Internship Lessons Learned: SM Energy, Allie Huizenga

I was very excited to intern at SM Energy this summer in a Land Administration role. Going into it I did not have any idea of what would be in store. No one in industry really talks about Land Administration and what goes on, so I was very excited to see what would be in store for my internship. Land Administration is not what many think it is. It is a very important part of a Land department and I learned that first hand this summer.

I began working in Lease Records for my first half of my summer. As I came to find out this is the where the most analytical work comes into play. Those skills like attention to detail and organization truly come into play. Analysts receive the specific document (in my case Rights of Way) and with the system the analyst pulls all the information that is most important and captures it. This truly requires a keen eye for pulling the correct provisions or obligations for the Landman/Analyst to track easily.

Division Orders entails even more analytical information. They are the ones tasked with tracking people interest whether it is the Feds or a simple Royalty Owner. It does require a lot of excel calculations but, it is not just “sitting in a cube and making numbers add to one”. It is so much more. It requires analysts to know statutes and families personally to resolve people. As my coach put it Land will always need Division Order Analysts because people die, and interest will be transferred.

SM Energy did a great job with seeing both departments work together and Land Administration as a whole and working closely with the Regional Land Departments. Not all companies are like this though. Some work completely separate from one another or at other, analysts will do both Division Orders and Lease Records for their specific wells. However, don’t be deterred if you get offered a Land Administration offer. From everyone I talked to, the best Landmen are those that truly understand both sides of the Land Department.

The pictures I added along with this Letters from the Road are those from a field trip I got to attend along with the Billings Interns to Wyoming which just so happened to fall on my 20th birthday (what a way to spend it right?). What is actually really cool about these two wells that we visited (one a frac site and the other a rig) were wells that I actually had the chance to work on. The well that was being fracked was my favorite because I saw the process from Lease Records to Division Orders. The rig was a well that I also worked with on the Lease Records side. I was truly grateful and lucky to have an experience that many do not get of working on the same wells in both Lease Records and Division Orders.

Overall my advice would be take a Land Administration internship if it is offered. It truly will only benefit you in the long run and make you a better Landman. If you put your mind to anything and use the skills that we work on during recruiting and classes you will only succeed in industry.

Allie Huizenga

Internship Lessons Learned: Whiting, Ksenyia Kudzelich

A year ago I couldn’t even imagine what my life would be like and what I would be doing. Now I am finishing my internship at Whiting Petroleum, and I am very sad to leave – the people, the work I am doing, and my lifestyle. There are way too many things I would love to share with you, but I outlined the main ones that I find helpful.

• Detail orientation. I remember last year it was one of the most repeatedly mentioned skills that everyone must have in order to succeed. Yes, it is very necessary, but hey, don’t let it scare you away! If you don’t think you are that detail-oriented, it doesn’t mean you are destined to fail. It’s an acquired skill; it will take a lot of practice and time, but you can get there. Just don’t give up on it and practice, practice, practice.

• Don’t be in a hurry, ever! Take your time (within a reason), and double check, triple check your work. No one will benefit from a sloppy done job, especially you.

• Don’t be picky at school – learn everything. I was surprised at how many non-oil and gas classes helped me throughout my internship: Excel, accounting, business communication (!) and even psychology.

•  When working on a project, dig it. Read court cases, try to connect the dots, ask yourself why it’s happening and who benefits from it, no matter what the project is. Enjoy what you are doing. If you try to finish an assignment just to finish, there is no point (and I am just speaking for myself, that might be an arguable statement). People that come in the industry with high expectations and a closed mind don’t fail, but they are not noticed – there are way too many folks like that. Again, someone might argue. 

• Work for the job and then the job will work for you. Stay a little longer, do more than asked, walk an extra mile – and you will benefit from it. You will learn so much more, and the job will get more interesting, cases will get more complicated and fun. Do you want more? If yes, take this advice.

• Be yourself. Seriously, just be yourself.

And last but not least, it’s better to try the internship once than hear about it a hundred times. Get yourself out there, this is fun!

I just wanted to thank many people that made my summer happen, starting with Menon that gave me confidence, opportunity, and believed in me, Jeff and alumni that constantly develop the program, Whiting that saw the potential and took me on board. I love my job!! Denver likes Western, so let’s keep up this way. Western Up!

KK