m+b diaries: oh, the places you'll go.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

oh, the places you'll go.

Rewind 6 months and I was drafting construction documents in AutoCAD, and checking up on the progress at residential construction sites. Compare that to starting off 2013 with setting foot on 11 different drilling rigs, and visiting five oil and gas fields in three different states. 2012 will always be remembered as the year I changed career paths. Being a guy that usually resists change, and likes consistency, I decided to take a big leap of faith. After spending two years of my time researching the oil and gas industry, I knew that I needed to give it a shot as a career. If I did not go through with it, there would always be a part of me that wondered what could have been. The easy part was making the decision; the hard part was finding someone that would take a chance on a guy with an architecture degree and no experience in O&G. I ended up having to settle with accepting a contract position in pipeline procurement with a company that did mostly midstream.

This would at least get some kind of industry experience on my resume, and I expected to be in that position for at least a year. What I did not expect was to be promoted to a permanent role in their drilling group in less than two months. That moment was very powerful, and I will always remember the feeling of disbelief when I was given the offer. The journey since has been amazing. Where this will take me, I have no idea. All I know is that the journey has just begun. Thanks to Dr. Seuss for these words from “Oh, the Places You’ll Go,” and let us all remember them.

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”