Career and Salary Development for College Students in Oil Refineries

Keep working shifts, keep going – ten years of that is completely normal. When you’re so frustrated from the shift work that you end up climbing to the top of the tower to drink liquor, then you can be considered a qualified veteran shift worker. First, go in and learn the job; actually, it doesn’t require much technical skill. All you have to deal with is lack of sleep, or at least poor sleep quality, along with frustration. You can’t eat properly either, and your life has no rhythm at all. Your health starts to decline rapidly, and your memory also begins to suffer significantly. After feeling frustrated, you realize there’s nowhere to switch jobs, so you have no choice but to calm down and continue working shifts honestly. If you’re lucky, your supervisor will notice you and make you a lead operator. If you do that job well for a few years, work hard, and know how to give gifts and flatter people, you might get promoted to deputy team leader. After another few years, you could become a team leader – that’s a pretty ideal situation. If you’re lucky enough and your supervisors promote you to a technician, allowing you to work during the day shifts, then you’re really lucky; it means you can start living a normal life again. (Shift workers are generally seen as being somewhere between humans and ghosts, and their status in the factory is the lowest.) If you’re even luckier, you might become the head of a technical team, and eventually could be promoted to deputy workshop director. Even if you don’t become a technician, being a good team leader might lead to promotion to section manager, which means getting out of those difficult shift work conditions and working during day shifts. As for salary, it mainly depends on your position – as mentioned earlier, becoming a lead operator does increase your salary a bit. As for salary based on education level, don’t hold any hopes; it’s basically non-existent. I’m not sure how your four-shift, three-day rotation works – how many hours per shift? Is it 8 hours? Before, it was five-shift, three-day rotation, and it was still very exhausting. I guess your situation might be even worse. I also don’t know what type of company you work for. But it’s hard to find a job these days, so it’s still better than having no job at all... Don’t have too high expectations regarding your future; just try to make ends meet. Generally speaking, the chances of switching to day shifts are very low. It’s not that I’m trying to discourage you – working shifts for 20 years is quite common. Oil refining involves less toxicity, but it’s still part of the chemical industry, so the working conditions are still very poor. You need to take care of your health and be careful at work to avoid any accidents. That’s all. Once you start working there, you’ll have to figure things out on your own. This post was last edited by Little Mask on February 3, 2009, at 1:44 PM.]

Most of what was said upstairs is believable, but definitely don’t follow the first advice – drinking at work is harmful to both yourself and others! ! ! One sentence for everyone: Suffering is a blessing, and hardship is wealth! ! I also work at an oil refinery, but I haven’t been working there for many days yet! Here are some suggestions: 1. Learn humbly from your seniors; don’t underestimate experienced workers, as their skills can be very valuable. If you build a good relationship with them, they won’t hold back in sharing their knowledge. Moreover, having good relationships with others is essential for your future development. If you treat them well, they usually treat you very well in return. 2. Get closer to your leaders – it’s not necessarily about flattery, but even if it is, it’s still necessary. That leader doesn’t like to be praised! If you encounter difficulties, step forward; if you have any concerns, report them to your supervisors promptly – it allows you to share your thoughts and also helps strengthen relationships. If you have any ideas regarding technology, feel free to put them forward, without worrying about who will get credit for them later. 3. Learn more technical skills; otherwise, the second point will really just serve as flattery. Think more and learn more*, including things like process equipment and instruments – factory technicians are expected to know all of these. Learning to write papers is a great way to improve. 4. Seize opportunities; for example, be bold in pursuing recruitment opportunities. If there’s a chance to work on such projects at the main production facilities, be sure to take it! ! . . . As for the other things, I’m not good at them either. It seems very difficult to change when it comes to one’s character

There must be someone to do the work; working shifts is the first step toward entering the production line. Although it may not be necessary, since you’re here, make the most of this opportunity. Instead of adopting a mindset like that of a junior member, it’s better to be more proactive. Shift work isn’t completely useless either; you can go to the site to see the equipment and the processes, and learn about control in the control room. If you can truly store the processes and equipment within the entire system in your mind, you will undoubtedly reap great benefits. As for what to do in the future – whether to focus on technology, continue working shift work, or change jobs – there’s no need to think too far ahead. First, make sure you master everything at the present moment, and ask why more often when faced with problems

Rekindling the past: Working night shifts is depressing; never take it out on your work! ! ! Refineries: a dance on the edge of danger; your mistakes can harm both others and yourself, remember that well! ! ! Now that the economy is developed, if you’re feeling down, you can go out and spend money to lift your spirits; never hold it in or swallow it inside! ! !

That makes sense; there are quite strict rules in the workshop. I’ll suggest another way to vent frustration: during inspections, use a wrench to tap on the equipment. But remember, don’t let your equipment supervisor catch you doing this! Here’s another practical tip: point the surveillance cameras at the routes that those who come to inspect must take, or simply aim them at the entrance to the control room – that way it will be much safer. Hehe, just joking. Let me give you a truly useful suggestion: regardless of whether your safety officer is responsible for overseeing safety or not, always keep your safety helmet on when you’re on site, even in summer. Newcomers who have just started working there often don’t realize how serious things can get. After a few accidents, they will understand the severity of chemical production processes and the importance of safety. Remember this, definitely remember it!

