Amelie Bertran talks about her experiences in the Energy Industry with Schlumberger
What did you do at school?
I have always been very interested by Sciences and Nature. Geosciences study was, for me, the obvious choice. In my country ( France ), we can choose the main path in High School. My choice was therefore the scientific path with a major in Natural Sciences and of course all the other disciplines taught - maths, physics, chemistry, biology - which are necessary knowledge for a geoscientist.
I studied Geosciences until the Master’s degree: I have one specialized in Geodynamics and another one specialized in Infrared Spectroscopy. After six years studying at university, I have been recruited by Schlumberger and I am currently a Petrophysicist.
How did you find out about the Oil and Gas Industry?
For a geologist or geoscientist, there are two main carrier opportunities: Research and Oil & Gas Industry. I started learning about Oil & Gas as early as High School and at university. Nowadays, it is obviously an exiting time in the industry: everyone hears about the industry in daily life.
What do you like about the industry?
The industry offers career opportunities, challenges, new technologies, working in an international context … It is demanding but so interesting!
Explain a little about the @cess programme and how it benefited you and your career to date?
The @ccess program has been developed to give data interpreters the knowledge of the tools and the field operations.
It is definitely a very positive experience. When there is abnormal data, the knowledge of tool physics and operations helps to understand whether it is due to the logging environment or due to tool failure … The more knowledge you have, the best interpreter you are.
Starting a career in the field also gives good overview of the life of a field engineer: it can help for communication back to the processing centre.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career in Oil and Gas?
My answer is go for it! It is hard work but you learn a lot, you meet interesting people and the job is interesting. Know what you want for your career as well as take the opportunity of changing your career path within the company to vary your experience.
What do you enjoying doing in your spare time i.e. hobbies, passions?
I am currently working in Norway : the mountains are very close and so attractive! I go hiking and biking as often as I can. If the weather was a bit warmer, I would go for free diving … maybe my next assignment will be in a warm country!
When I can take longer vacations, I go back to my home country and help my family to restore the 700-year-old manor where my parents live. Archaeology and medieval history are so fascinating!
