I have nursed a key interest in engineering since my earlier days as a juvenile. As an apprentice of my father, a petroleum engineer, I was fascinated by his exposes on advances in technology, especially in the petroleum engineering field. When narrating his stories, he would always attach a societal perspective to the many inventions and innovations he told of. According to him, advancements in technology were solutions to problems that dogged the society. He painted engineers as supremely endearing people who had the interests of the society at heart. As a curious child growing up, I was consumed with the notion of making my community a better place through inventions and innovations in the field of engineering. I knew I would help solve the problems of the twenty first century. Therefore, my dream to become an engineer came as no surprise.
In the future, I want to be a petroleum engineer. My studies in college will major in the field of Petroleum and Geosystems engineering so that I am able to augment my competencies in the field. Petroleum and petroleum products provide slightly over seventy percent of the world’s energy requirements. However, the production and processing of petroleum into its various products has been marred by environmental concerns. I therefore feel strongly for the innovation of mechanisms that would mitigate the environmental impact that oil and gas drilling has on the environment. Therefore, it is my feeling that designing more efficient procedures will help solve the major tribulations of the twenty first century especially in the engineering world and by extension, the societal world.
My future dreams as a petroleum engineer are informed by my philosophy; sustainability in every process. Engineering is an energy intensive field and the burning of fossil fuels that are a source of pollutants is not sustainable. It is my dream to partner with likeminded individuals in the energy sectors to come up with innovations that provide cleaner and more sustainable source of energy. My main interest is to participate in consortiums deliberating on technological advancements in the field of solar energy and nanotechnology. It is my dream to gift the society with a source of energy that will not orchestrate the imminent destruction of the globe. In order to realize this, I need to appraise research projects in the sector of renewable energy. This will require enhancement of my competencies in the field through mastership and doctorate studies on relevant fields.
This will pave way for more in-depth research in the field of renewable energy through partnerships and collaborations. This will augment very well with my philosophy. I will also help conserve the environment so that the coming generations can also share in it. Finally, it is my dream to inspire the next generation of engineers so that there is continuity of knowledge and purpose. It is my dream to nurture young minds into responsible thinkers who are liberated in the sense that bettering their environment offers them fulfillment and satisfaction. This will ensure that a field that I have a passion for continues to touch the lives of humankind in grand ways. In the spirit of social responsibility, I want to help a child conceive and nurture a dream just like my father did with me.
Long term indicators of success
Dreams are ambitious visualizations of future situations. However, if one is not careful, they may live under the illusion of the dream and never actualize it. It is because this cause that I have set indicators to guide me along the way. They are supposed to tell me when proceedings are going according to plan and when they have deviated. I have short term indicators and long term indicators. As pertains the long term goals, thirty years from today, I want to first have gotten a doctorate in a specialization of my choice in the field of petroleum engineering. In line with my obligation to the society, I aspire to be a professor in a university so that I can mold students into leaders in engineering. In the same capacity, I want to have written and published over a thousand journal entries from the various research projects that I will have appraised.
I want to head as the founder of a company to appraise offshore and onshore oil and gas drilling explorations. The company will use the technology developed through research to ensure the procedures undertaken are environmental friendly. Through research, I hope to have patented ways to enable the realization of geothermal energy production, coal gasification and drawing out of valuable minerals as in-situ uranium leaching. As a petroleum engineer, I also want to impact in non-energy activities like pollutant remediation, hydrology and underground waste disposal. I also want to license such technology to other companies for use in developing solutions to the present day problems. It is my hope that the company will nurture the skills in young engineers through apprenticeship and internship so that there is continuity in the knowledge gaps.
Another indicator of a successful life will be the production of geothermal energy production and coal gasification for industrial use in partnership with like minded individuals. This is in line with my philosophy for sustainability in every process. Participation in the conservation of the environment through technological advancements and innovation will be a strong indicator of a successful life.
Finally, in thirty years, I hope to have started and nurtured a family. I hope to lead my family by example and just as my father did, I aspire to help my children conceive and realize their dreams. If I am able to achieve all that in thirty years, I will be content in the fact that I have lived a successful life.
