Internships are an excellent way for college students to enrich their education, broaden their experience and get a taste of life after graduation. During the summer, Cameron Graham, a student in The University of Tulsa’s master’s in geosciences program, undertook an internship with Jura Energy. “I wanted an internship that would give me direct experience in the oil and gas industry while I worked on my thesis,” Graham noted.
Working remotely, Graham’s role involved preliminary geological investigations into an oil and gas basin that has produced low but consistent quantities of oil for the past 100-plus years. He also broke down all of the highest producing fields and gathered well logs to find the historically more lucrative parts of that basin. The end goal was to provide convincing deliverables to the company that would help lay the groundwork for future drilling by indicating the best and most economically feasible areas within the overall basin.
One of Graham’s favorite aspects was the access to a TU alumnus his internship afforded. “I felt like I could really speak with David Liner (B.S./B.A. ’09), Jura Energy’s Vice President of Asset Development, about meaningful topics and I gained a lot from our weekly meetings,” said Graham. “At each encounter, I presented my week’s work, but we also held wide-ranging conversations about the oil and gas industry, which really helped to grow my knowledge of the field.”
Center for Career Development and Professional Engagement
Graham’s internship was organized by TU’s Center for Career Development and Professional Engagement, the university’s go-to resource for students wanting to gain experience in their field before they graduate. Drawing on a vibrant network of alumni and other connections, it pairs students with firms across the country.
“Internships are the best way to explore a potential career and make connections,” explained Jennifer Parks, the center’s employer development coordinator. “A real-world setting is an invaluable reinforcement to classroom learning. Graduating students who have completed internships gain a clear advantage in many ways, including gaining experience and building connections — more and more employers look for it.”
“I found the Center for Career Development and Professional Engagement to be an amazing resource for students seeking job opportunities during the summer and after graduation,” commented Graham. “Just as importantly, working with the center is a great way to make contacts with TU alumni. This is something that’s very rare in other job-seeking avenues.”
After graduation, Graham hopes to land a job in oil and gas or mining. Alternatively, he will be looking into careers in the environmental industries and perhaps the technology sector relating to data analytics. His internship at Jura Energy was just the first step on an exciting journey.
If you are interested in exploring an internship in your field, reach out to the Center for Career Development and Professional Engagement.