The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, & Power

Well I’m finally back from some much needed vacation. I spent the last week in Colorado, fly fishing an area of the South Platte River known as the “Dream Stream.” I really enjoy Colorado, and the people I meet streamside. I was surprised how many people I met asked me about the new Oil & Gas laws implemented in Colorado, to protect fisheries from contamination, and how the new regulations might impact the economy of Colorado.

Before I go down the path of regulations, green energy, sustainability, clean tech, and many of the other “hot” topics, I thought this would be an excellent time to talk about how we got here. Understanding the history of the industry plays an important part in knowing where we are going and the growing challenges we’ll face.

Instead of me trying to recap the history I know together into a blog post – I’ll give some references I used in undergrad recruiting and others that have been recommended to me as a Chevron employee.

1. The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, & Power by Daniel Yergin (Amazon)

2. For those of you who don’t want to sit down to read 928 pages of The Prize, you can try - Empires of Industry: Black Gold: The Story of Oil (documentary by the History Channel). You can also find this one on Netflix so if you are a member put it in your queue or download it right to your computer. (Amazon) (Netflix)

3. The Vault Guide to Top Energy Employers – this is a nice supplement to a company’s website or basic marketing materials.

4. Good ol’ Wikipedia - History of the Petroleum Industry

5. Post your favorite history sources as comments!

Remember learning as much as you can about the industry and the specific company you are targeting is going to be a big help in recruiting. Hopefully, we’ll get to some talking points, as well as some industry lingo that will help you carry a conversation with industry professionals and recruiters.

-Josh Mellinger
“Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler & Geaux Blue!”