I started my career at Rumaila on 19 October 2013 as a Petroleum Engineer, having completed my Petroleum Engineering degree at Basra University. During my studies, I was fortunate to travel to the USA to study English at the University of Oregon, a partnership between the two universities that was funded by the Rumaila Education Fund. It was an experience that proved very beneficial for me; on a personal level, I learned how important it is to have an open mind and to learn from other cultures.
Career-wise, when I returned from the US and after graduating from University, I was invited to attend an event at Rumaila where I learned about how a professional, complex oilfield is run – I was fascinated, and I knew that Rumaila was where I wanted to be!
I now work in the Subsurface Department with a team that monitors and addresses the performance of Rumaila’s ‘base’ wells, the wells that have been producing since before 2010 and the establishment of the Rumaila Operating Organisation. Our team is multicultural – and as I learned from my experience at Oregon University – I thrive in this kind of environment.
Perhaps my favourite part of my job is looking at innovative ways to solve problems or make improvements, especially using new technologies and software. For example, I recently developed a database with a dashboard that monitors fluid flow from the wellhead to the degassing station, with the aim of improving efficiencies and identifying problems before they get worse.
I’ve learnt and continue to learn a great deal from my international colleagues – this is one of the biggest benefits from working with multinational oil companies. I would add though, that our BP and PetroChina friends also learn from the Iraqi team here too – it’s very much a reciprocal relationship.
As a young student in Basra, I could only dream that I would get to work in a job that I’m passionate about and with people that I enjoy spending the day with. It fills me with hope that if it can happen for me, it can happen for the next generation of young students who have their own big dreams.
