are made on the strength of situations that I have personally observed in my relations with many professionals in the industry- both locally and across international boundaries. So what do we do in the face of the harsh economic environment; how do we ensure that there is a positive relationship between the annual knowledge capital created (number of professionals) for the sector and the amount of value created? I will leave the answers to your imagination however I will suggest that whatever solution(s) you arrive at, do remember that communities of practice offer a sustainable medium to execute winning strategies to ensure that you do not fall under the category of 'SURPLUS TO REQUIREMENTS' for the industry. 

Communities of practice allow you the opportunity to be all you can be...!!! You have just completed an occupational health and safety training course but Senior management has not put you in a situation to create value based on your new knowledge; you have recently completed an expensive Oil & Gas masters degree program at Coventry, UK but notwithstanding your 6 years of work experience from Peru you can only secure a position as a store manager at M&S while you try to secure that posh job at ConocoPhillips. You have recently completed your 3rd masters degree programme (an M.Sc Energy Finance) but after a 6months of searching for an Energy finance role in London you have to return home to Unilever Italia as a marketing manager. Notwithstanding what your current challenges are, communities of practice will afford you the opportunity to learn, share, develop and nurture yourself as a professional. In fact, I make bold to state categorically that with the existence of communities of practice in this day and age, any professional in the energy, oil & gas and extractive industries who is 'unemployed but employed', unfulfilled, underutilized or who wishes to 'create value' - can take advantage of communities of practice.

'The Mix: Oil and Water!' is a community of practice (read about us here) so I will not belabor the point. However what have you done with the likes of Energy Institute, the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators, the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the Petroleum Club, the Lagos Oil Club, the Uganda Oil Club, the Ghana Oil Club and other networking organizations? Apart from the fact that you have quoted one or more of these bodies on your CV have you taken advantage of the learnings, discussion boards, learning groups, other initiatives and networking opportunities? You may work as a marketing manager today in Italy due to economic considerations-(perfectly understandable) however one strong means of keeping your ability to offer a strong value proposition to the energy, oil & gas and extractive industry is to take advantage of the resources, technologies and opportunities for community of practice. Who ever told you that the return on investment accrues immediately? 

In conclusion, it is pertinent to note that the pay back period for expensive training in the industry is more medium to long term. While we must realistically adjust our expectations to fit this timing we must also adjust our return on investment expectations as well; given contemporary economic times this is the 'smart' thing to do; if you are planning to embark on new training you need to understand this cost-benefit dynamic. Thus while you free yourself from the illusions of immediate payback in petro-dollars, gold nuggets and power contracts you must necessarily busy yourself in the most important thing- your value proposition for the industry- and what better way to keep that on a long-term, sustainable focus than to consolidate from a foundation built on communities of practice? A daunting proposition indeed, our community is determined to find and create value in this tight-knit and apparently closed industry and we are already succeeding. Perplexing times indeed....but don't lose hope, 'The Mix: Oil and Water!' is on the way! 

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