Information pipeline
Oil and gas industry grows tech workforce
The very nature of work in the oil and natural gas industry is changing.
While roughnecks and roustabouts and other blue collar workers still sweat in the field in flame-retardant overalls and boots, a new cohort of tech workers report to the office in jeans, hoodies and designer shoes.
With crude oil prices still modest, drilling activity is down and energy companies are making a major to push to digitize and automate operations as a means to reduce costs.
That push is driving the growth of six-figure tech jobs that prize skills such as coding, design, data analysis and computer system architecture over physical prowess.
A young and diverse class of tech workers are filling new jobs such as scrum master, data scientist, cloud architect and user experience designer.
Like other companies in the industry, Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge recently opened a Silicon Valley-style tech lab at its Houston office.
Floor-to-ceiling windows, rows of standing desks, stylish furniture, free snacks, caffeinated drinks, toys, touch-screen TVs, video conferencing rooms, lounging areas and collaboration tables at the Houston lab allow employees drafted from different departments to come together and solve real-world problems for the pipeline company and its customers.
So far, it’s been successful. Among other accomplishments, lab employees have helped to develop ways to get sensor data from pipelines faster and improve crude oil and natural gas flows at the company’s terminals.
The stories of lab employees Patrick Lamasney, Srapanthi Nuthulapati, Zhijun Zhang and Yared Akalou reflect the change in the industry.