PART 9 - Your Career Arc through the Alberta downturn

Part 8 is 18 months old, let's start Part 9. I've simplified the poll responses, and I know they don't cover every possibility. Just choose one and don't complain.

For myself, I was laid off, did some consulting, did some unemployment, did some survival jobs, more unemployment, more consulting, and got back to full time employment in 2019.
I believe that employment in oil and gas is in a secular decline, on top of any price or political issues.

How has it gone for you, and how are things looking in your future and with your network?

I was laid off in June of 2016. Went on EI for a few months, but then was called back the following November and have been here ever since. I was switched from salaried to hourly and there have been a few stretches of no work, but mostly a month at the most. I know that I am one of the lucky ones in my field because there are people I know who still aren't working yet.

I agree with you that O&G is slowly declining, and I am looking for opportunities outside of it, but there isn't much in my field (piping designer/AutoCad).

Voluntarily left a major EPC firm in the fall and went to a producer. My long term outlook is great because I'm in regulatory and the more of a pain the government makes things, the more job security I have!

Laid off in 2015 from oil & gas enviro consulting, landed gig a month later.. 5 years later, still here.. worked out pretty well in the end.

also in regulatory, but civil side now... tons of opportunity right now for environmental people with the pipeline construction rolling, but no way i'm going back

Laid off in 2015, was able to find something within a month. Voluntarily left my last company in 2019 for a different company.

Staved off a couple rounds of layoffs, played musical chairs jumping into different roles as needed for about a year.

Started school to get another degree, leveraged my enrollment and quit my job 2 months later to try something completely different.

After about a year at that I resigned to focus on school, after a few months off took a part time consulting gig. Turns out there was more than enough work to go around and that part time gig was full time after about 15 minutes.

Finished my degree, converted from a consultant to an employee, including the consulting have been here for a little over 2 years now and really enjoying it.

I’ve been pretty lucky all things considered, didn’t always feel that way though.

Im a mixture of the first two. The company i was working for got bought up and i made the cut and landed into a new role. Then i left a year and a bit later to take a different job in my home town. It was a great situation because i got the buyout from the sale while still landing a good gig.

I've weathered to storm pretty well. Worked up until fall 2017 and survived many rounds of layoffs then voluntarily decided to quit as I was tired of always living in camps for months on end. Opened up my own online shop and that went really well, did it for 2 years and realized I didn't really like just working alone all the time and kinda missed the social contact of a 9-5. Decided to look for a office job and found in in around a month that was a big step up from what I left in 2017 so pretty happy with things. Doing my 9-5 and then still my side business in the evenings for now. DINK with no spouse lmao.

Laid off from an EPC in late 2016; was in a new role in another industry in <4 weeks, and I'm currently still with the same company. Much better work (more engaging and innovative, and most importantly for me - not engineering), largely insulated from O&G/downturn. Higher caliber coworkers, more money, more stress. Overall, the downturn has been pretty good to me.

Was at a company owned by a big American firm, tried to sell in 2017 to no avail. Everyone laid off Dec. 22nd.

Started up private shop with essentially same staff and same customers Jan 1, 2018 and have been extremely busy here ever since.

I starved for a long time up in Grande Prairie but was always hoping for better times. March of 2019 I decided that this wasn’t for me but was stuck with a huge amount of cash in equipment. Being that I was never going to sell it for anywhere near what I paid in this market I decided to export it to the USA and start a new venture down there.

Finally got everything setup and started work at the start of this month ( February 2020 ) and it’s been decently good so far - really proving myself to these guys and getting my rapport up there resulting in more work.

Laid off from O&G over 6 years ago and got the same job in post secondary a few months later, now I get to worry about layoffs all over again. Fortunately our department runs pretty lean and I'm the only one doing what I do, but I'm not going to be naive and consider my role invincible.

Worked in the field for almost 5 years. Thought going back for my MSc would make myself more marketable to an office job for O&G companies downtown, and it has very slightly helped there simply because I could apply for "student" jobs again and get short contracts/make some connections/gain more experience. Additionally, I am more qualified to meet the bare minimum for working internationally but visas, sponsorships etc make it less appealing for employers.

Lots of coffees and lunches since Christmas, fortunately lots of folks with their ears open for me, but between cancelled job postings or strict student criteria, it's completely bare out there.

Considering writing the CFA L1 but more school feels a bit futile given my MSc experience, and the cost is pretty steep. Coding seems all the rage but seems quite buzzy at the moment. What else am I doing I guess, hey?

Applying to work at the City as a landscaper for the summer this morning. C'est la vie.

I feel very fortunate to have survived every downtown and layoff since my career started in the mid 2000s. I have changed jobs a few times voluntarily and been through a name-change/amalgamation or two. I have no delusions about the market though, nobody is safe these days. Good luck to everyone.

Laid off in spring 2016 when my rigs shut down for breakup. Same company brought me back as a consultant after breakup when my rigs fired up again that summer. Rehired in spring 2017.

I haven't been overworked by any means, but it's been steady enough to keep me around I guess. Nice thing is I've been working from home since the slowdown started in 2015. I used to spend 150-250 nights a year in hotels, but since 2015 it's been maybe 20 nights total.

Service Company here.

Survived multiple rounds of layoffs, went through multiple pay reductions, continued to grind and progress within the company.

Now the Technical Manager for said company and doing decent.

I voluntarily left my 19year career behind. Fuck aviation.

Started at a major producer as a new grad in 2011 and made it through multiple rounds of layoffs/reorgs and even got a promotion moving into another role in 2018. Even to this day there always seems to be a group somewhere within the company laying people off so i am thankful i have been able to stick around this long. If i somehow make it to retirement here with a DB pension i would be very fortunate but certainly not counting on that happening.

Design to finance, purely voluntary... actually quit before even having a plan. Was just over it. It just so happened to align perfectly with the whole 2015 mess

Have built up some experience, leveraged that into my current role, nothing but sunshine and rainbows ahead, young company. Rapid growth, well appreciated for what I do

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ercchry

Have built up some experience, leveraged that into my current role, nothing but sunshine and rainbows ahead, young company. Rapid growth, well appreciated for what I do

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Vests every day bro.