Joe Rafferty is, in his own words, a dinosaur. Not that he looks anything like Dippy the Diplodocus, currently touring the UK.
In fact, the Aberdonian is a sprightly 57 year old who just happens to have spent almost 40 years in the oil and gas business.
Having chosen to go part-time from his engineering duties – in order to spend more time at his property in Tenerife – he was happy to send some sunny career advice from his poolside lounger.
Are the ‘good old days’ in oil and gas really gone for good?
As long as I can remember this industry has blown up and down and sideways as the North Sea itself.
In recent years the increases in extraction costs combined with a freefall in oil prices didn’t make for a good mix, but really we’ve seen all this before.
My best piece of advice is, if you’re really passionate about finding a position in this sector, just go for it. The rest will take care of itself.
Do today’s oil and gas candidates need new skills?
Well, I started out in welding, making components for a construction firm. Maybe it was easier in those days to take those kind of skills into the oil game but I still see new talent coming in every day.
And a lot of the time it’s not traditional engineering experience they’re bringing with them, it’s computer know-how.
Watching movies you’d think working in oil was all about hard hats and huge monkey wrenches, banging bits of machinery and manhandling wheels.
It’s a lot more subtle than that and it’s a lot more digital. IT and knowledge of the newest software is more important than ever.
Which areas or specialist roles would you advise applicants to go for?
As well as the IT, I can see a demand for Planning Engineers and Risk Analysts. There’s a lot of movement right now and stronger backing than ever from the Scottish Government.
So I can see new projects and the opening of new fields leading to a demand for skills from the top down.
Finally, what do you say to anyone starting out?
Don’t wait until the rush starts. It was easier back in the day to move into this sector but you’re only going to make it harder if you’re not ready to take today’s opportunities when they come.
Let’s get ready with a look at the vacancies in Oil & Gas from s1jobs.