DRILLBITS
Monthly eNewsletter from the IADC

The following is part of IADC’s 85th anniversary campaign, “Many Stories, One Voice,” which aims to showcase the real human stories behind the drilling industry. 

Eliza Drake – IADC Young Professionals Committee Networking/Social Subcommittee Chair; Marketing Representative for Caterpillar Oil & Gas

Eliza (center) with fellow attendees at a 2024 IADC Young Professionals Committee networking event

My journey with IADC started back in 2017, during my freshman year at Missouri S&T. From a young age, I knew I wanted to work in the oil and gas industry. I was always fascinated by what happens so far below the Earth’s surface, and I was drawn to being a part of an industry that’s often villainized. I saw it as a chance to change people’s opinions and show them how vital fossil fuels truly are. However, being from Missouri, I didn’t have many chances to connect with the industry directly. It was pure coincidence that I bumped into the IADC Student Chapter President during the first week of my freshman year and joined the group.

While S&T’s petroleum engineering program might be small, it is mighty, largely due to the support of alumni and organizations like IADC. That support opened doors I didn’t even know existed. IADC gave me not only exposure to the industry and my first international trip, but also the job opportunity that started my career.

I owe a lot of where I am today to IADC. As a student, I attended several Annual General Meetings (AGM), where I got to connect with influential people in the business and different companies across all aspects of drilling. While I was the Student Chapter President, I attended the AGM in Austin. As a senior without a job lined up, I knew this conference was my chance. I was determined to network and make something happen. Walking into lunch at the event, I was nervous, uncertain and, honestly, desperate for an opportunity. I spotted a table with one seat left, and found myself sitting among group of Caterpillar leaders and dealers. We hit it off immediately, and I had a job offer within two months. As they say, the rest is history.

Eliza (left) with IADC Young Professionals Committee Co-Chairs Bill Pickering and Liana Carnes at a networking event co-hosted with the American Association of Drilling Engineer’s NEXT group in 2023

IADC has also given me the opportunity to be a leader, not only as a student but also as a young professional. I have had the opportunity to serve as Student Chapter President and as the Events Chairman for the Young Professionals Committee. Both were invaluable experiences with chances to expand my network. Planning events for others in the drilling space has been so fulfilling. It’s been a great way to connect with like-minded people, share ideas and spark great conversations in a fun setting.

IADC has made me feel like I’m a part of something much bigger than just a job. It’s made me feel like I’m part of an industry that, while often misunderstood, plays such an important role in powering the world. I’m beyond grateful, and I know I’ll be a lifelong member of this incredible organization.

Bill Pickering – IADC Young Professionals Committee Co-Chair; Manager at Precision Drilling

Bill standing in front of a Precision Drilling rig around 2018

My career in drilling started in May 2012; my story, however, started in 1991. My story is my dad’s story, and our story is the same story as many in this industry: Men and women making a sacrifice, putting in long hours and giving their family something more.

Ask Ross Pickering today, and he’ll gladly show you the scar on his right hand from 1991. His satellite phone rang with the news his wife was in labor, and he was a 10-hour drive away in Beaverlodge, Alberta. That drive, a set of missing keys, a smashed window, and a hot-wired truck were the only things between Dad and his laboring wife. Of course, we are no strangers to rapidly changing environments or tall orders in short time frames – Dad made it to the hospital with a few hours to spare.

When I tell you that rigs were always a part of my life, I mean it. Our living room hosted fewer Easters, Christmases and birthdays than the couch of my Dad’s shack on site. My mom is always fond of the time Dad had to tell a bed truck to unhook from his shack so his son could finish hunting for Easter Eggs.

Any young boy who gets to work with his dad, running drilling rigs and farm equipment, is a pretty happy kid. So, you’ll understand why I thought my dad had the most important and most cool job in the world. You’ll also understand that, although I considered a number of careers, drilling rigs were always the goal.

Bill as a child riding his first motorbike in the rig yard with his father, Ross, next to him

In 2012, I got my first opportunity to join the oilfield, building rigs in Calgary. I elected to return to college and complete my undergraduate degree, only to be rewarded with a list of salary offers that, modestly, were half of what I could earn roughnecking. Simple math made an easy decision easier, and I was back with Precision Drilling to finish building the rig we would soon take to the field.

Years later, I elected to pursue a graduate degree in the US, with the goal of rejoining the industry. Five years later, I’m thrilled to have a rewarding 10 years of experience under my belt. What I’ve seen in these 10 years is an industry that champions and rewards hard work and merit over pedigree – something less and less common. Why I love this industry is because every single day somebody like my dad proves that a strong back and a sharp mind can take a person to the top. Why I’ll stay in this industry is the passion and pride we foster, and if you don’t believe me, you need to get out of the office and go talk to a rig hand.

My story isn’t unique, because it’s all of our story. It’s passion, it’s legacy, it’s purpose. We’re the modern miracle that enables our lifestyle. We lift people out of poverty. We innovate at breakneck speed, and we dislike when we get looked down upon, but like good roughnecks, we understand the job will always need to get done. So we do it, we do it well and we do it with passion and pride.