Comments (March 2005)
Authors: Donnelly John 
Published: February 2015

SPE’s membership reached its highest total ever last year and is almost 20% higher than it was just a decade ago. There are clear trends in the growth. The percentage of non-U.S. members is increasing at a rapid pace, and the number of student members has more than doubled in the past few years. The membership growth partly reflects some changes going on at SPE. The Society has become a truly international organization for oil and gas industry professionals.
SPE had 64,383 members at the end of last year, 54% of them living outside the U.S. The membership total has been on a steady incline since 2000. That has led to the creation of new sections and student chapters around the world. SPE now has more than 150 sections and more than 100 student chapters located around the globe. For a more detailed look at some of these demographics, go to SPE’s website at www.spe.org under “About SPE,” then “Membership.”
Another trend reflected in SPE’s membership, and in the oil and gas industry as a whole, is the gradual graying of employees in the sector. SPE actually showed a slight increase in the number younger members last year, but the average age is still over 45. The aging of the industry is not a new topic; the “big crew change” has become a cliché. SPE is making a big effort to get young professionals enthusiastic and involved in the Society and in the industry. 2005 SPE President Giovanni Paccaloni described some of the programs and services SPE is offering to that end in his column in last month’s issue.
Many of you soon will receive, or already have received, SPE’s new magazine targeted to young professionals, The Way Ahead. A 15-member editorial committee, made up of young professionals in the E&P industry, is overseeing the new publication, which will be published three times a year. SPE’s Board of Directors approved the creation of the publication last year, and the committee began working on the first issue soon after that. Many of the articles are written by young professionals in the industry themselves to ensure that their point of view is well represented.
The first issue includes an analysis of the industry’s demographic trends, a discussion of the job market, a first-person account of one engineer’s first years in the industry, a how-to on writing technical papers, articles on the importance of communication skills and the future of the petrophysicist, a roundup of SPE young professionals’ activities and events around the world, and coverage of the recent Leadership Conference that featured young leaders in the industry discussing current topics. SPE members under the age of 35 will receive the publication free as part of their membership benefits. The magazine also will be mailed to selected executives around the world.
The new magazine is just one of the important changes taking place at SPE. Last month, numerous improvements to the eLibrary—the storehouse of SPE technical literature—were unveiled that give members easier access to E&P technology. Improved online search-ing with better search results and preview pages with citation data and related document identification are some of the changes. More information about these and other SPE changes and improvements will be included in future issues of JPT.