What to specialize on and be a consultant

[engr2GW]

Hello all,

I'm 33 years old, and I've been working as a onshore surface production facilities engineer in an independent O/G company for the past four years. My job starts at the well head and ends after the last separation equipment to sales and a little bit of pipeline work.

There's no clear description of my job function as I contend with a new deal every day from sizing equipment, to researching material failure to recommending welding practice.

at this point, while I still like my job, I'm thinking about something I can do or specialize in that will sell well and ofcourse that I will like. I"m looking for advice in that direction, what is a good field or area of concentration that one can specialize on and become a consultant in that area?

Thank you for your advice.

As much as possible, do it right the first time...

 

[IRstuff]

"what is a good field or area of concentration that one can specialize on and become a consultant in that area?"

oughtn't that be something you are actually already an expert on?

TTFN
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[zdas04]

That is a really tight scope to turn into a business--Wellsite equipment just lasts too long to make a living off of it. My practice goes backwards and forwards a bit from the wellsite. I consult extensively on well deliquification and gathering systems in addition to wellsites, wellsite compression, and wellsite fluid measurement. Take a look at my web site (url is in my signature) to see the scope of my business, it is just a touch broader than you are talking about. There is a real shortage of people who can talk reasonably from the sandface/coalface to the plant inlet. Especially in low pressure operations.

I did a series of talks at a major Engineering firm last month. They had just gotten the contract to write a FEED for a new upstream development. I did an hour on Reservoirs for Facilities Engineers, an hour on water phase behavior, an hour on Wellbore Dynamics, an hour on wellsite compression, and an hour on fluid measurement. This was an experienced team that felt (at the beginning of the week) that they were perfectly competent to take on this project. At the end of the week the felt less confident, but better informed.

You get involved in deliquification by getting involved. I started in that area by asking a Production Engineer what the NPSH-r for an ESP that he wanted to install was. He didn't know, and didn't know what NPSH was. I explained NPSH, then explained cavitation. Then helped him pick a pump that made sense for his application and got a reputation as a flangehead that wasn't afraid of downhole stuff. Between helping the Production Engineers avoid some amount of stupid choices, writing a chapter of a book on Gas Well Deliquification, and writing Journal articles on Deliquification I think I've added value to the industry and it is a big part of my practice.

I learned about gas measurement by getting involved with the measurement community. It was not part of my job, but no one pushed me away when (after reading AGA-3 cover to cover a couple of times) I started asking questions. Eventually I was the Measurement Engineer for a major company (in addition to my other duties).

I got involved in Environmental stuff by offering to help those guys.

In short, your job is your job and: (1) you have to do it well; and (2) if you never step out of it no one will think less of you. On the other hand if you carefully step out of it (while still doing exceptional work on your job) into places you can make a difference, before long your scope will naturally increase.

I submitted abstracts for papers in Gas Measurement, Environmental Crap, Deliquification, and Separation. Most were accepted and I wrote the papers. I was an officer in the local SPE Chapter. I tried to be active in the local NACE and API chapters. I got to know a lot of folks (many of whom hired me for work after I started the business).

I called my 23 years with a major E&P company an apprenticeship for my real career as the owner of MuleShoe Engineering, but in fact I'm still learning. At 4 years I was in no way ready to add value in my own company.

David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering

"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.
The plural of anecdote is not "data"

 

[Gymmeh]

Pretty much reinforcing what zdas said.

I have moved into "consulting" in the last 6 months. The odd thing is you need to have the ability to be a generalist and a specialized. I work for a small firm, When you need work... you take what you can get. For me that would be like getting up to speed on API 650 really quickly (Reading API 650, 620, 2000, etc). I "specialize" in machine design, HPU's, mechanical failure analysis, but if someone needs help with large storage tank, I will do it, then have someone that "specializes" in it check it. Still there is no slaking on my end learning as much as I can about tank so the person check, just has to do a sanity check, that i didn't miss anything. Now I have another tool in my tool belt, LP tanks.

You could do that half way step and join a small firm of consultants. There is a major difference between working for a large company with lots of resources, doing work that will be used by you or your colleague and being a consultant.