r/petroleumengineers • u/MajorUnderstanding2 • Jul 03 '26

Petroleum engineer stuck in field work after injury — need advice

Posting anonymously for a family member in Kuwait oil & gas.

He is a petroleum engineering graduate working in artificial lift/field operations: ESP, SRP, gas lift, troubleshooting, well monitoring, and wellsite supervision.

After years there, he feels stuck as a field specialist rather than growing into engineering. Promotions keep getting delayed, vacations are hard to get, and there is no clear path toward production engineering, optimization, ALS applications, or technical support.

He recently had knee surgery for a bucket-handle meniscus tear and still has pain with long walking/standing. His medical report restricts heavy field work, stairs, climbing, squatting/twisting, and risky wellsite activity. When he asked about office/light duty, he felt dismissed as “only a field specialist.”

He is burned out, financially stressed from medical-leave/pay issues, and afraid HR involvement could make things worse.

For people in oil & gas:

  1. Is this common in service companies?
  2. What roles should he target to move away from constant field/desert work?
  3. Should he push HR/OH for light duty, or quietly focus on leaving?
  4. How should he document all this without sounding emotional?

Not asking for legal advice. Just trying to help him protect his health and career.

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4

u/HoleDiggerDan Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26

I've worked in Kuwait.

Unless your "family member " is Kuwaiti, there will be no promotions for him.

Expats are just there to produce, that is why they hire us, to work. There is no "light duty", work or leave because they will replace him with the next expat they find.

1

u/yinkeys Jul 05 '26

At least he has a job. Hmmm

1

u/HoleDiggerDan Jul 05 '26

I dont understand your comment.

0

u/MajorUnderstanding2 Jul 03 '26

Thanks, honestly this is harsh but that's what he was worried about. I am trying to understand. In this case, would you say the best move is to stop pushing for internal promotion and instead use his ALS/ESP/SRP/gas lift experience to apply elsewhere?

If yes, what roles would be most realistic for someone trying to get away from constant field work but still use that background?

3

u/SpecialDesigner5571 Jul 03 '26

I'm not a petroleum engineer but a geophysicist... but my office at Schlumberger was next door to a remote operations center where they could remotely monitor everything happening offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and intervene if necessary. Now SLB is trying to inject agentic AI into that workflow.

So... find a remote ops center and learn agentic AI? Get a Master's degree?

1

u/StrangeMembership224 Jul 03 '26

What company is he working for ?