Energy Needs Tech: Creating a Sustainable Future

Lora Bucsis

Lora has always been a champion for forging one’s own path. A non-traditional, lifelong learner herself, Lora leads the team at SAIT responsible for educational products and learner success in Continuing Education and Professional Studies. Wildly curious about how jobs change over time, Lora believes that learning for 21st-century careers needs to come in several different forms from a number of different avenues. When she’s not binge-listening to podcasts or driving her teenagers around, you’ll find her hiking in Alberta’s backcountry — or falling off her bike.

Zachary Novak

Zachary is the Founder of Careers in Technology and Innovation (CITI), an online community that supports experienced professionals find and grow careers in technology. Through Careers in Technology and Innovation, Zachary has hosted over 150 events and has helped over 120 people land roles in tech.

Zachary is a community professional, also providing community consulting work through FML Studios Inc. Zachary was previously the Director of Community at RevvGo, Director of Product at Actionable.co, and spent seven years in investment banking. Zachary holds degrees in engineering, business administration, and is a software development bootcamp graduate.

SAIT Podcast: SAIT Energy Needs Tech: Creating a Sustainable Future Episode 11

[00:00:00] ANNCR: The Best Careers You Never Knew Existed Podcast sparked by SAIT and co-hosted by CITI, the podcast that helps you navigate jobs, learn about new careers and industries! 

[00:00:12] Lora: Hi, I'm Lora and I'm the director of product and learner success at SAIT. 

[00:00:16] Zach: And I'm Zach, founder of Careers in Technology and Innovation. 

[00:00:21] Pat: And I'm Pat Hufnagel-Smith, I’m a partner at Creative Links.  

[00:00:25] Lora: So, I thought I'd start us off with just a little bit of context, around when we started this podcast. We really thought about Albertas industries that we were seeing the most evolution of roles and the jobs being impacted and there's a lot of new and growing industries, which is why we really wanted to be around careers that you never knew existed, you know, a few that I'll point to are our creative industries, you know, the unmanned airspace industry is a big area that's growing. But really the most change that we're seeing is really in tech and in energy, I think, because tech has been growing so much in Calgary and energy has been, you know, energy has been a mainstay of Alberta for a really long time. 

[00:01:10] Lora: So, Zach, you and I have been talking about tech for a while because it's been growing exponentially in Alberta and for our listeners, you know, I'll point to our conversation with Chelsea Hallick from Calgary Economic Development. I think it was a bonus episode that really gives a good perspective of how tech is growing. 

[00:01:26] Lora: But, you know, I think right now, here's the opportunity to introduce the intersection between tech and energy, which is really, really fun and very exciting. And so Pat, I was going to ask you to introduce yourself and share a fun fact. 

[00:01:42] Pat: As I'd mentioned up top, my name's Pat Hufnagel-Smith. I'm a partner at Creative Links. 

[00:01:49] And a fun fact about me is that I spent a couple of years on the west coast with my husband running a sailboat charter business, which is maybe the furthest kind of thing you could do, from, you know, growing up and, living on the prairies, but yeah, that's how I spent a couple of years of my life. 

[00:02:15] Zach: Yeah, we had the pleasure of collaborating on an event last month that was really at the intersection of this, but can you share For us and our listeners, a little bit more about the work that you're doing around supporting talent, the evolving talent and energy, a little bit more about that initiative. And maybe we can talk a little bit more about what we've all collaborated on last month. 

[00:02:38] Pat: You bet. Well, you know, Creative Links is really focused on looking at talent solutions for the energy sector. And that's been a really exciting place to be in, in the last Couple of years. A lot of it is related to sort of how the energy industry is evolving in our new reality around how do we create sustainable, affordable, reliable energy, as well as contribute to energy security across the globe. 

[00:03:12] Pat: And so that work is really, meant looking at how is the energy industry evolving to be more sustainable and which really brought us to that intersection around, okay, now how is energy adopting and deploying digital technology to become more sustainable as part of our economy, as a major employer and in all of those kinds of things. 

