The L0T3K Magazine

How Become a Wireline Logging Engineer: Part 3

After the pre-school period, the new employee should have a good outlook and understanding of what it entails to be a wireline logging engineer. By this time the prospective candidate must have witnessed many field operations on oil rigs and learn a great deal of the responsibilities, performance expectations, and duties of a wireline logging engineer. The new hire should have enough information at this point to decide if the job fits his or her profile and likes the life style. A large percentage of potential aspiring logging engineers leave after the pre-school period. Depending on the location, extra time may be made available for the pre-school period to allow the new engineer learn more and familiarize himself or herself to the intricacies of the trade. If there is any doubt as to the suitability of the job to the individual or the individual suitability for the job, this is the time to quit with honor and dignity.

If an applicant decides that this is the job he or she wants to do, then the next stage which is the formal Basic engineers' training starts. The basic engineers' training school is a 12 to 15 weeks intensive training of new engineers on how to acquire, evaluate, and interpret petrophysical data from oil and gas wells using various basic sensors packaged in high technology data acquisition instruments. The trainee engineers learn both the theoretical and practical aspects of each sensor. The theoretical aspect covers the physics, application, packaging, and presentation to the market place. The practical aspect addresses the operation, acquisition, interpretation, limitations, and maintenance of the equipment. Because of the number of basic sensors available and to ensure all the training covers all of them, activity is intensive and scheduling is extremely tight.

Trainees should expect to work long hours under intense pressure similar to actual situation on the oil or gas rig site. Performance expectation is high and trainees must pass each class in order to advance to the next one. To pass a test, a trainee must score 80% or higher. Trainees cannot repeat a test because of the tight schedule and has to be released when he or she has failed a test. When released, the trainee goes back to his or her home location to find out his or her status. Some locations will allow the trainee to stay ad gain more practical experience before attempting the school again. Other locations dismiss the trainee to find a new job. The decision is entirely up to the location management. Having to let a trainee go in the middle of an expensive training program is wasteful for the location and the organization. This is the reason why it is important to carry out a thorough hiring process and identify as accurately as possible those applicants who may likely withstand the rigor involved in training and working as a wireline field engineer.

On the other hand, a trainee that makes it through the basic training is tough, discipline, hardworking and confident. Because the conditions in the basic training school replicate very closely the conditions in the actual field operation, engineers who make it through the school is confident to make it as a professional field engineer. At the end of the basic school, successful trainees return to their various locations to begin the post-school period as permanent employees of the organization. The training continues in the post-school stage details of which will form the topic of discussion in part 4.