<p>So I was snooping around and I noticed that most oil company execs have engineering degrees. Is there a reason for this? Or is it simply that there are more engineers to choose from? I myself am majoring in Geology and was wondering if guys in the geoscience field also have a shot at being promoted to the top? Or do engineering jobs help engineers prepare better for management positions? Any thoughts?</p>
<p>I actually heard that geologist are usually at the top positions, maybe because they are the go to’s for everyone when dealing with were to find oil and drill? I’m not totally sure.</p>
<p>Geologist definitely have an opportunity for upper management. The geologist I know that made it into upper management also have a pretty good grasp of the engineering.</p>
<p>So what is it about this trend I keep seeing then? Could it be that engineers stick together and promote each other as they go up the ranks? I’m not losing sleep on this issue just curious more than anything.</p>
<p>The entire business of trying to extract hydrocarbons from the ground is very engineering-intensive, especially as we are forced to tap into more difficult to exploit reservoirs. The shear number of engineers employed by these companies combined with the fact that it sure is advantageous to understand the process if you are going to manage it should leave you with no surprise that engineers fill many management roles.</p>
<p>The same concept goes for many, if not most other engineering-heavy industries.</p>
<p>getting an MBA early in your career is a very good idea. </p>
<p>That is a million dollar question 
</p>
<p>Why? Managers are expected to understand finance and economics which is what is lacking in engineering education. There is a reason why the engineering/mba combination is so highly valued. </p>
<p>Managers don’t have to know hardly anything about those two things unless they a very high up. The rest of the managers need to know how to lead a team and need to have a solid grasp of the engineering side of things so that they know how to direct that team to a profitable end goal. Most engineering curricula include a semester of economics anyway, which is all you will ever need to know for probably 99% of the jobs engineers ever hold.</p>
<p>Engineering plus an MBA is also seemingly overhyped and doesn’t gain you anything until you want to jump to higher levels of management. To get into management in the first place, you are much better off excelling at your job, proving you can work well with others, and rubbing noses with the right people.</p>
<p>Rex Tillerson who is the CEO of ExxonMobile did ok with just a BS in Civil Engineering.</p>
<p>I can’t remember when i heard this but I believe it was a Harvard MBA admissions staff. She said that the truth is that those who are able to get into top tier MBA programs are the ones that need it the least to succeed in business. Sure it helps, but people do just great without them, if you’re in a position that you like and are doing well in, then there’s no reason to get an MBA in my opinion. </p>
<p>I worked several years in corporate America before I decided to go back to school and one thing that I always found interesting is how many people who have no business being managers somehow become managers.</p>
<p>Most young people are naive enough to think that by working hard, having the right degree and doing a good job, they will be automatically promoted but it does not always work that way.</p>
<p>This is only my personal experience but I have found that the people who are heavily involved in backstabbing, office politics, ass-kissing, sabotaging other co-workers are usually the ones who make to Management faster.</p>
<p>I remember a young girl, fresh out of college who started with me at the last company I worked for. </p>
<p>The manager was a total loser but she and the manager, mind you, a married guy in his late 50’s became buddy buddies from the very beginning.</p>
<p>By her third week, she was doing “special projects” for him and spending a lot of time in his office. After a few months, she was promoted to a better position. </p>
<p>My point is. Who the hell knows what might have happened between these two but this same manager was sexually harassing another co-worker of mine who ended up quitting a few months later but was too scared to report him.</p>
<p>You would not believe some of the stuff that happens “behind the scenes” in corporate America.</p>
<p>Amen, bschoolwiz. It’s not who you know, it’s who you…nevermind.</p>
<p>Well, perhaps I sound a bit jaded but I have never worked for any company where I did not encounter some type of challenge which goes way beyond just doing your job well and being a good employee.</p>
<p>I used to work for a company where my boss at the time asked me If I could come to his house to help him with some construction project</p>
<p>I found the whole thing very bizarre and extremely unprofessional but because I was a contractor at the time, I could not say no because if I pissed him off, all it took was a phone call to the agency and I was done.</p>
<p>I remember going to this house and thinking to myself, “I hate this guy” but I had to act like everything was cool, fake smiles and everything, he paid me something like 80 bucks for 2 hours of heavy construction work but I hated being at his house.</p>
<p>What I am trying to say is, besides having the right degree, doing a good job and being a good employee, you have to know how to deal with incredible amounts of BS if you want to become a manager or climb the ladder.</p>
<p>In addition, you have to be able to deal with lots of different people, including people you hate. You need to constantly find ways to get along with people who are absolutely despicable, obnoxious and stupid. </p>
<p>Going to stupid company events which can be very awkward. I mean, who the hell wants to hang out with co-workers on their days off? :)</p>
<p>Not trying to scare young people but it is a lot more complicated than just being a good employee.</p>
<p>Reasons #1 and #2 why I’m not working in the corporate world.</p>