[00:03:36] Pat: And obviously that brought it. You and I, Zach, to connect, you know, given the work that you do and have had a long history with SAIT and Lora, as we've been looking at, you know, how is this energy workforce evolving? First, we, you know, Lora and I connected way back when it was all about, what in the world are we going to do with all these energy workers that are being impacted by the downturn? 

[00:04:02] Pat: So that was kind of 2014, 2015, 2016, happy to say now we're in a place where we're looking at where is the energy industry going? What kind of opportunities is it generating? And where are we going to find the talent or develop talent to address those needs? So very exciting place to be in right now. 

[00:04:27] Zach: Yeah, that sounds really exciting. Can you share a little bit more about the event we did?  

[00:04:31] Pat: So, I think during the first major snowfall of 2023, uh, we had planned an event that really brought energy employers together with digital talent to really talk about, you know, how is the energy industry using tech talent? 

[00:04:52] Pat: And I think in a lot of ways, I don't know, Zach, I'd love to hear your opinion on this, trying to address or bust some of those myths related to a belief that the energy industry is not innovative, or technology driven or high tech. And so that was really the purpose of bringing tech talent and some of the energy, um, employers together to really kind of, yeah, create meaningful connections and hopefully learn more about each other and, um, you know, just kind of get a sense of who each other is in this space related to energy in the intersection with, with technology.  

[00:05:36] Zach: Yeah, we were incredibly fortunate to partner on that and bring some of our membership out to connect with these employers in this great format that you and your team put together. I think what's really interesting is for quite some time, I think, through the 2010s, we saw some major transformations in technology around mobile, cloud, you know, social came before that, and now we're really moving forward with the foundation of those technologies to bring technology into physical industry. The amount of data that can be collected through IoT, Internet of Things, and through sensors, and integrating technology where there's true, you know, business applications that are sitting on top of cloud applications, ERP is actually putting the kind of some of the cutting edge work inside industry, particularly the energy industry, where we see the combination of building software and data solutions into physical hardware products, sensors that are at a site or at the facility or in operations in order to prove operations that have a significant impact. So moving away from just, you know, what's another app on my phone to how does this really integrate with a larger business, which is a really, really exciting opportunity set with large challenges where a lot of people who have been transitioning into technology who have domain expertise can really utilize and leverage their previous skill set. 

[00:07:14] Zach: And I think that's only going to be even further expanded as we think about how AI gets integrated to this whole, and I'm going to pass it back to you, Pat, but like, I think during that event, it was very evident that the people that were presenting were working on some really interesting things. 

[00:07:32] So it was exciting that, you know, when we first met Pat, that that was kind of the hypothesis of their doing exciting things. And I think we even talked about when the employers. We had it some time before and they were showing some of their technologies to us that it was beyond at least my understanding of the things I've been working on some of the exciting things that they were doing.  

[00:07:53] Lora: In 2021, Calgary Economic Development put out an energy transition report and they cited priorities for Alberta to reach net zero include stuff like CCE, U. S., carbon capture, utilization and storage, hydrogen, electrification and digital, and so I'm curious about, you know, whether or not that was something that was heard at the event. Was that companies are looking to digital technologies to support energy transition, energy expansion, net zero, or are there other really interesting uses for the technology and the technology teams that they are developing? 

[00:08:35] Pat: Having worked in, in this sector for a long, long time. I think, let's face it kind of from 2014 till after the pandemic, the energy industry, oil and gas in particular, we're simply just trying to survive. I think as we're, you know, coming out of the pandemic and other kind of geopolitical things, Russia invading the Ukraine and all the disruption in terms of what's happening in the Middle East, I think, you know, it just really sort of shows that we're not ready to move away from oil and gas in particular. 

[00:09:16] Pat: Going to be a vital component of our energy system for a long time to come, but that in no means, means that we do it the same way as we've always done it before. And I think that's why we're really seeing that acceleration of digital technologies, the use of data, just really to focus on creating value and, you know, reducing the environmental footprint and, all those things that need to happen in order for that industry to be sustainable. And I would agree. I think we heard that in spades from the companies that attended the forum in October. 

