An Inconvenient Life: My Unconventional Career As A Wellsite Geologist

Follow the unconventional career of Geologist Amanda Barlow as she details the path she followed to get to where she is today - a Wellsite Geologist working in the offshore oil and gas industry. Through resource industry busts and booms and a career hiatus taken to raise three children, Amanda's resilience and resourcefulness has seen her transition from a hard rock Geologist working on base metal drilling programs to a Wellsite Geologist in the coal seam gas industry and then in offshore oil and gas drilling programs. Her industry experience has spanned over 30 years after starting her first job as a Geologist in the goldfields of central Victoria in 1983 in the pre-computer days when all drilling data results were hand written and cross-sections hand drawn and there were no such things as HR departments or HS&E officers. Through working with some of the biggest resource companies in the world Amanda has been indoctrinated into some of the most stringent safety cultures in the industry and through her story you'll see how some of the largest companies in the industry have evolved into the socially accountable businesses they are today. Once the domain of all-male workforces, the offshore drilling industry now employs a minor amount of females, although it's still common to be the only female on the rig with up to 180 males at times. The offshore workforce is made up of specialists from all around the world who have to work in harmony despite language, culture and gender differences. Amanda describes what it's like to work in this environment and the challenges facing people who constantly travel long distances to work in remote areas of the world, having to spend weeks away from family and friends. While there is no doubt about the financial benefits, there are many sacrifices to be made by people who choose to live the "fly in-fly out" lifestyle. This 56-year-old mother of three adult children has not only survived a life of working in the industry but has thrived on the excitement and challenges facing a contract Geologist in this demanding field. Working 12+ hours a day for seven days a week, weeks at a time in a confined and dangerous area and with strict rules that have to be adhered to or you'll find yourself on the next chopper home, definitely isn't for everyone. But you'll soon realize Amanda Barlow definitely isn't one to conform to "normal" stereotypes!

• | Author: Amanda Barlow
• | Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• | Publication Date: Jul 10, 2016
• | Number of Pages: 328 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback
• | ISBN-10: 1530939348
• | ISBN-13: 9781530939343