In need of career advice (Fresh Grad)
 

Hi guys, this is my first post and probably a very important one for me. I understand there are many established people in this forum and as such, have a lot of life experience to share with me.

I am currently in a dilemma in picking a career path for myself. First of all, allow me to introduce myself. I am an engineering student from NUS with a first class honours degree, have overseas experience and also internship experience in an oil and gas company.

I have trouble deciding in considering to enter the oil and gas industry as compared to signing on in the military as a local scholar. From what I have gathered is that the military offers a very competitive remuneration package and decent progression if performance is good. On the other hand, oil and gas companies also offers competitive packages in comparison to the private sector and also tons of exposure. Passion-wise, I would say I have about the same level of interests as they offer grounds that i can apply technical knowledge in.

What do you guys think? Should I take the plunge with the military or go for O&G?

Dude, oil & gas wins hands down. You want to join the military as local scholar? You know how many OS guys that are ahead of you on fast track? Seriously??

I strongly suggest you go talk to people actually working in the sectors concerned to get a realistic picture. Don't swallow what the recruiters tell you wholesale.

easy, o&g

dont worry

So i suppose even my good academic grades counts for nothing against these scholars?

It is tough to compete with the scholars after you sign on. Your local 1st class honours will never be as good as someone with a similar degree from an overseas prestigious college. Sad but true.

I'm from the O&G industry, and what I can say is that the pay packages are competitive. I don't know exactly how much signed-on officers earn but I would think the O&G industry pays better. If you perform well, the sky's the limit in MNCs.

the starting pay for military for a first-class honours might be slightly higher, but if you are the ambitious type, your pay in o&g will easily surpass (and by a lot) your peers in the military in just a few years.

Do you have any figures to share perhaps? I have an interview with Shell in a few days time. I would really love to join them but my concern is that my degree as an Electrical Engineer might not enable me to be versatile in the O&G industry. Other than that I am keen.

Fren, join the military if you like the way of life or if it is a calling. Just don't join it for reasons of using it as a shortcut to getting ahead. These scholars also got first class honours from Oxford, Cambridge, Havard and Stanford. Not that you will automatically be worse off, but you are at best on par with them. Good grades suggest high potential, but it is not a determinant of outcome.

I have many friends from the military, some in service, some not. Those that still in service are doing very well; those that are not are now in private sector. None of them that have come out have told me they regret and want to go back.

If you are indeed so driven and want to excel, the private sector will fit your needs best. So far all the responders who are O&G guys have all said the same thing.

I don't think it will be a problem if your goal is to be a high performer looking to end up in senior management. Lack of chemistry or chemical engineering background is not a show stopper unless you are looking to pursue a hardcore specialist role in stuff such as hydrocarbon research or reactor/process engineering. There are a lot of business oriented roles within Shell that do not require specialist knowledge. A normal engineering background will be sufficient.

Don't be too fixated with numbers. Top tier performers will be well rewarded. Trust me, O&G is the one of the better paying sectors out there with good prospects.

Friend. Military career is a calling, not a place to get rich.