[00:09:55] Zach: The focus, yeah, very much was on digital of those organizations. What's interesting is there was Lodgelink, which is a subsidiary of Black Diamond Group, I believe is what they say, which is a public entity. 

[00:10:11] Zach: They provide modular facilities for crews across the energy spectrum and have built essentially a similar application that they use to support their business for others. They're thinking about cruise, and then we had Precision, which is a large drilling, one of the largest drilling operators in Canada. 

[00:10:32] Zach: We're really building, integrating sensors in IoT to optimize using data, data science, data analytics, their operations in drilling and producing production. And there's Spartan Controls who had Blue Marvel AI, which is using applications and AI around their operations and around, you know, other people that are doing similar things in the control space. 

[00:10:58] Zach: So really bringing digital to the, to the forefront. I think it was really interesting when we were talking to the Precision team is, I think they said four years ago, it was four of them in that group. They're really thinking about, how do we collect data, you know, real time on site data for our clients to help them optimize their businesses and now that group is 50. 

[00:11:18] Zach: The other discussion that we had, you know, Lora, when we first did this podcast, we did an event, like a pre-event, and we talked about different roles in technology. And one thing we talked about was like the IT department and how traditional IT is or network, you go, and you get support, your computer is broken or the network's broken. 

[00:11:36] Zach: But now there's a huge component of building business applications. I think that it's in development. So, this, like, this realm of domain expertise, understanding the business and bringing technology forward. And that, essentially at that event, it was strictly the groups that were in that group, in the citizen development group or the business application layer that they were really hiring for, and that's where they're growing. 

[00:12:02] Zach: Versus anyone coming in from a more traditional IT standpoint, network standpoint. You know, what we saw there is digital technology. I'm not sure, Pat, if you, if you saw anything different, but... Yeah, bringing those digital technologies to the forefront of business. 

[00:12:16] Pat: In some ways based on just what Lora was talking about and what Calgary Economic Development, I've seen their forecasts and, and sort of what are some of those pathways to sustainability and, and that kind of stuff. 

[00:12:32] Pat: I really see digital as being a solution for the energy industry, not necessarily a I mean, I think there is a component of it that is a separate industry in and of itself, but let's face it, if there wasn't a need for those digital technologies, would they exist? And so, I think that's part of what I'm learning more about in terms of how the, Energy industry is leveraging those digital solutions. 

[00:13:05] Pat: So, are they automated automation and control system? So that is doing things better with maybe less human error by using digital systems, remote sensing and detection so that you're learning what's going on in the field using that kind of technology. As opposed to having to send somebody out to the field all the time, gathering data to make better decisions related to production assets, emissions reduction, all of those kinds of things. 

[00:13:39] Pat: So that those digital applications are really tools for the industry that let's face it, makes them more efficient and more efficient means more profitable in most cases. But it's also providing a pathway to net zero when addressing environmental footprint. If you aren't having to put people on the road, driving to the field, if there's a component of that work that can be done through remote sensing or remote monitoring, then you're not driving, you know, and there's a safety aspect for it to it because people aren't on the road as much. 

[00:14:17] Pat: And so, I think that if digital technologies weren't a solution for the energy industry that hits, ticks a whole bunch of boxes, we probably wouldn't see the adoption that that we're seeing today. So, it certainly is. It's part of the reducing environmental impact, but let's face it, if it didn't also provide value and increase profitability, we wouldn't see it in, you know, in the same way. 

[00:14:45] Pat: I think the other thing I just wanted to pick up on one of the things that Zach talked about in the companies that were there and, and one of my observations was that a lot of those would be considered energy services or contracted services to sort of the big players in the energy industry, the E& P companies, the oil sands companies and the pipeline companies. 

[00:15:10] Pat: So those are the companies that typically own production or transportation assets, and everybody else that works in the energy industry tends to contract to them. So, I found it very interesting how many of those contracted services are innovating and developing these digital solutions. for their customers. 

