Career possibilities lure new talent
Job opportunities in Canada’s oil and natural gas sector are attracting university students and people from abroad.
Darren Smylie is a thirdyear geography and environment student at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. He doesn’t yet know which career to choose, but he knows he wants to make a difference.
For the past two summers Smylie has worked at Canadian Natural Resources Limited using the latest data software to map and determine resource requirements for oil and gas reclamation sites from British Columbia to Manitoba. Reclamation co-ordinators require a background in ecological processes, chemistry and biology, he says. “In my studies I’m learning about how ecological systems are connected, which has helped me to understand the many different concepts of reclamation in the field.”
Smylie chose the oil and gas sector for summer employment because he wanted to learn more. “I feel there is a large disconnect from the public, which believes nothing is being done to support the environment. I wanted to learn first-hand what’s actually happening — how industry is changing, what technologies are being introduced. I certainly didn’t realize the amount of reclamation being done.”
As for the future, he says, “I’m quickly learning just how many jobs are created by the industry. I’m not sure if I’ve found the perfect fit yet, but there are lots of opportunities for people like me.”
While Smy lie is still considering his options, Moruf Aminu knew since his teenage days in Nigeria that he wanted a career in oil and gas. “It is a very large and lucrative business in Nigeria. I took a chemical engineering degree at the University of Lagos knowing that oil and gas was inmy future,” he says.
After completing his bachelor’s degree, Aminu worked with Shell and Schlumberger in Nigeria. His qualifications and experience earned him an international scholarship at the University of Alberta, where he completed a Master’s degree. He moved to Canada permanently in 2005.
Today, Aminu is a Team Lead at Encana Corporation, where he manages the company’s producing assets and midstream relationships for the Bighorn Business Unit. “My role is to look at the processes that bring hydrocarbon from thousands of feet underground to the point where it is sold, and to manage them as efficiently, safely and costeffectively as possible.”
He enjoys his work and is particularly proud of adding value to the industry, to the communities in which he works and to the Canadian economy. “The oil and gas sector is dynamic and provides opportunities to learn and improve yourself,” says Aminu. “Young people, immigrants and a diverse range of people can succeed here. It has been a very positive experience for me, and I expect to remain in the industry for a long time.”