Product Architect for Decision Management Systems, Landmark Consulting, Halliburton,
Karthik Revana
Education: BE in Chemical Engineering, Visvesvaraya Technological University, 2003. MS in Petroleum Engineering, University of Texas-Austin, 2005.
Karthik Revana came from India to study at the University of Texas – a world away, geographically and culturally. After settling into Austin, he made yet another big transition, taking an internship with Halliburton three hours away in Houston. It was another Texas city and another place where he didn’t know anyone, but that experience opened the door to a career in the burgeoning oil and gas industry, with high-demand consulting and travel.
What attracted you to Halliburton?
It’s a really large company, operating all over the world. It offers a very international experience, working in multiple environments and multiple clients. At Halliburton, they believe in sustainable technologies, sustainable relationships and sustainable sourcing, and they publish a sustainability report that comes out every year.
Tell me about the first day of your internship.
They took me around and introduced me to everyone, and then told me that my first job was to build a database of Asset Performance Consulting projects that Landmark had completed over the last fifteen to twenty years. It was a big assignment covering hundreds of projects. It meant working with a number of oil and gas companies to identify means of production and finding ways to improve economics. I had to understand everything a reservoir engineer would do with an oil and gas company.
What skills did you need to complete this project?
I had to get information from lots of consultants, so that meant having good people skills. I did a lot of interviews and asked lots of questions. I used SQL to program this database, so I also used my technical skills. I was part of a really good multidisciplinary team.
What’s it like working in such a global industry?
There is a lot of international travel since much of the world’s energy production is outside of the US. The US has the best schools for petroleum engineering, so it attracts a lot of students from oil-producing countries. You find that your coworkers’ educational backgrounds are very diverse.
What made you want to stay with Halliburton full-time?
I definitely enjoyed my internship, and I got to understand the culture of a large company – Halliburton has over 55,000 employees. They do work in over 70 countries, and they’re involved with many aspects of the oil and gas industry. I chose them because they offered a solid opportunity for growth.
What advice would you have for students looking to work in this field?
I took a lot of courses in petroleum engineering, but you also need to know geology, economics, and other subjects. It is best to be multidisciplinary. That’s something you don’t learn in school. But that’s what it takes to contribute in the oil and gas industry. If you have a background in engineering and science and you’re up for any challenge, it’s a good field.