Drilling superintendent pursues petroleum engineering degreeFebruary 09, 2021

Joseph Vaughan is 33 years old, works full time and is a family man.  Even with his busy schedule, Vaughan is committed to completing a bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering.  As a drilling superintendent for Patterson-UTI, he said that a degree will enable him to move up in the company. 

“I’ve been with Patterson for over 13 years,” Vaughan explained.  “I started when I was 20 working as an entry-level floor hand, and I’ve moved up the career ladder ever since.  Four years ago, I was promoted to drilling superintendent over the Permian Basin.  I felt that pursuing my degree would be helpful in my efforts to continue moving up within Patterson.  Also, I really love working in the oil and gas industry and love the fieldwork.  I’ve always wanted to use my field knowledge and college education to become a well-rounded and respected petroleum engineer.  I constantly encourage the employees whom I supervise to pursue a similar path of higher education to better their career opportunities.” 

Vaughan is currently responsible for several of the Patterson’s rigs in the Permian Basin covering the area from Midland to Carlsbad, NM.  He has managed some of the largest operators in the United States.  He works two weeks on and two weeks off and claims Austin as his home.  When he is in the Permian Basin, Patterson provides lodging for him around the areas in which his rigs are located. 

“It’s not a typical job, but it works for my family and me,” Vaughan said.  “I first started working for Patterson in the South Texas area for 9 ½ years before transferring to the Permian Basin to become a drilling superintendent for the last 4 years.” 

Vaughan said that when he began researching higher education opportunities, he reached out to the Engineering department at Midland College (MC) and within hours of his initial inquiry, Dr. Brian Flowers, MC Henry Chair of Engineering, contacted him.   

“Dr. Flowers was very professional and told me about options for getting started in engineering at Midland College,” Vaughan stated.  “I was also impressed by the number of online courses I could take so that my work schedule wouldn’t be interrupted and I could be home with my family in Austin.” 

As an added bonus, Vaughan said that when he told Patterson-UTI Senior Vice President Mike Garvin and Regional Vice President Brandon Benedict that he was going to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering, they consistently worked with him to ensure he was able to fulfill both his work and school obligations. 

“I was truly grateful for their support and willingness to invest in me,” Vaughan noted. “It’s every employee’s dream to have supervisors who take care of their employees. I also can’t thank my operations manager Kurt Bailey enough for helping me balance my work obligations and studying without any problems. 

“I started taking classes in fall 2018 and just took one or two courses that first semester. I wanted to make sure that I could juggle school, job and family responsibilities.”  

Vaughan has certainly proven that he can do it the right way.  He obtained an Associate of Science degree from MC in December and graduated as an Honors Scholar with a GPA over 3.85. 

“It was important for me to do as well as I could because I knew that my operations manager and vice presidents were supporting my dreams,” Vaughan said.  “My plans are to transfer to the University of Texas Permian Basin or Texas Tech to finish my degree and then work on getting a master’s degree. 

“I was really fortunate at Midland College that I could actually take ALL my courses online.  I have the great advising team at Midland College to thank for that.  My advisor knew that I needed as many online courses as possible.  She contacted me last spring and told me that all summer lab courses would be offered online because of the pandemic, so I enrolled in a summer chemistry course and two summer geology courses.  Those were tough courses, but I got through them all with A’s.” 

As an Honors Scholar, Vaughan was required to complete additional research projects in at least four classes.  He chose Texas Government, Geology, Humanities and Music Appreciation.   

Then, his last semester at Midland College, he took a U.S. History course with Dr. David Hopkins. 

“Dr. Hopkins is a great teacher,” Vaughan said.  “His lectures relate history to what’s going on in today’s world.  He inspired me to complete an additional honors research project in history which made my 5th honors credit possible.” 

In addition to taking classes online, Vaughan also took advantage of the online services provided by the college’s Math Lab.   

“I hadn’t had a math course since I was in high school,” Vaughan said.  “I appreciated the online tutoring services available through the Math Lab.  I also had to get a private tutor when I moved up into calculus.  All that extra math studying was worth it; my last semester I got an ‘A’ in calculus!” 

Vaughan stated that he wants to inspire other oilfield employees to follow the route he has taken, even with the abnormal schedules that they work in the field.  

“It is possible to get a degree and work full time,” Vaughan said “You just have to find time to manage your job, home life and study life.  Invest in yourself so that others want to invest in you, as well.”