Background Information: An Oil & Gas Remote Engineer who had a phenomenal growth from a junior engineer to a remote engineer responsible for complex drilling projects and automating the entire operations, is assigned the role to develop strategies to retain the women workforce and develop a comprehensive plan to create an inclusive environment.
Theme: Understanding Identity and Perspective-Taking, Creating an Inclusive Environment
Theme (Explained): The location for the drilling operations is often in untenable terrains – deserts or inhabitable locations far away from any residential properties. That makes the safety of women engineers a bigger concern as unhygienic sanitary conditions are prevalent in each operation. Although the engineer had several expedition experiences, for many women engineers, the fundamental nature of remote operations is a big reason for pivoting to a new career or switching to a Consulting or Finance role in the industry.
With studies showing a 15-21% drop in courses offering specialization in Petrochemical and geological engineering in the US, women candidates are swiftly moving towards similar technology management or digitization roles in adjacent industries, including automobile.
Profile: Oil and Gas Engineer
Industry: Oil and Gas
Similar Narrative (Industries): Manufacturing
MBA Essay Strategy: The strategy is to the present the reality of women’s representation in Oil and Gas and the factors that causes roadblocks. By sharing the steps taken by the applicant, the interactions with the management & the impact on attracting women engineers, the narrative ends on a high note.
Opener: The opener establishes the applicant’s experiences in her Antarctic expeditions. The opener sets the baseline tolerance of the applicant to inhospitable terrain. By starting with the applicant’s experience, the conditions of workers in remote operations will not be interpreted as an exaggeration.
Sample Columbia MBA PPIL Essay: Improving Women’s Success Potential (Oil & Gas Industry) (245 Words)
The grueling journey to the Antarctic culminates in witnessing the hair grass among the sea of icebergs. None of the satisfying visuals exists in remote Oil & Gas operations for women engineers. With the industry moving rapidly to automation, establishing systems for remote operation is a logistical nightmare in inhabitable terrains..