[00:15:35] Pat: Like, obviously they're able to say, yes, we can provide you drilling rigs, we can provide you the fracking equipment, or we can transport your product by truck. And then there's this whole other sort of sphere that they're operating in that says, and we can help gather data that helps you make better decisions about fuel consumption about detecting where there may be potentials for leaks or you're leaking methane or whatever. 

[00:16:11] Pat: And so I just thought it was very interesting how those companies that maybe provide traditional services to the energy or asset owners are also expanding and innovating and providing these other kinds of services to the energy industry as well. 

[00:16:31] Lora: For sure. Innovation and technology is such like across the supply chain. So, and I know that we have seen quite a bit of technology development and citizen development, even in the big producers as well. And we know several of them have been really investing in those skill sets, not only from a pure tech sort of play, but also how do you train those folks with domain expertise on automation tools, on data science, on the different ways to leverage technology. 

[00:17:02] Lora: You know, from my perspective, I think energy gets a little bit of, or oil and gas gets a little bit of a bad rep for not being innovative and maybe slow and big and lumbering. It is historically a very innovative industry. It just takes a longer time because the, the assets and the infrastructure is so big, and safety is always paramount to the industry. 

[00:17:27] Lora: So, nothing happens super-fast until some of those risk assessments have been done. Or at least that's my perspective. And Pat, you might disagree with me, but that’s my kind of take on it. 

[00:17:38] Pat: I think you're absolutely right. I think that the oil and gas industry hasn't necessarily been seen as being that innovative, but I agree you know, they're working within an environment that is Very safety sensitive and highly regulated, so you don't necessarily have a lot of room to take risks or, some of the characteristics that you would think about in terms of an Innovative industry and that agility and, lots of talk about fail fast and learn fast. 

[00:18:17] Pat: And I don't know exactly what this saying is, but you're absolutely right. That is not necessarily the culture that you would associate with the oil and gas industry. So, I think it has been somewhat challenging for the industry to start to think about that transformation and what that innovation looks like.  

[00:18:37] Pat: And I think, you know, one of the things Zach, you pointed out earlier, when we think about those companies that did attend our session in October, a lot of them were sort of, were wholly owned subsidiaries of larger, more, maybe more traditional companies, but that sort of gave them the freedom to be a little more innovative and develop that culture that maybe isn't traditionally associated with the traditional oil and gas industry. 

[00:19:13] Lora: Yeah, I love that because I was going to ask, you know, how are we seeing energy companies setting up themselves for technology and innovation? And what I'm hearing is that these companies are so committed to technology and innovation to solve their problems that they're actually setting up new companies to create the culture to be able to innovate and develop technology solutions. 

[00:19:35] Lora: So, I know you mentioned there was a couple, but are we seeing that kind of more across the board that that's what oil and gas services, they're finding different ways to innovate to actually create those environments that can innovate. 

[00:19:49] Pat: I think so. I think it really sort of drove it home during our energy needs tech talent event that for me, it was one of those aha moments, in terms of, you know, this is sort of how they're, they're setting up to be more, more innovative, but I don't know, Zach, do you have any sense of if it's that more commonplace, is it unique to the oil and gas industry or the energy sector, or you might have your finger on a, on the pulse around that a little bit better than myself. 

[00:20:23] Zach: Yeah, I think, you know. We have seen many of our members who have circled back into the energy industry, some in more technical roles that are related more to the asset and some in more digital roles. There seems to be more opportunity. That being said I'm not as fully aware of what's happening in these large oil and gas companies. 

[00:20:45] Zach: We do see a startup environment of many companies who are servicing the energy industry and We've seen many of our members who have used that domain expertise to go work at those startups. And I think it's interesting that people have gone from energy into a technology industry outside the domain of energy and have swum back to really utilize both those skill sets. 

[00:21:12] Zach: And I do think also what's really interesting is now that the technology industry has emerged in Calgary to some sort of reasonable size, there's still a lot of work to do. That provides this cross pollination of talent and ideas between the industries where we didn't have to just look externally outside of Calgary to think about where we can find tech talent and ideas. 

