Learning from the best

Felipe Perissé Duarte Lopes

Felipe Perissé Duarte Lopes

International trainee – Inspection engineer

“After six months at Axess in Norway it’s time to talk about this adventure and my experiences so far.”

First let’s talk about my education and how I got this job at Axess.

I’m a metallurgical and materials engineer, and possess a bachelor from the State University of North of Rio de Janeiro (Universdade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, UENF). The university is placed in Campos dos Goytacazes which is my hometown in Brazil, but in the end of my undergrad I had to make a tough decision between going to work or keep on studying to increase my knowledge. I had a desire to study abroad to improve my English skills, that at that point was terrible. My parents couldn’t afford to pay English courses.

My first contact with Axess

I got some advises from the school adviser, and he made a proposal I couldn’t refuse. He said that I could keep studying to receive a master degree in shorter time than usual. After the first period I did a sandwich doctorate (PHD) which means that I did all the courses in Brazil and half the period is experiments abroad, in this case in San Diego, California. I finished my degree in two years and three months.

During my San Diego period I went home to Brazil for Christmas and New Year. During one of my stays in Brazil I met Ivan Rongel from Axess do Brazil and had an informal chat with him at a restaurant. He was interested in my educational background, and this was the start of my contact with Axess. Before I went back to the US I had already done the interview at Axess do Brazil, and I did another one on Skype after getting back to San Diego.

When I returned to Brazil to defend my PhD thesis I received the job offer to join the Axess International Trainee program. I was going to Norway for one year to learn and then return to Brazil! What an adventure! So, I defended my PhD thesis on a Wednesday, signed the contract at AdB on Friday and on Monday I was already in Norway.

Learning from the best

After a slow start at Axess in Molde, with workshops, courses and introductions to all Axess procedures, I started the work properly. My first trip offshore was to a semi-sub Transocean rig (Winner) that’s a small and old rig. I learned a lot as I worked closely with one of the most experienced guys from Axess at RBI. After this first job I’ve done several projects on different rigs, such as fixed, jack up and semi-sub, in Mexico, Singapore and some in Norway.

With all these projects I’m increasing my professional experience, learning more and more of the most experienced workers and learn to deal with challenges that show up. I learn about new places, cultures and foods.
I love what I’m doing because it fits with my educational background and I’ve got colleagues who help each other to develop further.

And now, I am ready for new projects, more embarks, more tasks and more challenges to be solved in the remaining six months. After that I return to Brazil, with new knowledge that I hope that I can use for what it is worth.

Cheers, Skål and Brinde!

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