My Career Dilemma

Disclaimer: This will be some plain boring, lengthy stuffs; only read if you have the time or if you like to kaypoh my life (for that, I am grateful). I am sure you will abandon and unsubscribe to my blog if you are uninterested with this post (but please don't) :P  

Here goes: I had this dilemma since the restructuring of my company early this year. I was given the task to decide which scientific group I would love to be at my point of career. 

Before that, here's a little background to my career: I've been 2 years in this multinational company. Gladly, it has been a memorable and terrific 2 years; my contribution to the previous project was duly recognized. I was having fun and enjoyed my position as researcher in the Environment group where I, a biologist, dealt with research of plants (like scrubs and trees, not factory plants) that mitigate oil spills and heavy metals. After the project ended and the group dissociated early this 2011, I was left in a limbo because being originally hired as a biologist, I became a lost child (di-anaktiri-kan) because my company refocused on research related only to exploration and production (nutshell: chemistry and engineering). Biologists are no longer needed. I guessed they could not kick me out of the company cause I did nothing wrong, right? 

Top management also dunno what to do with these biologists, with Ph.D. degree and all, dunno which new project to be placed with, I was finally in a Management post after options have all ran out. Initially, I thought I was made to manage staffs and could adapt into the new role. However, three months into it, I opted out cause I wasn't contributing well and felt out of place (my senior said I was toooo nice; should be more ruthless esp. in management). Call me un-risky and unadaptable, whatever you want, I really hated my role in the management line. Sorry to those ppl who trusted me to manage other ppl - I just can't! I wrote to the GM of research so that I could placed once more  in a technical/scientific role, well, which was definitely in line with my Ph.D. degree anyway.

Wait! The above paragraph is not the dilemma.

When my GM in research accepted my request, I was once again placed in scientific research, and this is where the real dilemma begins. Yes, yes, people in research love me cause I was pretty fast in picking up scientific knowledge as my fundamentals in science was pretty strong. Throw me a reservoir, I can tell you the science of it in 2 weeks (with lots of reading, of course). The research group was huge: There were 7 teams consisting of physicist, geologist, engineers to chemist (nope, definitely NO biologist). Just to be sure I was in a team, I was first housed at Team 4. But my work in the laboratories was Team 1-related. I helped out in completing some samples for Team 1. Then, Team 6 had some HSE tasks, had to second me to their group to handle the task. So I my name is in T4, but doing mostly T1 work, however also assisting T6.

My GM of research said that I should decide where I wanna be and not doing everything, like some servant/maid. So I have to decide where I wanna be. All 7 teams have different projects to complete, with different demography.

I've posted the dilemma in FB 3 months back. I've gotten some answers but I believe the FB post does not realistically explain the whole situation I am facing. It's a lot more complicated than a few lines on my status update. I appreciate all responses anyway. Thanks guys!

 

So, here's the description of Teams 1, 4, and 6. The detailed version:

Team 1:

Group is mostly production engineers, chemists, physicists, that is bright and smart. Not that other Teams are not as smart, but T1 members are specifically brilliant cause their fundamentals in science (I am talking molecules, protons, atoms, etc)  must be strong to dictate possible chemical reactions for most processes. They look into things very deeply. Fundamentals. Like quantum physics (but not quite also :P ). Yes, that is the kinda brilliant I am talking about! My immediate superior is a married lady who is straight fwd, passionate. She say what's in her mind and she doesn't hold grudges. Whether you're a genius or sloppy, she'll tell u straight to the face. I like this kinda boss. No hidden agenda. 

Pros. You will be versed in the science of oil research. In my company, you'll be given a researcher scale. In the lab, I get to complete whatever criteria in that scale, and then I will go for my assessment. You will sure pass the assessment because you've completed every darn laboratory thing written in that scale. By achieving everything in that scale, boomsss......in no time, you will get to naik pangkat, naik grade (become technical boss) and salary akan naik mendadak. The ladder way. You have a good balance in work-life: 9-5 job, time for yourself, reading is all you do, don't meet ppl (can be a good thing, so no gossips will ever involve you). You don't get grapewines. And you can blast the radio in the laboratory and strip naked in the lab - no one cares. Also cause the chemicals I deal with (think: H2S, Octanol, Butanol acids, etc.) stinks the whole freaking lab, no one bothers to disturb you. Btw, T1 group relatively receives the highest budget allocation because... it's freaking fundamental research we're talking about here, ya? Yes, I get to go conferences to present my results, but it's not my KPI.

