Being prepared for the “real world” after college can be a challenge, but Gregory Hebertson offered his experiences and tips for success to help students feel more prepared.
Hebertson, an alumnus of the Department of Geological Sciences and the current Senior Vice President of Exploration at Midstates Petroleum, was the presenter at this year’s honored Alumni lecture. In his lecture titled, “Mastering Your Fate: A Few Insights from a Career in Science,” Hebertson shared his experiences of innovation, technology, and risk.
“[I took] the title of my remarks from the poem ‘Invictus’ by William Henley, because I think so much about our life is about choosing your own destiny and making your own destiny happen,” Hebertson said. “It’s about doing something. It’s about, as the poem says, ‘Be[ing] the captain of your soul and . . . the master of your fate.’”
Hebertson talked about four different stories from his life in the energy industry. The themes of the stories were applying good science, good technology, and technical know-how to get the job done. One of his stories focused on the discovery and creation of an oil field in Alaska.
“At the time of [the Alaskan Alpine Field] discovery in 1994, it was the largest on-shore conventional discovery in North America in the last twenty years,” Hebertson said. “The traditional source rock for the north slope is the Triassic Shublik Formation, the source rock for the large fields on the north slope. This was actually a different source rock, and it took some really good geoscientists and engineers to figure out that you weren’t dealing with the same source rocks on the North Slope here that you were in the traditional oil fields. It was a paradigm shift, and that led to the exploration, which ultimately resulted in the discovery of Alpine field.”
After the stories, Hebertson counseled students on how they could succeed in business as scientists.
“Continually reinvent yourself,” Hebertson said. “You need to learn to adapt and learn to develop skills and position yourself to be attractive in a world that is changing. . . . Learn to talk commercial. . . . It is imperative to you, as scientists, to learn to communicate the language of finance and economics, and to understand how your work influences the decisions that leads to sound business strategy and the creation of value.”
Hebertson then added that passion, hard work, and a willingness to take risks are important for success because executives will recognize passionate people who take smart risks and who get their work done. However, having these qualities doesn’t guarantee that success will come on the first try.
“Prepare for setbacks and challenges because, I’ll tell you, they will come,” Hebertson said. “Endure and persevere through challenges with honor and dignity… and you will soon find yourself back on whatever track you had.”
To conclude, Hebertson advised students to be grateful, humble, good servants of the Lord, and true to their families.
“Probably the most important piece of advice I can leave with you regarding your career and your future, and grabbing hold of your fate is to have faith and trust in the Lord,” Hebertson said. “Have faith that He will bless and strengthen you and your family as you pursue righteous endeavors to the best of your ability.”