Our “Where are They Now?” blog series introduces you to previous Oseberg interns so you can get a better sense of what they did, where they are now, and ultimately what they gained from interning with Oseberg. For more information on how to join the crew, check out our internship program, OseLaunch.
JIMMY SHACKFORD: DUKE CLASS OF 2019
Jimmy is a junior at Duke studying Physics and Electrical & Computer Engineering. He was our 2015 summer intern, and is currently interning with Boeing’s systems engineering team. Jimmy graduated from the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics (OSSM), where he first heard about Oseberg when our CEO, Evan Anderson, also a Duke alumni, spoke about Oseberg to OSSM students. At OSSM, Jimmy was involved in Robotics, Student Council, American Computer Science League, and TEAM+S Engineering Competitions. At Duke, Jimmy is an active member of the Research Scholars Program and the Institute of Electronics and Engineers.
WHAT DID YOU DO WHILE AT OSEBERG?
I worked with the software engineering team to research and develop web-crawling techniques, create web crawler programs to gather Oklahoma oil and gas data, and process data from Texas oil and gas lease documents. I also created a program with SQL to normalize database entry names.
WHAT WAS THE MOST ENJOYABLE PART OF YOUR INTERNSHIP?
I really enjoyed having an early opportunity to form professional relationships with world-class engineers. I think most importantly what I got out of my time with Oseberg was work experience in software engineering, exposure to agile development, and an introduction to business practices and day-to-day operations in a startup company.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE SINCE OSEBERG?
The summer after Oseberg I knew I wanted to work with software again, so I did a software engineering internship with PowerCosts, Inc. in Norman, Oklahoma. During my sophomore year, I worked in the lab in Duke’s physics department, and I’m currently doing a systems engineering internship at Boeing.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR FUTURE INTERNS?
My advice for future interns would definitely be to question everything. If there’s anything you don’t understand about the company, or you think there’s a way to improve some process, bring attention to it. Chances are, you can be the one to help figure out a new solution to a problem. One thing I really loved about my internship was Oseberg’s collaborative and innovative culture, so don’t think that just because you’re an intern you won’t have an opportunity to contribute your ideas!