At the 20th SPE Student Chapters Annual Meeting in Neuquén, Tecpetrol leaders shared their perspectives with petroleum engineering students on subjects ranging from Vaca Muerta, professional development, artificial intelligence, and the importance of being willing to step outside your comfort zone.

More than 120 petroleum engineering students from across Argentina, representing student chapters of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), took part in the annual event organized by the National University of Comahue (UNCo) in Neuquén. They heard from Ricardo Ferreiro, E&P President, and María Laura García, Chief Human Resources Officer, and learned about the work of Tecpetrol’s NEO (NextGen Energy Operations) team.

Ferreiro and García approached the conversation from different angles—Exploration and Production on the one hand, and people management on the other—but their message was much the same: the industry’s future lies in Vaca Muerta, and making the most of that opportunity will require judgment, curiosity, and a willingness to take risks.

“I’m a mechanical engineer. I’ve been working in oil and gas for 34 years, and there is still so much to learn.” That was how Ferreiro opened his talk. In his view, the idea that you study for a few years and then spend the rest of your life working is a thing of the past. Learning continues on the job. “University teaches you theory, critical thinking, how to research, and how to distinguish what matters from what doesn’t. But the real world is different.”

“You’re in the right place at the right time,” Ferreiro told the students. At current levels of domestic consumption, he explained, Vaca Muerta’s reserves represent almost 200 years of gas and close to 100 years of oil. “You—and probably several generations after you—could have work here for your entire careers. That completely changes the outlook.” He stressed that this was not an argument in defense of fossil fuels, but a reflection of current realities. “We’re no longer talking only about the energy transition; we’re also talking about energy addition. The world has an enormous appetite for energy, and there can be no development without it.”

Asked about opportunities abroad, García encouraged students to keep their focus closer to home. “For the next few years, I’d be looking here,” she said. She also expects Tecpetrol to recruit more young professionals and interns than in previous years, noting that 70% of summer interns go on to continue with the company in regular internship positions. “Last year, only 74 petroleum engineers graduated. We need more of them, so finishing your degree on time really matters. The opportunities will be there.”

Designing your own career

García looked back on her own career across the Group: Tenaris, Ternium in Venezuela, the holding company, back to Tenaris, and, for the past eight years, Tecpetrol. “You need to think broadly about how you build your career—take on different experiences, move around, and try new things. That makes you more employable and gives you a much broader view of how different businesses work,” she told the students. She explained that Tecpetrol and the Techint Group place a strong emphasis on developing talent from within. “I joined as a Young Professional, and so did 70% of the Group’s senior executives.”

When recruiting, the company looks beyond interpersonal skills for people who are analytical, imaginative, comfortable working in English, and able to keep learning, acknowledge mistakes, and bounce back from setbacks. When a student from Buenos Aires said he was unsure about the prospect of working in another city, García drew on her own experience. Originally from Zapala, she has lived in Mendoza, Campana, and Venezuela. “Of course it can be a little daunting. But it pushes you out of your comfort zone and makes life much richer. And if you work out in the field, you’ll learn things you’ll never find in a textbook.”

Asked about her experience as a woman in the industry, García noted that women made up 18% of Tecpetrol’s workforce when she joined the company in 2018. Following the introduction of a gender diversity program, that figure had risen to 26% by 2025, with women now well represented at plants, field operations, and in exploration. “I’m really glad to see so many women studying petroleum engineering. We still have a long way to go, and it’s a journey we need to make together.”

Knowing what to ask—and being willing to take a chance

Both speakers had much the same message about artificial intelligence: your own judgment still matters most.“You’re not entering a world where AI is simply going to solve everything for you and all you have to do is press a few keys,” Ferreiro warned. “You need to know how to ask the right questions—and then you need to know how to assess the answers you get back.”García, meanwhile, referred to the World Economic Forum’s finding that seven of the ten skills considered most important for the future are soft skills. “What worries me is the risk of letting AI get in the way of critical thinking. It’s tempting to use it to solve a derivative or an integral, but don’t stop thinking for yourselves.”

The same idea ran through the presentation by Manuel Caride, Operating Model Innovation & Data Science Sr. Manager; Maximiliano Martel, Control Room Manager; and Agustina Rallé, NextGen Energy Operations Jr. Engineer. They showed how NEO is rethinking the way operations work: defining how the company wants to operate in the future and starting today to build the capabilities needed to get there, with multidisciplinary teams and AI that brings together data and human expertise.

They shared the experience of the SIGMA Room, where bringing different areas together has changed not only processes but also the way teams work—breaking down silos and making decisions based on what delivers the best overall result. They also presented tools such as digital twins and hybrid AI models, which learn from data while remaining grounded in the laws of physics.

Ferreiro also spoke about the skills unlikely to be learned from a textbook: persuasion, empathy, leadership, teamwork, and knowing when to say no. “You can’t build anything on your own,” he observed. Describing himself as naturally shy, he explained that he learned to overcome that barrier by putting himself forward. “Raise your hand. Ask to get involved. Ask for a chance to contribute. It’s always better to have to rein someone in than to have to push them forward.”

García made a similar point, noting that a course, a hobby, or a sport can also help build these skills. “Knowing how to write and get your message across is essential. Always look for that human connection.” If an application is unsuccessful, she recommended asking for feedback and taking the time to understand what was missing. “Learning to deal with frustration is another important skill—and it’s something I still find difficult myself. Your generation has a lot to teach us about how to handle mistakes.”

At the end of their talks, both speakers were asked what advice they would give their younger selves. “Be brave,” García offered. “I never imagined I would study engineering and end up in Human Resources, but I found something I’ve been passionate about for the past 30 years.” Ferreiro, meanwhile, reflected on how expectations have changed. In the past, he said, the emphasis was on having the answers; today, it is increasingly about knowing which questions to ask. “Curiosity is one of the strongest drivers of learning and opportunity. So my advice is simple: stay curious.”