My name is Yanislav. I am the lucky one who got "Yes" on a sunny summer evening. And now I am studying for a Master's degree in Petroleum Engineering at the best hub of intelligence and uncontrollable inventiveness – Skoltech.

I can describe myself as a student-practitioner in well-drilling and completion who knows a little more about rock exploration and O&G production. While studying at the university, I managed to visit many production facilities, successfully worked as a shift worker and engineer in the harsh West Siberian land. My first shift as a driller's assistant was at the age of 17.

I came to the Moscow from the best city in the Universe (among all cities standing on a swamp) – Kogalym, which was formed from a small railway station Kogalymskaya with a dozen tents and an unfinished bathhouse. But now, in my humble opinion, this is a significant cultural center of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, and soon there will be an educational one.

Having received a good education in Kogalym, I entered the Ufa State Petroleum University. I am extremely grateful to my alma mater. University is not only about education, but also about the forge of character.

Sakhalin Energy LLC is developing the Piltun-Astokhskoye oil field and the Lunskoye gas field off the north-eastern coast of Sakhalin. Its activities include production, transportation, processing, and marketing of oil and natural gas.

My task during the internship was to complete and compile well history files for activities, including all operations carried out on each well in the Astokh area from the start of drilling in 1999 (in most cases) to the present. An interesting fact: production work on the Astokh area is being executed from the Molikpaq platform, the first ice-class offshore oil platform in Russia, installed on the Russian shelf.

Industrial immersion went smoothly for me. I prepared myself: studied the relevant literature as far as possible, found out about the Molikpaq asset, as well as about the company and its values. Preliminary preparation for practice is very important – the main attention is paid to the task, and not to viewing open materials.

The pace to the company was long, but confident. Looking back, I remember learning about Sakhalin Energy during my undergraduate summer shift and where my supervisor then said, "Don't stop! With your knowledge of the language and the subject, you'd better aim for offshore projects."

And I did not stop, in 2021 there was an opportunity to get to Sakhalin as part of the 'OstroVa' forum to get to know the island better. The company then announced a case competition, where it was possible to offer solutions for industry-specific problems. Which is what I did. My projects for drilling and completion won first place. This helped to increase the chances of getting into student internship.

There is no doubt that my work at Sakhalin Energy has expanded my understanding of drilling methods, the basics of well completion design, subsurface equipment and the concept creation and implementation workflow. This is the merit of the strong team of the Technical Directorate, where you feel the friendly atmosphere from the first days. The culture of active communication is at a high level here, and it is an invaluable experience for a young engineer to conduct a dialogue on a par with high experts in their field.

I am infinitely grateful to all those who took the time to teach and listen, who gave advice, and showed Sakhalin Island in all its glory. Thanks to the team, for example, I was able to visit the southernmost point of Sakhalin, Cape Crillon.

Sometimes I go to the gym because the body also require development. For a long time, I was engaged in powerlifting and achieved some success.

I also study Chinese intensively. We have set our sights on the Asian market, and the ability to communicate in the language of partners is an integral part of the corporate culture. Especially in our industry and in the Sakhalin-2 project, which is operated by Sakhalin Energy LLC, where the main consumers are Asian countries. So, I think it is worth taking a closer look and starting to learn Vietnamese, Japanese and Lao as well.

A few years ago, I realised that if you have the energy and time, then why not take a chance. That is why I entered Skoltech. That`s why I went to such a remote point in Russia.

My next goal is to complete the Graduate Development Program at Sakhalin Energy and start my career at the Technical Directorate in Well Planning, Construction and Maintenance Department.

I would like to continue to be useful to my country, to solve strategic issues in the Russian Fuel and Energy Complex, and most importantly, to benefit people with my actions and decisions.