I’m coming from a different industry and recently received an offer from Chevron for a design engineering position. I’m hesitant to accept the offer, even though the compensation is slightly better than my current company.
My biggest concern is Chevron’s use of engineering outsourcing, particularly to India. I’m worried that, over time, my position could be outsourced or eliminated and the work could be transferred to India.Should I accept the offer despite this concern, or would it be better to reject it because of the potential long-term risk to job security? What factors should I consider when evaluating the stability and future prospects of this position?
8 replies (most recent on top)
If you aren't coming from an oil and gas background, you'll get run over like a Mac truck.
Chevron is not a growth company, and oil and gas is not a growth industry.
Ask yourself why Chevron is willing to pay above market rates. There's always a reason.
If you are after a job, it is not a bad option.
If you are after a career, look elsewhere.
@OP
These comments in response to your post are spot on. Chevron is a great company but not a career opportunity for anyone in the USA. They are outsourcing the staff to low cost geographies and the USA employees will gradually be laid off over the next 4 years. The ELT tells about the 2030 goals / plan but they don’t give specifics. That by itself indicates they do t want to the USA based employees to know they are not in the 2030 plan.
If you are coming from a Design Engineering Company, you will be experiencing a major life style change. Refinery and Design people have a lot of overlap in skill sets, but it is not complete. You could become a major contributor for interfacing with their Engineering Contractors for developing design basis packages for the contractors on new projects or checking the correctness of designs, but you will need to quickly understand the success drivers from the refinery perspective and act appropriately. If you are highly experienced in FCC or Hydrocracking, you could be highly valuable as the contractors using India talk a good game, but make really stupid mistakes.
FYI, Chevron pre-1995 had some of the top Refinery Technical experts. Not now.
If you are really good and have skills Chevron doesnt have, you could flourish. If you are meh, I definitely would not recommend it.
If you have a half decent job then you would be foolish to come to Chevron. We are basically Boeing but 10 years ago. Profits over quality, outsource engineering to India, and forced rankings. The saddest part is our mgmt lies to your face about the new rank and yank system.
Left the refinery after the reorg from DED and do not recommend working at the plant. OPs will control your life along with managers who can’t make a decision to save their life. Run far away from CVX manufacturing sites.
You said "my position could be outsourced or eliminated" and sorry but you're being naive. IT WILL be outsourced or eliminated, there's zero doubt. The company doesn't have any stability at all anymore, and unless you are a rockstar in the first 6 months and onboard quickly get ready to be put on a PIP.
“Slightly better” compensation? It’s not worth the risk. The company has been in flux since 2020. Offshoring is just the latest management effort to stay relevant and appease shareholders. If your current company/industry seems stable or more stable than a constantly changing company with no end game, stay put.