[00:21:40] Zach: I just think that trend is going to continue. That's a little bit of a crystal ball, but opportunity, there's going to be more and more of that opportunity of like, how do these roles transform as more technology goes in and being able to utilize tools and technologies to be more efficient in the role and how do we build technologies to support what we're doing. 

[00:22:01] Zach: So, it's just going to continue to grow, and that domain expertise is going to be the hardest thing for people to have, right? Like the technology skills isn't actually going to be the limiter, especially as we go on and more and more people leave the energy industry. It's the domain expertise is going to be the thing that really differentiates. So yeah, it's an exciting time. I think it's evolving, every company is different but I think we still are, we're at the beginning.  

[00:22:28] Lora: What do you both think are the transferable or common skills between energy and technology?  

[00:22:35] Pat: I think, as Zach had said, like I think in some cases, that domain knowledge is It's very helpful in terms of working in a tech role in the energy industry. 

[00:22:51] Pat: I think engineering is important in terms of both, both sectors. There's always been some level of data analytics and decision making and how related to, to how the oil and gas industry has worked. I think that executing sometimes very complex projects. Some similarities, similarities there. So, I think that there are some common and transferable skills. 

[00:23:22] Pat: I think, you know, previously, we would have assessed that cultural piece as being perhaps the biggest gap between the tech sectors. I'm not a big fan of the leadership of the sector and the traditional oil and gas industry, but I think some of that is closing because of some of the things that we're seeing in terms of the energy industry recognizing that they need to look at digital technologies as part of their overall business strategy and trying to figure out how to make that happen, whether it be within their organizations or whether it means hiring organizations that have that skill to apply it within or to, contract out or whatever in terms of their, their sectors. 

[00:24:06] Pat: So, I think it's evolving, and I think we'll see more commonality as post-secondary institutions and that kind of stuff start integrating the skill set at the post-secondary level recognizing that, and I think this, my belief is this is happening, Lora, you would be more of an expert on this, but it's certainly looking at integrating those skills and that skill development right at the, the level of training. 

[00:24:35] Pat: And so, yeah, I think you'll just see more and more of that integration. I think back to Zach's point about maybe it being a lack of domain. knowledge that is a concern going forward. And that certainly is something that we've been watching is, you know, this is the U of C making headlines because they canceled their petroleum engineering program and some of those kinds of things. 

[00:25:00] Pat: So, I think there is that need to recognize it's the combination of digital skills and domain knowledge that's really going to sort of provide the solutions that we need to build out. a sustainable energy system. 

[00:25:15] Lora: I think for us, we're definitely having a lot of those conversations and working on building out those roadmaps that intersect digital with domain skills, because it is a growing need to better understand data and the opportunities for machine learning and AI. 

[00:25:34] Lora: to affect net zero goals and the emissions and just the safer operations of a lot of facilities has certainly been recognized and the industry is learning. So, you know, I think what we're seeing is that as the industry continues to learn, there's more and more of a need for these skill sets to come into that workplace. 

[00:25:54] Lora: And to your point, the gap is closing in terms of, you know, kind of the cultural aspects between the two industries, which is definitely something we're seeing across the board. There's just the language of both industries to be able to understand, okay, well, here's how we can leverage digital technologies in different areas of oil and gas and, and an understanding from a technology perspective, where are the opportunities in oil and gas operations to be able to better improve how we're doing things so yeah I absolutely agree with you. 

[00:26:26] Zach: There are no shortage in Alberta and energy of people that can think technically problem solve analytical skills, stakeholder management, project management. All these things where we're, you know, building assets, optimizing, and we see this, we see people that are transitioning in these technical roles. 

[00:26:47] Zach: The areas that I think we will need a significant, and there is work being done is really great. Design, actual, like making things look very desirable. I don't mean just like it's designed to work and it's safe. I mean it's actually like so flawless, like you, the usability is just great and something that we're going to have to grow as well as true moving from a commodity industry, although, you know, there is some services component of really understanding marketing and sales around growth and selling into international markets, right? 

