Seizing the Opportunity to Branch Out Into a Bigger Career Supporting the Energy Transition
Graduate mechanical engineer India was working on large-scale projects at Shell’s QGC business when she realised how a lifelong interest in sustainability was so closely aligned to a career in energy. Her team encouraged her to focus on this passion and, she is now pursuing a Masters in Renewable Energy that she believes will enable her to play a greater part in the energy transition.
Learning new skills to grow a career in engineering
As long as she can remember, India has consciously worked towards reducing her carbon footprint, making small day-to-day contributions towards sustainability, such as implementing a plant-based diet or walking to work where possible. Ever since she was in school, she excelled in solving problems through design which ignited an interest in engineering, where she could design a solution on paper and bring it to life in the real world.
She joined Shell as a graduate mechanical engineer, where her personal interests and her professional skills intersected for the first time to open a new career path.
In her role, India works with operational functions, offering engineering support to projects to improve safety and deliver energy efficiency. “I have already been a part of some massive asset maintenance projects, which usually involves big upgrades. Before coming to Shell, I never thought I’d have these opportunities to grow this early in my career,” she says.
Aligning purpose and skills to contribute to the energy transition
India's experience at Shell has aligned with her passion for sustainability and inspired her to enrol in an advanced degree in renewable energy. “I love my job and sustainability is very close to my heart. I am training myself to move into a role that lets me work with renewable energy technology and hopefully lead big projects someday,” she says.
While she extends her knowledge of future energy solutions, the skills she is picking up at Shell through large projects and job rotations are the foundation on which she will build her future. “The skills we learn at Shell, especially in technical roles, can easily be transferred between sectors, including future energy solutions,” she points out.
Finding the confidence to seize opportunities while collaborating with experienced peers
To a young engineer, new to the energy sector, working on large-scale projects that are both time-sensitive and financially critical can be intimidating. India, however, says that the training and the support she receives from senior colleagues gives her the confidence to take on bigger opportunities. “At Shell, if I can’t figure something out, I can walk up to anyone with expertise on the subject and be assured I'll get the right guidance,” she says. “It’s why I feel empowered to take on any opportunity when there’s a new task I am keen to try my hand at. And that has helped expedite my growth and learning.”
Experiencing a culture that backs individual goals
India’s experience of working with Shell is very positive, she says. Colleagues have encouraged her to achieve her professional and personal goals and supported her work-life balance. “I find the time to pursue personal goals that I have had for a long time, like training to run for a marathon,” she says. Most importantly, she has found the support and the confidence to enrol herself for her master’s degree. “I’m at uni part-time while continuing to work fulltime at Shell, and the team has been very accommodating, especially if I need to work flexibly for exams or different schedules,” she says.
Creating the building blocks for a zero-emissions future
India’s focus, she says, is to enable safe and increasingly efficient energy production as the transition takes place. “We need to keep providing reliable energy to power communities while we make technological advances that can help us transition to newer forms of energy at scale.”
