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INSIDE PETROLEUM
Please check out this podcast series for interviews of other pivoters.
DAVID YAW - CONSULTANT RESERVOIR ENGINEER
PRE-PIVOT EDUCATION
BS, Geology / Earth Science
MS, Petroleum Engineering
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PETROLEUM CAREER
18 years mid-large majors
Last role was Reservoir Engineering Advisor
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THE PIVOT
After being laid off from a major, David decided what type of employer he wanted to work for (smaller) and worked on reinventing himself. He gained programming and analysis skills and focused on becoming more social. David quickly became one of the main faces of petroleum job seekers on LinkedIn with his straightforward and insightful posts.
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SUGGESTED RESOURCES & READING
Editor's Suggestion - Read David's LinkedIn posts: here.
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IINSIGHT
"The only real way to get jobs at small companies is either recruiters or networking to get connections at these small companies.."
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"Most new jobs come from companies under 25 people."
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"What is your gift? Everyone has one. Everyone is good at something and does it just a little bit differently than everybody else. Not all gifts pay in a conventional sense, but they can. You just have to figure out how to monetize it."
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PATRICK RUTTY - TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
PRE-PIVOT EDUCATION
BA, Earth Sciences
MS, Expoloration & Development Geophysics
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PETROLEUM CAREER
Exploration and New Ventures within oil companies
Last role was Principal of an E&P start-up
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THE PIVOT
Patrick first started a consulting firm doing prospect and resource play evaluations. He then joined a data, software, and insights company as Senior Product Manager, later moving into a technical sales role.
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SUGGESTED RESOURCES & READING
"My recommended reading is the Bible!
For career changers: Halftime: Moving from Success to Significance
If people are headed into software development I'd also recommend Crossing the Chasm."
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INSIGHT
"Be curious, stay humble, and be yourself!"
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DAVID GIBSON - OWNER OF REPORTING COMPANY FOR MWD & DIRECTIONAL DRILLING
PRE-PIVOT EDUCATION
BS, Mechanical Engineering
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PETROLEUM CAREER
David is a 10+ year veteran in the drilling
and MWD oil and gas business and has worked for both major and independent service providers both on and offshore.
Last role was VP of Drilling Solutions for a DWD technology and service.
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THE PIVOT
In 2018, David started Gibson Reports, a company focused on providing reports about the MWD and Directional Drilling business, including detailed reports ranking MWD survey companies by footage, rig days and footage per day.
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SUGGESTED RESOURCES & READING
My advice is always learn how to market and sell (yourself, ideas, products, or services) Life becomes so much easier when you get get things in front of the people who need to see them at the right time.
Read “Gap Selling” by Keenan
Read “Never Split the Difference” By Chris Voss
Follow Andrew Davis for Marketing
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INSIGHT
Things to do help:
Learn business intelligence tools Power BI, Tableau, Spotfire, etc… These platforms are going to be the norm going forward and offer huge returns on time spent educating. I could 100% pivot out of oil and gas solely on my experience with Tableau.
Finally don’t look for an opportunity create an opportunity.