--> Abstract: Foundations of Technical Career Planning and Personal Positioning for the Future, by K. F. Wantland; #90987 (1993).

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WANTLAND, KENNETH F., Wantland and Associates, Tulsa, OK

ABSTRACT: Foundations of Technical Career Planning and Personal Positioning for the Future

In the midst of change, people CAN plan. They can and will redefine and reinvent themselves, and position themselves to converge with the future. As rapid, discontinuous and irreversible change sweeps the petroleum industry, the individual geoscientist looks to the future with both anticipation and uncertainty. Change breeds creativity, opportunity and entrepreneurship; it also breeds fear and anxiety. For corporate geoscientists the old paternalistic pillars of their career and the traditional career pathways no longer exist. The old contract has been broken and a new one has yet to be forged. They must find new ways to define and achieve career aspirations; and, they must do it on their own initiative. They must adopt an attitude of being self-employed.

Geoscientists who take the initiative to plan and manage their own careers in this changing landscape can find direction and clarity by exploring three areas: (1.) their own career values and needs; (2.) their "position" in the profession; and, (3.) their personal scenario of the future. Self-discovery in these areas creates a new foundation for establishing long-term career goals.

The need to explore personal career values is neither trivial nor easy. The individual must have the clarity of mind to separate personal values from the values and expectations imposed by others, be they family, friends, colleagues or corporation. What are the base-line values that define me as a professional? What do I want and need from my professional career? Do I need to produce a body of original and productive work? Do I need to be able to marshall resources to achieve goals I cannot achieve alone? Do I need individual autonomy? Do I need to influence the direction of the enterprise? Getting clear about these needs and the values that drive them is fundamental to career fulfillment, especially in times of turmoil. To what degree do I find these values shared by the company I ke p? Values and needs define career goals. Attitudes about success, failure, time, power, money, and trust help determine whether or not goals are achieved.

In an overcommunicated, overcrowded work environment like that in the petroleum industry today, it is vital for each individual to know how they are "positioned" in their profession. That is, to know what position they are granted in the minds of people who have influence on the realization of their career aspirations. Positioning requires a candid assessment of personal strengths and weaknesses, of technical respect among peers, of personal influence, the ability to get things done, a reputation for following through, the clarity of critical thinking, and the ability to create. The issue in positioning is to know the image and reputation that surrounds you and that is already present in the minds of others. It is not what is wished for, but what is. To build on or to alter that perce tion it is vital that the picture is accurate. Personal positioning is the second pillar on which to build a career in the new business environment.

The third foundation is the future. To many people the future is the last place to look for a career building block; but, a personal vision of success based on an understanding of the driving forces that are shaping the industry is a powerful career planning tool. Driving forces in economics, technology, work values, demographics and the environment are transforming the industry. People must project themselves into the future and live in a world that is information-based. They must examine how driving forces in profitability and cost reduction, integration of disciplines, increased pace of technological change, merging of communications systems, increased avalanche of information, baby-boom demographics, workforce diversity, shifting bases of power, pragmatic political alliances, and oncern for environmental quality will create a set of scenarios that define their future. Scenarios will provide a range of options that may not be entirely right, but are not likely to be entirely wrong. Scenarios give intelligent people a career foundation in the future.

Finally, the future will require that geoscientists master skills that will be new to most of them. They must know how they are positioned in their technology and continuously upgrade their technical capability. Technology is the most powerful driving force in any scenario of the future and the least predictable. They must learn how to learn; to lead with or without vested authority; and, to create value-based, long-term constructive plans. They must know how to master paradox and prosper in the midst of change. They must know how they are positioned with respect to the flow of information and they must know how to manage ideas. And they must know how to use their skills with technology and people to build their value and influence life-long.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90987©1993 AAPG Annual Convention, New Orleans, Louisiana, April 25-28, 1993.