Jerome M. Hall earned his M.S. in geology from SES in 2006 and is currently an Exploration Geoscientist at Shell.
Contact: Jerome.Hall@shell.com
"Be open to the unexpected twists and turns that your future career may bring to you. You may have an idea of “what you want to be when you grow up”, but I challenge you to let go of that altogether. Seek out paths and opportunities that speak to you, challenge you and allow you to shine and enjoy your work and your life."
Where has your degree taken you?
I did my M.Sc. field work in Antarctica; I was recruited to join Shell in my final year, but delayed that offer to follow my wife to Michigan where I worked for Google on their Book Search Project. After she completed her degree, we both accepted offers to Shell and moved to Houston. While at Shell (since 2009) I have worked exclusively in our Exploration organization and have filled the roles of both geologist and geophysicist. My teams thus far have included doing drilling operations on a discovered field in the Gulf of Mexico, planning and drilling oil wells in the Niobrara shale oil play in Colorado, and most recently I have worked on exploratory activities in the deepwater basins of offshore Brazil.
How do you feel your experience, specifically as an SES/geology student at OSU, prepared you for your career or life in general?
The subsurface community at Shell in Houston is composed of geoscientists from many different schools and backgrounds. I am glad for the well-rounded nature of my M.Sc. at OSU, with a strong focus on the fundamentals and exposure to the different sub-disciplines. Exploration geoscience in the energy business is a very integrated approach and requires a firm understanding of physics, historical geology, tectonics, sedimentology, stratigraphy petrology and chemistry. I strongly believe that my competence as an explorer is based not on specialization, but an integrated understanding and the capability to apply that knowledge to the subsurface.
What is your favorite memory as a student?
I will always fondly remember my field work with Terry Wilson in Antarctica, and the shared experiences and memories of her working group while I was at OSU. I made friends for life in that Orton basement (and met my wife)!
What advice do you have for current and future students?
Be open to the unexpected twists and turns that your future career may bring to you. You may have an idea of “what you want to be when you grow up”, but I challenge you to let go of that altogether. Seek out paths and opportunities that speak to you, challenge you and allow you to shine and enjoy your work and your life. I never expected to enter the energy business, but it has been exciting and challenging, both from the geology I have worked and the technologies I have used. While I am happy with my current role, I try and take each opportunity at face value, and be open to what change it might bring.
Never lock-in what you should be when you grow up. The skills you need to succeed and really shine aren’t in the textbooks, but rather in your critical reasoning and analysis skills. And those skills aren’t limited to a single company, sector or academic track. Find a field you thrive in and enjoy and follow it. I have always had a knack for technology, and my role in Shell is a fantastic merger of geology and technology. Finding a career or job that fits your interests and challenges you is far more important to your happiness than job titles or paychecks.