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Mark Bishop has loved Geology since secondary school. Now at 31, he has spent a decade doing what he loves and being continually motivated by the field, new possibilities, and the desire to ensure that the next generation of his family is taken care of. 

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The road to Petroleum Geology

I always had an interest in sciences. My love for Geography was sparked in Form 1 by my Geography teachers at the time, Mrs. Jordan and Mrs. Hingoo. Since then, I knew I wanted a career that involved Geography. This love influenced the subjects I chose to pursue for exams. While doing my last term of Upper Six in secondary school, I got an early acceptance to read for a degree in Geology at The UWI, Mona Campus.

At university, most of my research was environment-related, so much so that I always thought I would be involved in Environmental Geology. After finishing university, I was really determined to get a job in my actual field so I applied to ANY job vacancy that had ‘Geologist’ in the job description. For many months, I submitted “monthly resumes” to (then) Petrotrin until they eventually sent me a letter saying they received it and had my resume on file. It was the typical story of a university graduate, finishing his degree and not finding a job. So, I decided to diversify my qualifications in order to be more professionally attractive. To further my interest in environmental studies, I decided to pursue a Master’s degree in OESH (Occupational Environmental Safety and Health). Although I was actually employed on contract in that field, there were many periods of uncertainty regarding renewals. During one of those contract breaks, I interviewed for and was successful for a Petroleum Geologist role. I have never looked back.

“I was just really determined to learn as much as possible”

I entered the industry with other colleagues that had Geoscience degrees from The UWI St. Augustine, which are somewhat specialized degrees, geared towards the petroleum industry. In my very  early days, I was known as “the guy with the Mona degree”. This year marks nine years since I have been a Petroleum Geologist. My experience in the industry has been one of open-mindedness and growth. 

I started off by scanning documents for some of the senior geologists. The turning point for me was when “I get make out” (as we say in Trinidad) for doing those administrative tasks as opposed to Geology-related activities. It was then that I decided that I was going to learn as much as possible. So, while scanning the documents/well files, I began reading the pages in each file and for each well. At one point, I had known that particular field and its wells like “the back of my hand”. Then it progressed to generating my geological models and proposing locations to drill wells. At that time, I believe I was one of the first to propose and drill my own locations while still being a Geologist-in-training. I remember finishing the logging job for my first well and saying thank God the well found hydrocarbons (that particular well encountered over 600ft of net hydrocarbon bearing sands).

 After this, I was given the opportunity to work in Calgary, Canada for a couple weeks. This was a really good experience. I have proposed and drilled more than ten (10) wells, mentored numerous students from the Geoscience Programme at The UWI St. Augustine, worked on numerous Petroleum Engineering projects and Drilling projects and now being given the opportunity to be involved in some of the exploration activity as Senior Geologist/Lead Wellsite Geologist is exciting. 

Still a lot more that I can learn

I have an attitude of continual learning because I believe there is still  a lot more that I can learn from. What continues to motivate me at this point is my love for Geology, desire to learn new things, working in different areas, challenging myself and making sure that my next generation/ family is good (is taken care of).

My biggest cheerleader

My parents, in particular my mom, sacrificed a lot for my brother and me to be the individuals we are today. Getting an education was instilled in us at an early age through my mother. She was really the driving force in that aspect, for which I am very grateful.

She seldom told us about some of the struggles she endured and the sacrifices she had to make for us. I mainly  found out about them when I was older. She instilled the disciplined, focused, determined attitude in me and was one of those people that didn’t worry too much about the opinions of others. She knew that if she wanted something, she was going after it and achieving it. It’s something that I picked up from her and I’m very grateful to have done so. My mom was really my biggest cheerleader. She always wanted me to step out of my comfort zone and achieve things that I doubted I could do. I really, really love her for that. 

My maternal grandmother also played a role in my upbringing as my brother and I were her only male grandchildren. She was from the era of “spare the rod and spoil the child” so I always remembered getting disciplined.That old school type of discipline: the leather belt vibe. As I got older, the discipline manifested itself in the form of talking. I will always remember two major values she would preach to me. The first being “if I don’t use it, I will lose it” in the context of, if you have talents or you know you are capable of doing something, go do it or use it. The second being “when you make decisions, always accept the consequences of those decisions you make”. She was coming from the point of view that as a man you need to be accountable for your actions. To this day I live by those values she taught me.

I have also been fortunate enough to have had a couple mentors, in the early part of my career. Professionals such as Wayne Bertrand (Mr. “B”), Shiraz “Murf” Mohammed and currently Wilson Lalla, Xavier Moonan and Christopher George.

In terms of mentorship, I think there is a real shortfall, particularly for male mentors for my generation and possibly the upcoming generation. Few people are actually willing to put in the effort to be a mentor. There may be guys who are willing but they may not have the platform to reach the guys that need it the most. I was fortunate to have met mentors that I was able to learn from, whether it be simple stories on how oil fields were found/developed, to being told on how to maneuver within the industry. I was lucky to be exposed to that knowledge so I try my best to pass it on to the students that I may work with. However, I definitely think there is room for more mentors on a whole.

Looking back on my career and progression, I will tell teenage Mark: 

“Just do you bro and stop worrying. Don’t let people put their limits on you. If you know you are capable of achieving something, go after it. Don’t be afraid to stand out and don’t be afraid to fail.” As the saying goes “If you’ve never failed, you have never tried anything new.”

To that teenager who is thinking about careers, I want you to:

Find that thing you truly love and enjoy doing and pursue it relentlessly. Put in the time and effort to understand and develop your craft, because this will be the main factor that motivates you every day. It will be the difference between having a job and having a career.  Forget the naysayers. Don’t be consumed by the hype around you. Once you find what you love, go after it.

Specifically, to the secondary school student thinking about a career in the energy sector, go full speed ahead. Yes, there is currently an energy transition and we would be moving away from fossil fuels and more towards cleaner sources of fuel, but the reality is that we will still be dependent on fossil fuels for some time. Trinidad and Tobago has been fortunate in that we utilize natural gas and built industries around this which is a cleaner form of fuel than oil. So, there will be a need for natural gas which in turn means that you will need Petroleum Geologists and Petroleum Engineers to find and produce these resources for some time. Don’t be discouraged!

Be financially literate and money wise!

It has become quite difficult for my generation to enjoy certain benefits that our parents/older generations would have enjoyed. This is why I am really passionate about young people being financially literate. My generation shouldn’t have an excuse to be financially irresponsible. So, I would encourage every young person to start investing their money. It doesn’t have to be any significant amount: it can literally be as simple as $100 every month. Go open a brokerage account, go look at mutual funds, bonds etc. Don’t just be consumed by the hype of partying and ‘liming’. Ensure that your future generations don’t experience some of the hardships you may have gone through!

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Mark is a past student of San Fernando Boys RC, Woodbrook Government Secondary (Form 1-5), Queen’s Royal College (Form 6) and The UWI St Augustine and Mona campuses. He holds an undergraduate degree in Geology and Master of Science degrees in Occupational Environmental Safety and Health (OESH) and Petroleum Engineering, which he all completed by age 28.