Anyone working for Schlumberger?

[zero]

I graduate from school in May and I am on the job trail. I am a mechanical engineer and I know we have a ton of engineers here so I thought I'd ask if anyone has worked or knows anyone who worked for Schlumberger. I am being flown out to Oklahoma to interview for a field engineer position there and I was hoping to get some input from an employee who isn't on the HR team. Thanks for any info.

 

-will

[SHO-Z]

Hi Will

 

I do not work for them, but do work in the oil patch in Alaska. From what I have heard up here they do treat there people well. There is a whole lot of potential for engineers in the petro chem buisness. This will not be a 8 to 5 job sitting at a desk.

 

Good luck.

Wil

[Tony D]

This will not be a 8 to 5 job sitting at a desk.

 

"Field Engineer"

 

Check out Google Earth, and go to these coordinates:

 

Lat 6deg 22' 57.86"s Lon 108Deg 23' 22.19" E

 

That is the most recent 'Field Assignment' for me. Matter of fact, that's where I'm at again in 7 hours (should get to sleep soon!)

 

Though I do not work at "S" either...

 

But I can say, I can not stand an office. Sitting in an cubie "designing brackets" for 6 months was enough for me, and I took the first thing that got me to the field. I've been there ever since. My boss is technically 'office staff' but at least once a quarter he takes a field assignment to get OUT!

 

You should like Field Work, especially if you like solving problems. There are downsides, but that is more if you look at it from the perspective of someone who likes to put on a tie and dockers and sit in a cubie 8-12 hours a day. For me, they're merely 'bumps in the road'...

 

Field Guys are designed internally with compliant suspensions so that 'bumps' don't necessarily affect their stability.

 

Then again, that would get into the definition of 'stable' and let's not go there, O.K.?

 

Like someone once said to me: "Dude, we're all 'broken'!"

[dr_hunt]

I worked for schlumberger for 4 years. You will be hammering and packing iron for quite awhile. You will go to their in-house engineering school and driving school and get your cdl when you get out. I already had mine so it was no big deal to me.

 

The work is hard, the hours are long and you will be doing cement testing, cement head pressure testing, etc. grunt work for probably a year or so before you bust out running any jobs. If you stay with them then it'll be ok, if that's not what you want to do better look elsewhere. I believe they have a 10% success rate with engineers which is why they hire so many. Out of my class of 25 or so only 3 or 4 still work there.

 

Oh, you will get a job offer before you leave the interview, I'll bet $5 on that! It's a guaranteed job deal.

[gdv350ss]

Hi Will,

 

My oldest son Mike (Penn State EE grad 2008) just started as a field engineer with Schlumberger in June. He's working out of the Weston (middle of nowhere) WV office.

 

They do offer a very attractive starting salary package. The hours are definitely not 8-5. The dress code is: company issued fire retardant jump suit, work boats, gloves, hard hat, and safety glasses. He typically goes out on jobs with a 3-8 man crew within a 150 mile radius of Weston. They are often at the muddy/dusty well site for 12-48 hours.

 

He's currently back in OK for his 8 weeks of specialized training in cementing. (sounds like Dr. Hunt’s specialty) There are also a handful of other specialties available. After he returns from this training session he will be the "boss man" for a crew and have overall responsibility for their work.

 

Thus far he enjoys the work but feels that he may prefer to transfer to a different location so that he’s closer to some bigger city activities when he’s off the clock.

 

Good luck with your career search!

[zero]

Thanks alot guys, that is exactly the information I was looking for. I appreciate your feedback.

[ShaggyZ]

My company sells a lot of computer equipment to Schlumberger

[z240]

Zero:

 

Don't see "Schlumberger" on hybrid Z very often. Kinda jumped out at me. I've been with them for a "while". I'de be happy to share my experiences with you.

 

Send me a pm or email

 

Jim

[Tony D]

LOL!

gdv350ss post made me laugh. I had a new kid working with me, and he asked about the third day on the job "Are all jobs like this?"

 

I guess my answer of 'No, this is a prime assignment: you have a competent support crew at the customer site, they want to learn what you're doing so it won't happen again, and this break room is top-notch! No, this is a really good site. Usually they are a lot worse!'

 

When we came back from the field, he walked straight into the office and said 'I don't want to work here, this is not for me!'

 

LOL

 

I mean, it was hot & loud, but the oil mist in the air was gone...I mean, what? You thought you would never get dirty?

 

LOL

 

But I got to admit, Concrete Testing and construction in general is a bit harsh if you're not ready to work as he said.

 

You will find something you like, and when you do, get good at it. There are a lot of other things I could be doing...but really, I like what I do. Getting oil poured down the back of my neck, or covered in dirt head to toe...meh! I washes off at the end of the day.