[00:27:23] Zach: When you're selling commodity, it's, you know, we're price takers and that's been an issue in this economy. with a lack of regress for the last 10 years. So, the creative elements, the, are where I think more ideas from people moving here from all over the world will be useful to us. And bringing those creative elements into the really strong skill set of us being a very technically educated population. 

[00:27:50] It's getting better, like, you know, we, we ask people when they join CITI, like, what are you interested in? Over half of them are in, is in software development and data. right? But that's not where half levels are, right? Like maybe it's 30 or 40 percent and we're going to see that continue to shift. In our economy, we've been predominantly pre product market fit companies, and pre product market fit companies spend more on R& D than sales and marketing. 

[00:28:16] Zach: But when you flip the script, once you hit Series A, you post product market fit, you actually, you go 2 to 1 on the sales and marketing to the R& D on average for a software company. Meaning, we're going to have to hire an extensive amount of people that are in sales, marketing, and customer success. We just haven't seen that yet, because to get the companies to a place where they're commercial and we need to grow in scale, we need to actually build the products. 

[00:28:41] Zach: Which actually flips the other way, there's more R& D budget compared to sales and marketing. So, I think that'll be an interesting thing. That being said... There are a lot of roles that need some technical domain expertise. Lora and I have been talking about solutions engineering or sales engineering. So it'll be really exciting to have that kind of breadth of roles and similarly, we've seen in our communities, our local communities, that there's been meetups for software developers for a long time. There's been meetups for designers, those building product meetups. And we're just starting to see some of the kind of revenue organizations trying, trying to set up meetups locally in Calgary of like the marketing meetup and the CS meetup. 

[00:29:23] Zach: And then if we go further, what does a biz ops meetup look like? And from my perspective, a community meetup. So yeah, it's exciting times.  

[00:29:31] Pat: You know, that's so true, Zach. You just reminded me that in some work that I've been involved with CRAN, the Clean Resource Innovation Network, being able to understand. 

[00:29:44] Pat: Your customer's problem, how are you trying to solve their problem? What's, and it goes back to that idea that those that have worked in the industry before have probably a greater understanding and can frame oil and gas companies or an energy companies, main problems or concerns that need to be solved than those that don't have that experience. 

[00:30:11] Pat: So, mixing it again, just sort of another example of where that mix of domain knowledge and understanding of the industry with the ability to talk about and present a digital solution just is such a good fit for some of those sales and marketing roles in the digital space. 

[00:30:33] Lora: Well, and certainly we've seen a big change in how the energy companies are viewing the different roles and the adoption of the different roles and I'm just thinking back to a couple of years ago when we're building our UX design bootcamp and talking to actually a leader at one of the energy producers who wanted to be on our advisory group for that program because he had a vested interest in ensuring there was great designers available in the marketplace. 

[00:31:05] Lora: Because they had a huge need for them because of the operational efficiency that came with really good design of the stuff that they were doing. And, you know, it was a big eye opener for us because we didn't realize that if they could shave, you know, seconds off. Some of the apps that were being used by their contractors, by their staff, by their, uh, service companies that they would be saving over time, literally hundreds of thousands of millions of dollars. 

[00:31:36] Lora: So, you know, it's a really kind of interesting problem to solve to your point that they've kind of come around to say, there's a lot that we can learn from the roles in different tech. Companies in the, tech industry and are really kind of looking towards adopting some of that and learning from it, which I think is really a wonderful thing to see. 

[00:31:55] Zach: I think just being open minded, especially if you're, [00:32:00] you're from the energy industry of like, everyone could feel the excitement in that room, the open thinking, the forward thinking, and we need to showcase that, right? 

[00:32:11] Zach: And understand that actually bringing technology into the energy industry, yes, is supporting them and their clients, but to Pat's point, is a really important step in, moving forward in the ESG, closing that gap on ESG and hopefully, you know, supporting climate. And then there's a lot of transferable skills as well, and then I'm excited, foreshadowing a little bit about understanding the, the other places and hearing about the other places in the energy industry that they're evolving into outside of oil and gas with these new career paths. 

