Schlumberger - Yash Singhal

 

It all starts with a resume. I started making one in the summers itself. The interviews started in the first week of August. Usually, Schlumberger recruits in the first semester itself, but this time due to some management changes, they recruited in second semester January. Schlumberger is a popular name on the campus, mainly because of only a month-long intern and lucrative PPO :P. There are two profiles that Schlumberger recruits in, Technology Services and Junior Field Engineer. Being an acquaintance of a senior who had earlier worked in Schlumberger, I was inclined to take up the internship for field engineer profile. My interview revolved around my resume; the internships, projects, extracurriculars and also my CPI. There were some questions on first-year mechanical workshop, some core knowledge of chemical engineering, information about the company and basic HR questions. I had researched about the company in detail regarding its subsidiaries, its segments of work, competitors and clients.

Schlumberger is a company that provides technological services for extraction of crude oil. The company is involved in segments starting right from Seismic Mapping of the zones to Drilling to Well Logging (also called Borehole logging) to Fracking. My segment of assignment was Wireline. Wireline is the well logging and well intervention segment. It is the mother segment of Schlumberger as Schlumberger started as Schlumberger Wireline & Testing in 1929. This particular segment contributes to around 60% of the revenue for the company. Schlumberger employs approximately 100,000 people and operates in more than 85 countries. In India, Schlumberger is serving in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Barmer, Assam and Kakinada.
The internship started with a mandatory safety training in the Mumbai Base after which all the interns were dispatched to their respective field locations. My place of posting was Barmer. The best part was that the company made arrangements for travel and accommodation so you don't have to worry about anything. First few days in Barmer were just an introduction to the base and the people there after which I was assigned a project and reading material on tools which were to be included in my final presentation. My project and tools were a part of the Well Head Equipment (WHE); the tools used for well intervention, pressure control and maintaining well integrity. The project was to make a system of organizing the crossover subs used in WHE. During this period, I also had an opportunity to visit the well sites where I witnessed several well logging and intervention jobs. On the field, I helped the crew in rig-up and rig-down. It helped a lot in understanding the tools which I was assigned.
The company culture is very much like college (including intro sessions and treats from managers :P). The seniors are willing to help you anytime and they always push you to learn things as much as you can. My manager and a senior employee were from IIT-D and we had a great time discussing college stuff. Also, the working hours are not fixed at all. If the job you are working on continues, you may as well have to stay on site for 4-5 days straight. My working hours were kind of fixed. I started the day at 8:30 a.m. returning at 6:30 p.m. During field visit days it extended from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The system of holidays and vacations is very different. You don't get Sundays off (though no one works on Sundays) but you get vacations of 2-3 weeks after 2 months of work.
At the end of the intern, I had to present the project and the tools explaining my work and experience during the month.

One of the disadvantages of Schlumberger is the locations. They are remote and not very developed (you would hardly find a decent sandwich there). The hotel won’t disappoint you though, as the rooms and the food were both good. The location of the base was on the outskirts of the city and the well sites were around 20 km away from the main city, which means spending a considerable amount of time commuting from one place to another, not to mention the scorching heat of Rajasthan. The temperatures in the noon were almost always over 40 degrees. Working in fields at this temperature is the most challenging part of this job according to me.

Moral of the story is that Schlumberger is a great company for you if you like hands-on work and also if you like exploring places and meet new people. If you want a comfortable city job then maybe Schlumberger is not a good bet. Anyway, during the internship period, you should have a fair idea of what you want to do or which field you want to work in so that you prepare for those companies and sectors. After that, it is all a matter of chance to land an intern. The internship process is highly random and you should not lose focus in that duration.