Thread regarding Occidental Petroleum Corp. layoffs

Early career engineer here struggling with the team I'm on. Any advice?

So im fairly new to here as it is my 1st job out of school and the team I'm on isn't the best. All the other engineers are doing their own thing and don't teach, same with the lead engineer. Any advice with this?

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| 1711 views | | 9 replies (last December 11, 2023) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1pxcfj4g

9 replies (most recent on top)

Back at the end of the Dark Ages when I first started working outside of the family farm (almost 50 years ago), I learned by listening (two ears and one mouth - good indication to listen twice as much as I spoke); asking questions (most people appreciate it when someone thinks they have something worth sharing); observing others; then doing (recognize you are a beginner and not an old fa-t like I am now); and then trying to figure out on my own what I did "right" and what I did "wrong" before asking for help.

I don't know your situation but your question itself implies you've made judgements about more seasoned coworkers perhaps without a full understanding of all of the issues. This attitude is discernable (whether or not you try to convey it) and likely is impacting the willingness of others to invest their previous time in you (remember the only real asset any of us "own" is our time - please don't waste mine and I'll try not to waste your's). Even today, I try to be someone others want to invest their time in.

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Post ID: @ubwo+1pxcfj4g

If you were a HiPot, you would be in training. You must not be so you're on the OTJ program. You will make mistakes which your supervisor will point to justify a mediocre review. Get used to it or find another job.

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Post ID: @nehn+1pxcfj4g

Get a job with Shell or Chevron if you want a structured training program. Training has been tried over and over again at Oxy but the culture doesn’t support it. It’s not a bad thing because you learn on the job rather than in a classroom.

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Post ID: @luqk+1pxcfj4g

There used to be a time, maybe 10years or so ago when experienced folks had time to teach and this was encouraged and recognized. Not anymore. They call it, on the job training. You can make mistakes and they wont fire you, for a couple of years… till you reach GL24

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Post ID: @cegn+1pxcfj4g

Network. Find peers or mentors outside your group. You will need to do this anyways for career development.

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Post ID: @2wcq+1pxcfj4g

There is a mentorship program, although I haven't seen anything about it recently. Ask your HR rep.

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Post ID: @2kcm+1pxcfj4g

You joined the wrong company. It’s a disorganized mess and no one wants to teach…best bet is to reach out to your engineering peers who just started at oxy and maybe they can help or point you in the right direction

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Post ID: @mfn+1pxcfj4g

This is OP, I really like the company I've met so many people who are really nice which is a little surprising for the team I am on

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Post ID: @egu+1pxcfj4g

Don't feel bad. I work for a IT company and I am in the same situation. The best thing to do is to see if your company has online training on the subject you are working on, or a sharepoint site where there are documents, power points, recordings, etc. You can search for some specific words. Otherwise, you have the internet at your finger tips. You'll have to use your weekends and evenings to learn and teach yourself. These days, it's all about job security and people tend not to share knowledge, else they can be easily replaced by a young low wage full of energy person. Also, when you attend meetings, take notes. Write down key words, issues, who is solving what and how. What steps they are taking to resolve the issue. What type of tests are they doing? What tools are they using? and then during the weekend, look it up on the internet so you can contribute during meetings. You can ask questions (even if they are d-mb) cause this will show team and your lead that you're interested in learning. You can say during the meeting "This might be a d-mb question but I'll ask anyway since I'd like to learn more about it" and then ask your question and follow up with, "if there are any documents or power point slides or training, can you send me the link." This will get your leaderships attention that you really want to learn. And team members will want to be more friendly in sharing their knowledge. And if they don't, well, then it's just their personality. Don't get frustrated or give up, keep learning, that's the only way you'll get ahead. Good Luck!

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Post ID: @uup+1pxcfj4g

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