[00:32:46] Zach: I think there's just this theme of when it comes to technology, being open minded about where great ideas can come from. And ultimately, we're all collaborating together and learning from another one another. And I think the tech industry has done such a great job of this. And I really do think it's from the open source nature of software development. 

[00:33:08] Zach: So to go and explore, and it seems like in any time of like maybe over the last 5 or 10 years that there's been turmoil in the oil and gas industry, that just creates new opportunity around technology and you, you get out the other side with some amazing breakthroughs, which is now on the other side, we're seeing these incredible career opportunities and energy around technology. So, you know, ups and downs are normal and to see where the opportunity will be in the future of your career.  

[00:33:39] Lora: So, I guess the big question is, is, will there be another event? 

[00:33:42] Pat: Yes. You know, we've been following up with the employers that attended with those who wanted to attend, but just couldn't make it because of other commitments and how busy they are, which is a bit of a testament for how these two industries are, are intersecting. 

[00:34:03] Pat: So, for sure, we will be doing another energy needs tech talent event and provide those opportunities for the companies and the tech talent to really kind of have some meaningful connections. So yeah, really looking forward to it. 

[00:34:21] Lora: Well now it has to happen because it's in the podcast. We really intended this, this episode to be a little bit of a, I guess maybe a transition episode. 

[00:34:30] Lora: So, Zach, you and I have done, I don't know, 10, 8, 10 episodes focused on tech. And we were really looking at the opportunity to do, I guess, for lack of a better term, a second series specific to the careers and the roles. the emerging roles in energy. So, you know, part of the incentive of doing this episode was to introduce Pat to our listeners, do a little bit of exploring the intersection and really kick off a second series, which I'm really, really excited about learning more about the emerging roles in, in energy and how careers are shifting there. 

[00:35:12] Lora: And that's not to say we can't continue doing. Some more tech, digital careers that no one knew existed. And I think there's an opportunity to do more and focus on some of the really, really interesting stuff that's happening in energy. 

[00:35:23] Zach: Yeah. I'm excited to see, I guess I foreshadowed a little bit, what you and Pat come up with and, and listen and collaborate. 

[00:35:31] Zach: So, it's exciting to see as any good product, right it evolves over time and to, to see the podcast evolve and. And continue to support more people than what they think of their careers. And yeah, excited to pass the torch, Pat. 

[00:35:46] Pat: And I'm excited to be here. It's going to be a hard act to follow, but I'm really looking forward to it and, and up to the challenge to look at where the energy industry is headed and what that means for career opportunities. 

[00:36:03] ANNCR: The Best Careers You Never Knew Existed Podcast, sparked by SAIT and CITI, funded by the government of Alberta. Have a career suggestion or want to appear as a guest? Get in touch, SAIT.ca/careerspodcast. Write and review this podcast and you might find your review on a future episode. Please subscribe to The Best Careers You Never Knew Existed Podcast, wherever fine podcasts are downloaded. 

[00:36:31] With Lora Bucsis and Zach Novak. Produced by Terran Anthony Allen and Jenna Smith. Executive produced by Lora Bucsis. Voice over by me. Special thanks to SAIT Radio for their support and the use of their studios, and most of all, thank you for listening! 

SAIT’s Continuing Education and Professional Studies offers hands-on, immersive courses to infuse your career with the latest skills that employers are looking for.

Digital Technology

Do you have a passion for creative work? Want to use data or solve complex problems? Do you like engaging with customers or guiding business strategy? There are career paths for everyone in digital technology. Discover the variety of digital technology programs SAIT offers and get future-ready. 

Learn more

If you have questions about the courses below or would like more information, please contact ConEdadvising@sait.ca.

• Working in Digitization and Automation in Energy
• Powering up your career: why energy is the new tech job frontier
• Geoffrey Cann broadcast
• Digitalization and Energy
• Four ways digital can power a just energy transition
• Digital transformation in energy: Achieving escape velocity