Why a Management Degree in Oil and Gas?
I’ve had some of my friends question my decision to pursue one: a management degree and two: a degree in oil and gas management. And I can understand why they would – they are concerned and worried. But why would they? After all, my desire to seek an advanced degree has been no secret to them for a while now (actually immediately after I completed my undergraduate studies in 2006).
They have asked questions like, how come someone with so much passion for technology be so suddenly interested in management? How why would someone with an undergraduate degree in computer science be moving on to the Energy Industry?
Well, I will try to answer the questions in three parts: One, why a management degree? Two, why oil and gas? And three, why CEPMLP?
Why Management
I thought I had pretty much done it all – I started my career working as a trainee for a public institution and then worked for a private organization; I worked for a small company and until recently worked for a Fortune 500 company; I spent some time with nonprofits and student-run organizations; did some freelancing as a website developer; and, even founded and co-founded a few modest ventures of my own. My extra curriculum activities span from being the deputy fire warden at previous work place in Accra, and to mentoring young students in tertiary institutions. But yet, after amassing all these unique experiences, I still feel that something appears missing – I guess I am still looking for the proverbial “icing on the cake”.
I figured that I needed to challenge new heights of my own capabilities: be able to put situations through a glass prism and view it from multiple perspectives; approach challenges with a global mindset; think and act entrepreneurial; and, be a global leader with an ability to articulate a compelling vision. But most importantly, I wanted to aspire to “be the change that I want to see in others”.
Clearly, a managment degree, specifically, an MBA seemed to be the next coherent move for me – its intense, challenging and exciting nature I believed will just do the trick for me.
Why Oil and Gas?
My background until recently had been centered on building a career in technology – whether as a child when I tried to figure out the “intriguing” functionality of a television’s remote control or whether as a teenager, when I nervously tried to handle a computer mouse, whiles the girl I had a crash on, watch on with an unforgettable smile – it has always been about technology. Evidently this led me to choose computer science as my choice for an undergraduate degree, and having worked in IT roles since leaving university in 2006.
Even though this had always been the trend for me, I always made sure that I kept “my eye on the prize”: a stint in consulting and a lifelong career as an entrepreneur.
So I guess the question again is why why “move” from technoolgy to oil and gas? Simple answer: I believe an MBA is a perfect academic complement to my computer science background. I am confident that my passion for technology and my academic and professional background in IT, together with the business skills that an M.B.A offers will be an unusual combination that should get my consulting ambitions skyrocketing almost immediately. The only addition to this however is that, now I want to move my technolgy consulting career into the energy industry. Again, why?
With my country Ghana pumping its first commercial oil in 2010 after discovery of the offshore Jubilee Field in 2007, I realized it was only critical that I prepared myself to play an important role in ensuring that Ghana escapes the so called but real “resource curse” other African countries have had to deal with and still does after such major oil discoveries. I went on to ask myself three key questions:
- What is the oil and gas industry all about?
- What role could I play in the industry but not abandon my current skills?
- Was it at all worth it?
Opps….i need to head out for another lecture starting in just about quarter of an hour. I will finish this up very soon. Until then see ya….
