This is a company with a very clear vision of what it seeks. Top level management knows exactly what they want, and have known what they wanted for many years now. I was lucky to have joined the company at a time where the expansion was starting to take place, and have witnessed the integration of the newly purchased Schlumberger companies. Integration is not where it stops, however. There is a fusion of the newly purchased companies' equipment into our regular operations.
Technologically, Schlumberger is at the forefront of most of the segments of services within which it operates. The company prides itself on this. It has been visible to me at the different geomarkets I have operated in and that I have colleagues operating in. The theory of operation of the equipment and the technology is fascinating to learn and exposes you to different petrophysical, geological, geophysical, chemical, quantum mechanical information that is directly relevant in the oilfield.
There is a humongous, colossal, database inside which you can research anything you want about any of the segments' technologies. There is a strong data consulting services group that helps orient the client's use of the data that is provided by the company and aid them in coming to better choices.
Also, there are many training programs that can be undertaken by oneself that will teach the person interested about anything that they seek to find out about within the oilfield. There is information about the operation from the process of oil discovery to its characterization to its production and then to its sale and entry into the markets.
International movement is quite common. I have roomed with a Russian, Brazilian, Indian, American, French, Canadian, Ghanaian, Egyptian and Pakistani during my different assignments. I have been exposed to cultures I would have otherwise been oblivious to. In our 15 person training class, we had 13 different nationalities.
Over your career, you are guaranteed much movement between technical, sales, recruiting, operations management, training etc... It is a multi-faceted company. If you invest your time in them, they will invest their resources in you. And they are very resourceful.
One must know how to use his time to make the best out of this company, in order to avoid all the noise that is projected onto him from upper management and those who are unorganized.
The focus on Service Quality is acute. And the system in place to ensure that SQ is taken care of is one that should be learnt very well. The reporting system is also very good.
The doors to other companies, especially operators, opens after 2 years with the company, or reaching the SFE level. You will hear many stories of talented ex-SLB people having moved on to Shell, BP, Exxon, Statoil, Saudi Aramco, PetroBras, PEMEX, etc...
My experience with this company, though limited in time, has been great. It has opened my eyes to not just the oilfield, but also to business operations. It has enabled me to believe that nothing is impossible until all options have been tried, tested and exhausted. It has taught me hard work, although sometimes it was abusive. It has made me demand a high standard of quality from myself, not just at work, but in my day-to-day life. I have become adaptable and have learnt how to adapt fast to ever changing work conditions and locations. I have had to be creative in order to do so.
At one point, I was completely unhappy. I had become mentally lazy, unmotivated beyond work, gained weight and lost initiative. However, after some thought, I realized that this did not to be the case. With some creativity, I gained the hunger back, start working on myself slowly, applied the lessons learnt at work to my personal life and 3 months later I was on the right track again.
The compensation is relatively good. Bonus can be great or terrible, it's not consistent. However, after a while, money won't satisfy you, and people will complain that they aren't making enough although they are making $4,000-$5,000 in bonus a month. After a while, to enjoy working for this company, you must not work for the money, you must work to learn the skills required to manage your business unit, maybe this company or maybe your own company. You will also learn how to quickly learn and integrate new concepts if you wish to move on to something new.