 

You will make your path. If not at the first place, somewhere. Don't dismiss something out of hat before at least trying it. Sometimes the most unlikely things would snag your interest and rope you into something you actually like doing. You never know what it will be!

 

I would never have guessed it would be Air Compressors.

 

Hydraulics and Fluid Power? Yes. That's what I 'wanted' to do.

 

But air compressors? Never thought of that, never even saw it coming! LOL

[woldson]

Hydraulics and Fluid Power? Yes.

Technically, is that not what you are doing?

Conpression (hydralics) / movement of the conpressed air (fluid)

 

Not to mention a few conpressed pigons;)

[ShaggyZ]

I totally forgot I took this picture about a week ago for fun. We have had this Schlumberger jump suit in our office for awhile. The sales engineers would have to wear it whenever they went out to site. You'll notice it says Schlumberger on the left breast and Chris on the right. I keep it in my drawer now to save it for a rainy day

 

FYI - that is my cubicle I'm standing in.

 

[dr_hunt]

I had no idea my new hero was really a smurf!!!

[cygnusx1]

Hydraulics and Fluid Power? Yes.

Technically, is that not what you are doing?

Conpression (hydralics) / movement of the conpressed air (fluid)

 

Not to mention a few conpressed pigons;)

 

Woldson, were you implying something about adiabatic compression and then...."hot air" coming from Tony D? ROFL. You are a killer.

 

Fortunately it comes out with adiabatic expansion and cools back off, so it's not all hot air.

[woldson]

Heehee. No, but if TonyD finds that funny, then yes;)

Personally I don't want a bee in my bonnet:)

[cygnusx1]

Oh OK so I get the bee in my bonnet!

[woldson]

LOL! Do you think they have some of those "killer" bees where he is at?!

Or mabey something more exotic? Getting them past customs may present some difficulty.

[cygnusx1]

Schlumberger sounds like a great place to build a work ethic. Kind of like where I got out of Engineering School and worked for four years in a sweat shop. Makes you appreciate working up the ladder.

[kiwi303]

Starting at the bottom builds character, and usually calluses and muscles too

 

I don't mind getting covered in oil, grease, blood, dust or a number of other things, Animal ♥♥♥♥ is nasty, but had that on me before too been there done that over the years, living on a farm is a pretty messy occupation.

[Tony D]

Schlumberger sounds like a great place to build a work ethic. Kind of like where I got out of Engineering School and worked for four years in a sweat shop. Makes you appreciate working up the ladder.

 

Been there, done that...

 

NAH! This is something totally different. I'm talking lift design, hydraulic circut function design, etc...

 

What I do now is field service...commissioning, placement and siting of new equipment, overhauls of existing product base. No system design at all, nuthin! Mostly going and pointing out where people have done 'DUH' moments. This entire week I've been watching them refit every pipe associated with a new knockout vessel on the aftercooler to this machine. I showed up the first day and said "the legs on that vessel are too long, the flange doesn't line up wit hthe aftercooler!"

 

They literally didn't figure that out till they had the crane and the spool piece in place before going 'hey, this doesn't fit!'

 

I now fix what I would have been doing because of forgetting this parameter or that.

 

I got to look at a cratered A-Frame machine today. Rotor was spin tested to 115% for acceptance. Problem was governor failure allowed an almost 200% overspeed situation. "BOOM!" It's amazing to think an impeller can frag-out like that, and split a machined and bolted joint open. It's not what I'm here to do, but whenever someone says 'we got this break'...you can't help NOT going to take a look and help out.

 

So now it's up to microfracture concerns in the remaining items that didn't frag out. (The impeller that fragged normally runs at 52,500, you do the math!) The turbine didn't even reach first critical, so it's likely o.k.... save that the pin-trip (mechanical safety) didn't work. Someone is going to get a nasty letter over this breakdown!

[calpoly-z]

I just got back from an interview with Schlumberger in Midland, TX. I can't imagine a more interesting interview. I was there for two days and had a blast the whole time. I got to see a Fracturing job in process. There must have been over twenty large diesel trucks running pumps and blenders and other various equipment I know nothing about yet. It was great, and to imagine that I could be running a site like that within a year of going to work is unreal. I fully expect an offer come Monday and I most likely will take it. I'm not a design engineer and I can't stand the thought of spending my days in an office. Besides, where else will I get to manage a crew and be in charge of multi-million dollar equipment within 8-10 months of graduating?

 

I hate the idea of taking the first offer I get, but I have no idea where else to look for this kind of work. Plus I never would have thought that I would get into Oil. Anyone have any good suggestions for a mechanical engineer that cannot stand the thought of staring at a computer all day?