Cons: I will be confined to my laboratories (dem, exactly like those boring Ph.D. years). One is one. Two is two. In the lab, there's only BLACK AND WHITE, no gray. Results are YES or NO...no Betweens. Your either FAIL or PASS. Top management will not appreciate your work cause you're visibility in the company is low. Top management also won't understand how important your work is. At the end of the day, unless you win the Nobel prize, nobody knows you cause you are not the one presenting the results/report to the CEO - it's your lady boss who presents your lab results. Lembu punya susu, sapi dapat nama.

Team 4:

This is the glamour group. They get to go to offshore often and local and overseas conferences all the time. The boss is a smart, great personality, very knowledgeable and very sensual in leading the group. Sensual cause...she's just so nice = not bossy. She is respected by many and I respect her most of the many people in my company. The team handle important elements at the platform- such as the side-effects of Team 1's doings, oil quality. When you have a nice boss, a team consist mostly of females (but weirdly, no gossips), it's ...err...Easy breezy, Cover Girl..!!

Pros: Vice President puts much hope in this group. They have high budget, and their job is interesting. The chinese lady boss is wondrous and easy to work with. Get to travel here and there....who doesn't like that? In addition, the members of this team are also geniuses. Not much further from Team 1. It's the pride, don't you get it don't you, the pride? 

Cons: When you travel too much, my lab work gets abandon, and I might not be to meet my standard naik pangkat/assessment criteria that requires me to accomplish some laboratory work, hands-on. The tradeoff: get stuck in the position forever (unless you found amazing opportunities elsewhere) vs. enjoy with traveling/networking.

Team 6:

A new team. Only 2 person in this team. Currently, the boss is a mechanical engineer (from F1 engineering) and his subordinate is a geneticist/biologist. You may wonder why a geneticist is in my company. Yes, she and I happened to be in the same quagmire for being abandon from our Environment Group. This group, despite only being manned by 2 person, has the heaviest job load on their shoulders. 

Pros: What makes this group so interesting is that, if you join this group......you learnt everything about reservoir/process/production/petroleum engineering from a scratch. When you learnt everything from a scratch, you really really learnt! You don't have to teach old dog new tricks. The 2 team members here offered many fresh and practical ideas from outside the industry. In my honest observations, I realised that many colleagues who has been in the industry for a decade or more had a hard time changing their mindset on certain issues and therefore, fresh ideas seemed elusive. Since you are new, and if fail, no one will really blame you (err...more like "I can forgive you this time round"), but if your project brings back great returns and impact to the company, you will be duly recognize and rise up the corporate ladder pretty quick. 

Cons: There's little budget given to this group. Cause this group basically just manage and no scientific work involved. All we do is make phone calls here & there, meeting here meeting there. Basically admin stuff (managerial work!). They are decision makers but I know my personality: it's tak begitu best (for me). 

ZzzzZZzzzzZzzz.....Hey, there....asleep yet?? 

If you are wondering where I am now: I am officially in Team 1 (genius team, ahem), but helping Team 6 in one tiny part of the project.

What I wanna say is: I am happy now. I am happier than before when I was in the management team. It's been 3 months since the dilemma, and changes has been rapid. I am learning everything in Petroleum engineering to process engineering from a scratch. It's difficult, but I like. LOIKE! The challenges are ample but they are challenges that I am glad to face everyday. My work now fits my personality.

Things has been rapid. As I am speaking now, I've been seconded to UTP to monitor a project there until its completion (about 3 months). Sounds simple, but my role is HUGE. 

You'll never know what's with me...in another 3 months!!! Dynamic, unpredictable, ever changing and fluid.

Just as many would say:"That's so Ivy"