Internships & Cooperative Education

What kind of crazy company would pay for an intern to fly on a corporate jet to a drill site, and then on the way back provide him with free beer? Well, Encana Oil and Gas did just that for me over the summer of 2011. I was an intern at the Dallas office working with the supply chain management group, and truly had the time of my life.

The interns were given projects that, over the course of the summer, provided real value to the future and prosperity of the only 9 year old company. My specific project didn’t involve sitting at my desk all day compiling spreadsheets like many of my friends have done during their internships. I gathered data while working with not only many different groups at Encana (such as engineers, environmental specialists and accountants), but also communicated with over ten different vendors throughout the summer. The real fun came when I went out to well sites (where a hole has been drilled in the ground and natural gas is being produced) and did spot checks for certain types of equipment that I was inventorying. In mid-July, I had the opportunity to take the company jet out to a Louisiana drill site and check out their operations there. It was my first time riding in a private plane, and as I mentioned above, the beer on the way back made the hot day that much more enjoyable. Taking a day off from office work to go out into the field and see the equipment in person put all the work I had done into perspective. 

Throughout the summer, the interns were provided with opportunities to learn about all the aspects of the operations that happen on a day to day basis in the company. We attended “lunch and learn” sessions once every two weeks where various topics were covered including geology, engineering, oil and gas accounting,  and more. Free lunch was provided, and the sessions, much like the trips to the field, allowed me to put my work into perspective with the rest of the company.

I’ve mentioned about the cool things related to the actual work I did, but what made the summer truly awesome was all the extra perks. The best, in my opinion, was that vendors brought in massive amounts of breakfast food every single day. I’m not talking stale bagels and mushy fruit; they brought Chik-Fil-A chicken minis, Rudy’s brisket tacos, jalapeño kolaches, and much more. Being taken out to eat often by my boss and having every other Friday off were awesome perks as well. I may have gained a few more pounds than I should have over summer 2011, but Encana provided an amazing experience for me to learn about supply chain management within the oil and gas industry, and I believe my experience was exceptional compared to most of my peers.