RiverRipper's Guide to Energy

Hey lsuguy7, are you in REC by any chance?

I'm definitely active in REC and always around if you want to talk energy or recruiting.

Cool. I'm actually in Houston right now on an REC-sponsored trip to meet energy companies in the area. It'd be really funny you turn out to be on the trip, too.

Hey Milias, would it be possible to know which companies are you visiting? I am really interested in both Ross & Energy!

The Houston Trek was definitely a big success I was in Houston a couple of weeks before talking to one of the companies. They were extremely excited to see interested from Ross to come to Houston.

OK, this is probably going to sound like an odd question, but what are some of the exit opportunities in oil & gas? Suppose I start working for them, but it doesn't turn out the way I thought it would, where could I go from there? Are the exit opportunities limited? The reason I'm asking is because the supermajors tend to hire for life, and for someone who's a little afraid of commitment like me, that leaves me gasping for air a little. Thank you.

Yea, that's what I was afraid of. There just doesn't seem to be that many exit opportunities for oil & gas. I think I'm OK with doing an internship to evaluate the career choice, but I'm also concerned whether that's going to affect my chances for full-time employment next year should I choose to go into another industry.

In any case, I guess it's a little too premature to think about it until I actually get an internship offer.

I ended up completely away from not only oil but also energy. I went into a manufacturing company on a GM track. I dont think internships will shut you out of an industry, its how you frame your experience over the summer. A few of my friends ended up in the oil industry and are enjoying it thus far. It really depends on the person and what you want to actually do for a living in terms of function not just industry.
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Interviewed with Chevron and Exxon last week for an internship. Still waiting to hear back. The wait is killing me. Does anyone know how long it usually takes for them to get back to you with a decision?

Exxon is notorious for their piss poor recruiting process. I have one friend who was told they were getting offers but shortly there after they got another call saying they decided to not extend one afterall. I would say they had one of the worst reps with my class because of how they approached internship recruiting...dragged people along and then gave projects that were not what they were told they were. Then fulltime was even worse...the pay is extremely high but I think only one person I know who got an offer took it and not a single intern went back.

Chevron on the other hand is pretty solid about it, but it all depends on when they are done interviewing at all schools. They may hand out offers if someone hits it out of the park and will ding quick if you absolutely bomb. Most companies will keep a few in limbo until they are done interviewing. Their rotations can be difficult though. One will be overseas and often another will be outside the bay area in the US. That was one huge negative for me since that many moves was not going to work on a personal level.
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Thanks, riverripper. Appreciate the input.



Hmm, that's interesting. They were late to the game, so to speak, at Ross this year due to the big snowstorm, which caused a one-week delay in their interview schedule. I heard that they ding pretty quickly, at least for one of their finance positions. Haven't heard about any offers yet. My interviewer told me that they will expedite the decision-making process this time, since they're already behind, due to the weather.



I interviewed for their Finance Development Program internship. I was told that I would hear back in about a week. Another person was told 2-3 weeks. So not sure. My interviewer also said that they had more schools to go to.

Fingers crossed.

If you get both, go with Chevron they are the better MBA program in my opinion...their is more attention to the MBA's and the culture I think is more enjoyable. Plus the location, Bay Area vs Houston, is more desirable for most people.
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yes go with chevron..

Does anyone have any pointers on Shell, in particular their rotational leadership development program? Have an upcoming interview for this position. Thank you in advance.

Hi guys Im currently working as an engineer for a subsea construction company. The big oil guys are generally our clients. My interest post mba in a business development role in the gas power and alternative energy sector. Do these companies recruit international students for such roles if so what are the student profiles like in terms of prior workex, grades, GPA, GMAT

A few will hire internationals, others wont...though some will hire you overseas but not sure how that pay structure works. As for business development. It depends what you are talking about, I believe the best path to that is probably treasury at Exxon or the finance program at Chevron. If you want utilities there are lots of opportunities but utilities typically aren't international friendly. Alternative energy companies may be more open but still might be challenging.
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Hello all,
I have been a silent observer on GC for a long time, today I thought of posting something. I browsed through the pages on this energy thread. But I didn't find a single post regarding the information about the wind energy sector. May be wind is a niche sector and slowly picking up. Can anybody please provide some information about the careers in the wind energy sector. There are some good companies in this sector, Suzlon, Vestas to name a few. These are the market leaders and have presence almost in all the parts of the world. What kind of positions are available for MBAs in these companies? Moreover, from which colleges are people hired predominantly in this sector.
Also, can anybody give some insight into the energy consulting. I guess all the major consulting companies have a department dedicated to this field but do they hire people having experience in the energy field or they hire general consultants and train them to work in this sector.

Enjoyed this thread, and am definitely someone who is very interested in renewable and alternative energy. However, I am also considering the possibility of working in the industry indirectly. For instance, working with a car manufacturer on its line of electric vehicles -- or for a company that manufactures electric car components.

How difficult is it to break into finance or general management with car manufacturers -- particularly with EV manufacturers, or specifically with alt vehicle divisions of car makers? Is an engineering degree to go with the MBA absolutely mission critical, or is it possible to find work and advance without one? I assume that the West Coast is the place to be, if this is my interest?

Edit: Or, if I wanted to go this route (working with firms that produce EVs and other alt energy-related tech, without having an engineering degree to go with an MBA), would I be better off trying to work with a venture capital firm post-MBA?

How well does McCombs place students in 'Energy'? From the placement statistics, most of the students end up either in financial services or consulting (the usual suspects).

Also I have read that McCombs is a strong 'regional b-school'. Does this limit the opportunities that MBA grads have coming out of UT-Austin?

Thanks.