HOW COOL IS THAT!: Geologist, Author, Global Marathoner

HOW COOL IS THAT!: Geologist, Author, Global Marathoner
Australian wellsite geologist Amanda Barlow provides glimpse of offshore life to 'laypeople.'

Like many offshore oil and gas professionals, Amanda Barlow has faced joblessness during an industry downturn. Unlike many who have encountered such misfortune, she wrote about the experience in a public forum.

"I started the story from when I first attended university and then detailed every job I had worked on over a 35-year career as a field-based geologist," Barlow said of her 2016 self-published book An Inconvenient Life: My Unconventional Career as a Wellsite Geologist. Drawing from her experiences working offshore in her native Australia as well as East Timor, United Kingdom, South Korea and Myanmar as well as her onshore work in the mining and onshore coal seam gas sectors, Barlow recounts the highs and lows she has faced throughout her career.

In fact, Perth-based Barlow – the mother of three adult children – has embarked on something of a crusade to increase understanding of the rigors of offshore work among those who have never worked in that setting: family and friends as well as industry newcomers. Earlier this year, she continued her quest to inform "laypeople" about the offshore industry via her third book: Offshore Oil and Gas PEOPLE: Overview of Offshore Drilling Operations.

Amanda Barlow on offshore rig

Interestingly enough, Barlow's path to writing about offshore began during a grueling experience that took place very much inland: the Amazon rainforest. In a recent conversation with Rigzone, Barlow discussed that journey as well as what she finds cool about working offshore as a geologist. Read on for her insights.

Rigzone: What inspired you to write books?

Amanda Barlow: My first foray into writing and self-publishing was with a book I wrote about competing in the Jungle Marathon, which is a multi-stage self-supported endurance race through the Amazon Jungle in Brazil. Although at the time of doing the event I had no plans to write about it, a few months later I found myself with an expected three-month period with no work offshore so I decided to write a book to fill in my down time. I taught myself how to write, produce and publish a book through online videos and ebooks and was rewarded with the experience of becoming a published author on Amazon. It was a very steep learning curve but a very rewarding one when I got my first print copy of the book in the mail. 

Fast-forward two years and the downturn hit me like most other offshore workers. I was looking at a possible several months with no work so decided to write another book – again to keep myself busy and productive – and also hopefully to highlight my career profile within my professional network. I guess it was first and foremost a method of advertising my experience but in the end it turned out to be much more than that on a personal level. 

Becoming an author has now been a way for me to pass on my knowledge to anyone in the world and act as a mentor for people just starting out in the industry. It's a way of passing on the lessons I've learnt through my years as a geologist to a far wider audience than just the few people I have immediate physical contact with. Being a field-based contractor for all of my career meant that I was never involved in graduate programs or company employment programs so one-on-one mentoring – and being mentored – was very limited. It's great knowing that I can now share my knowledge and experience on a global scale with just my laptop and an internet connection. It's a very empowering realization and I hope to be able to continue to do this well into the future. 

Rigzone: Your books are geared for new offshore oil and gas workers as well as family and friends who may be curious about what working offshore entails. What are some common concerns about working offshore that you try to address?

Barlow: The main one is giving the new starter an idea of what to expect on their trip to the rig and also once they hit the deck. The job itself is probably much what you would do in a similar role onshore but the lifestyle, routine, rig etiquette, customs, expectancies, fitness facilities, meal standards, strict safety regulations, code of conduct and strict company policies of drilling information disclosure are all things you never get taught in an apprenticeship or training program. All of these things contribute not only to you surviving professionally but also mentally. Mental health issues can be exacerbated severely by the long working hours under intense scrutiny, and knowing what to expect before you go out can hopefully help you to know if it's the right work environment for you.


12

View Full Article

WHAT DO YOU THINK?


Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.


Most Popular Articles