Just after graduating, one should experience life at the grassroots level; it’s not possible to be given a position such as supervisor or workshop manager right away when starting at another company. Work hard, and gold will shine

At present, college graduates with a relevant major, who are humble in attitude, sincere and honest, and willing to work hard, can generally become workshop technicians after 3-5 years; at the latest, it takes 5-6 years. Unless someone is idiotic, has a problem with their mind, or has issues as a person, things won’t turn out like what those people above said!!!

It’s obvious that only crappy companies act like you said – giving any importance to undergraduates. Go check out those units within Sinopec where the working conditions aren’t that bad; almost all of the workers on shift there are undergraduates. As for technicians, well, there’s only hope in dreams.

There are some posts I can’t reply to – is it a permission issue?

Generally speaking, except for the leisure areas, there are no limits on the number of replies to posts in other areas; usually, the moderators decide that further discussion isn’t necessary and close the post, which means it gets locked, so you can’t reply – you can only read it.

Small identification badges are supported; that’s how things work in our company at CNOOC – you need to have connections to get ahead. No matter how skilled you are, you can’t avoid working shifts; educational qualifications mean nothing (except in cases where there are really no other options)

I graduated from university in 2004; those who work in state-owned petrochemical plants usually end up as workshop technicians or in administrative departments. I also graduated in 2004 and am currently working at a refinery affiliated with CNPC. My annual salary is 120,000 yuan. What I’m saying isn’t based on hearsay – I really don’t understand why there’s such a big difference even among state-owned enterprises ? ? A diploma is just a trick when looking for a job; everything else depends on one’s own luck. As for the claim that state-owned enterprises require connections, I would just say this: no one is born with a network of contacts; one has to build it on their own. There are many people who complain that state-owned enterprises don’t provide such connections and that they have no other choice but to work shifts. I think it’s necessary to bring in experts to consider this matter~~~~~~~~~~

Upon graduating and entering a company, one usually has to work on the production floor in shift work, which is very beneficial for future development and represents the first step in combining theory with practice. Be patient, talk less, do more, and learn more*. Also, seize every opportunity to demonstrate your abilities; leaders promote talent by observing and assessing performance at the grassroots level. Learn from experienced masters in various areas* and build good interpersonal relationships (this is very important). You can also obtain various certificates to improve yourself.

Seeing what you said gives me confidence! I am a 2009 graduate, coming from an ordinary chemical engineering university that is considered a first-tier institution in Shandong. But today’s college students can’t be compared to those of your time; back then, college students were truly the best of the best, while these days, the mention of college students is often associated with difficulties in finding jobs. It’s really sad. I worked very hard in college – I passed the CET-6, the Computer Proficiency Test Level 2, and I received scholarships as well as various awards – but I still couldn’t find a job that met my expectations, and it’s because I’m a woman! Fortunately, my boyfriend managed to get a job as an oil refining engineer at Sinopec, and I found a position at a local refinery. Although we both had good grades, we decided to give up on pursuing further studies and opt for jobs instead. It was only after going through the job search process that I realized that academic qualifications aren’t as important as I thought they were. So I decided to gain some experience first. I’m not sure if my choice is right; it’s all rather uncertain. I’m really envious to see that your salary is already 120,000. I don’t know when my boyfriend and I will be able to reach that level like you have. We’ll keep working hard

That’s a good way of putting it~ Especially the part about “it actually doesn’t require much technical skill; it’s just that one can’t fall asleep, or at least can’t sleep well, which is quite frustrating. One also can’t eat properly, and life loses all sense of regularity.” The four-shift, three-day rotation definitely means working eight hours per shift, while the five-shift, three-day rotation is much easier compared to the former Hehe

You’re becoming optimistic too. Personally, I think in the chemical industry, it’s better at CNPC in the north; at Sinopec, it’s mostly undergraduates who work on shift. If you want to become a technician, as mentioned above, you don’t know how many years you’ll have to work on shift first. I just can’t stand this; I worked there for a year and then left Sinopec to work in design now. Decide for yourself. From the outside, some state-owned enterprises are still okay, while others are not……

Let me answer this question. I pursued my undergraduate studies in oil refining, and many of my classmates went to work at oil refineries. Three years have passed since then, and the current classifications are as follows: 1. Those who are still working at oil refineries, mostly on shift work; only a few have been promoted to technician or engineer positions. It takes about five years to reach a management position at the workshop level, and this requires both strong technical skills and good connections. A classmate planned to get promoted to technician before the New Year, but failed to build the right connections; another person took his place, despite knowing nothing about the job. There is now a lot of public outrage, but that other person has the right connections. However, people who take this path lead relatively comfortable lives; the city where they live isn’t a major urban center, the salaries are decent, and it’s not too difficult to buy a house or get married. Another category of people work in refineries for some time, become familiar with the manufacturing processes, and then move on to work in foreign companies in roles such as sales or similar positions. This path is very demanding, but it also offers higher earnings. If you’re ambitious, this could be a good option for you. Various sales roles related to oil and chemicals (including pre-sales and after-sales support), as well as technical support – in short, all business activities related to oil and chemicals require a technical background, so several years of work in a refinery can serve as an excellent stepping stone. Additionally, for the refining and petrochemical sector, Sinopec is recommended; I won’t comment on CNPC, hehe

Everyone is being very honest; I’ve learned a lot. Are many of those up above graduates from CUP?

Study skills diligently, learn to be a good person with integrity, and work hard with dedication