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newbie101

Working in oil and gas as an engineer

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Hello,

 

I'm a graduate engineer in the UK, and, having being interested in energy and utilities; working in the oil and gas as an engineer seems like a good idea. Clearly the salary is a factor too but not the driving one. I'm interested to know of how other people with asperger's syndrome have found working in the oil and gas industry have found it. Is it welcoming to people with aspie traits? Are there allowances made for personality differences?

 

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Hi there,

 

I'm new to this site too, so hopefully you are still watching out for a reply.

 

I don't work as an engineer in the oil industry, but I do work in the oil and gas sector, and am married to an engineer, so hopefully I can give you a few bits of advice.

 

The positives are that you could make a really excellent engineer - you will probably have a lot of good skills which the industry needs - focus, determination and attention to detail.

 

But I feel I need to let you know that there are quite a few downsides. Firstly, the industry is still extremely male dominated, so it's unlikely that you will be given special treatment as a result of having Aspergers. I'm not saying that there aren't good mentors out there, but you will be expected to pull your weight.

 

Also, you need to watch out for the environment. If you decide to go offshore (and sometimes even when you are working onshore), the hours are long. If you decide to go offshore, it's currently 12 hour shifts, and they can be noisy and dirty. If you don't cope with the environment, and you are offshore, there is nowhere to go. The next helicopter might be 2 weeks away or more.

 

I don't want to put you off. If you go into this for the long term and are prepared to work hard, I expect that you will learn lots (yes, your education is only just beginning!) and you could become an expert in your field. As I say, you probably have skills that the industry needs. And once you are in a position where people trust your judgement, then it is easier to manage your environment.

 

Good luck!

 

JFTB.

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