Carson Jones is spending his third summer interning at Expand Energy while completing his petroleum engineering degree at Texas A&M. He’s held two previous roles with the company — field production engineer intern in SW App and reservoir engineer intern in NE App. This summer, he’s a Petrotech (operations) Engineer Intern based out of our Sayre, PA office. Carson’s days vary but keep reading to see what a typical Monday looks like for him.
5:30–6:00 a.m.: I get up at 5:30 am if I am heading straight to a well pad or 6:00 am if I am going to the office. Some well pads are two hours from my Airbnb, but luckily, EXE provides me with a company truck and gas card.
6:15 a.m.: I get dressed, pack my lunch, sit down for breakfast, choke down a protein bar and head out the door. I stop for caffeine at the Dandy gas station — starting to drink it as soon as I walk out the door. It may not be healthy, but at least it is sugar-free.
7:00 a.m.: I arrive at the office and back the truck into the spot, so my first movement is forward if I need to leave quickly (this is a requirement when in a company vehicle). I scan my badge and head inside.
7:30 a.m.: After catching up on some overnight emails and Teams messages, I check in with one of the Operations engineers. This time, it’s Dave Koscielney. I update him on my project timeline and plans for the day.
8:00 a.m.: We attend the weekly completions meeting in the conference room. These tend to be short and sweet, updating everyone on past weekend operations and any important issues.
8:45 a.m.: We then join the Operations and HSER meeting, which recaps the previous seven-day field operations and any HSER issues that came up, as well as key learnings so we can prevent these issues from happening again.
9:30 a.m.: Dave invites me to attend a compressor pre-startup safety review (PSSR). Compressor PSSRs entail a walk of the pad with different departments, reviewing that everything is ready to start up.
10:30 a.m.: We arrived at the pad with 15 other people. While walking the pad, I notice a minor trip hazard and make sure to alert one of the foremen so it can be removed.
1:30 p.m.: I arrive back at the office, ready to tackle some work. Specifically, working on my summer project which assesses at-risk horizontal separators and commingling well pads. But first, I eat the lunch from Kalash Kitchen that Dave and I got while on our way back.
4:00 p.m.: I packed up to end my work day and realized I forgot my workout clothes. I can’t let that stop me, so I head down to the gym ready to face some mild embarrassment walking in with my work clothes and boots on. Luckily, no one else is there.
5:00 p.m.: After a short workout, I head back to my Airbnb to switch to my personal vehicle which already has fishing rods and tackle box loaded up. There is a boat launch I always fish at after work because it’s two minutes away.
5:38 p.m.: I CAUGHT A FISH, which is surprising because I haven’t seen or caught anything in a couple days. This fish was small and I’m unsure why it tried to eat my big Rapala lure but, small mouth are aggressive.
5:41 p.m.: I caught the same fish again…
6:30 p.m.: I head back to my Airbnb and I make dinner. Tonight, it’s pasta, beef and tomato sauce. It’s simple, but that’s how I roll. I take a shower and start schoolwork.
7:15 p.m.: I finish the schoolwork for an online class I am taking this summer at Texas A&M. It is an easier general education class; the work doesn’t take too long. I have some free time to watch a movie or doomscroll on my phone.
10:00 p.m.: Reluctantly, I put the doomscroll machine down, and I head to bed, ready to begin another day as an operations engineering intern!