As energy evolves, learning must continue: Platts and the CAP

It’s been over a year since I joined Platts through the Commodity Associate Program. I moved to Texas after finishing my energy-focused master’s degree at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, believing that my new role here would lead to continued, post-university learning and now, as I take stock of everything that’s happened since graduating from the CAP’s seven months of training and commodity market rotations, I can’t help but feel vindicated.

This summer, Samer Mosis — another SAIS graduate in our office, who also joined Platts through CAP — and I co-wrote an online article for The SAIS Review of International Affairs. This two-part analysis of shifting energy policy in Saudi Arabia and Mexico is probably my proudest achievement of the year and I believe it speaks to how much I have grown since joining Platts.

Samer and I instantly knew we had a compelling perspective to offer when the Review announced it was seeking essays to explore how populism is changing international politics and economics. Though the call for submissions seemed to imply populism was on the rise, we observed that the opposite was true in oil-dependent Mexico and Saudi Arabia, which are rolling back energy subsidies, busting oil monopolies, welcoming foreign investors, and raising taxes at the pump — the opposite of populist policymaking. In the conclusion, we contrasted these positive developments in Mexico and Saudi Arabia with troubling signals from the US oil industry.

Our thesis was dynamite and we had a mountain of data to support it, but when we began writing, I was a bit worried our employer might frown upon our effort to work with a student-run scholarly journal and instead push us in the direction of a Platts-branded publication. My anxiety was misplaced, however. Everyone at Platts supported our efforts to publish, which is not something we took for granted. Samer and I felt lucky to work at an organization that values the intellectual growth of its employees even when it doesn’t contribute to the company’s bottom line.

Maybe this shouldn’t have been surprising since each day at Platts has been an opportunity to hone my knowledge and skills. Although refined products are my main focus at Platts, working on joint stories with Latin America-focused members of our crude and distillates teams has offered me insight into other Mexican energy markets. Online courses and ‘lunch-and-learn’ events at the office have also been helpful in this respect. With assistance from our Central Editing Desk, my writing has improved drastically since joining the company. Most important, after the article was published, a manager in the oil group shared it with the entire office, which led to incredible feedback from coworkers with years of experience in journalism and energy. Now that I am finished with school, working in this environment full of high-caliber mentors who take a direct interest my professional development feels invaluable.

There are many different reasons to embark on a new career, which can offer a source of identity, wealth or fulfillment. But for me, opportunities to learn throughout my professional life are paramount. As corporations and academics fret over how to attract millennial talent (particularly in the energy industry), they ought to take a page out of Platts’ playbook.

After all, one Gallup poll that found 87% of millennial respondents believe personal development is important when picking a new job. In that spirit, I cannot wait to meet to the next batch of CAP participants joining us next year. If their experience is anything like mine, they will be pleased with the challenges and growth in store for them. I would moreover encourage any recent graduates out there who feel the same way I do about lifelong learning to consider the CAP.