Unexpected learning opportunities and new responsibilities: Ting Xin’s story
Ting Xin hadn’t considered a career in the energy sector until attending one of bp’s careers events at university. It was only then she started to consider what a career in energy could look like
Given she studied mathematics and finance-related degrees at university, it might have been expected that Ting Xin would carve out her career in financial services. She freely admits she hadn’t considered a career in the energy sector until attending one of bp’s careers events at university. It was only then she started to consider what a career in energy could look like. She says, “At the careers event, I talked to someone from bp, who encouraged me to hand in my application.” Adding that “in the end, I chose bp for its values, they really align with mine”.
A role with a deeper purpose
Ting Xin’s role revolves around designing, developing, testing and enhancing the applications that bp uses. Currently, Ting Xin is enjoying developing a stress-test analytics solution employing hypothetical geopolitical and environmental scenarios. She says,
Although Ting Xin loves her day-to-day activities, ultimately what she values most about her work at bp is that she is contributing to a wider transformative change in the business and the industry as a whole. As a software engineer, Ting Xin’s work plays a pivotal role in leveraging technology and digital solutions to achieve bp’s net zero ambition, “the business is transforming and developing at the moment and everything we do from the IT side supports bp’s net zero ambition in some way,” she says.
The impact of Ting Xin’s work translates far beyond bp and plays a role in progressively tackling the climate crisis. She says, “I believe STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) can solve the world’s problems,” and as a software engineer at bp, Ting Xin is certainly making her mark.
Satisfying ambition through new challenges
One of the things that Ting Xin loves about being a software engineer at bp is that the work is so varied: “I love that every day has different challenges. I’m someone who sees challenges as great opportunities to learn,” she says.
At times, working as a software engineer has involved stepping out of her comfort zone. However, this is something Ting Xin loves about working at bp and that’s given her a deep sense of personal achievement. She says,
Responsibility and the space to grow
It’s not just the opportunity to learn new skills that Ting Xin appreciates about bp, but the responsibility it gives to its junior employees. Recalling a project from early on in her time at bp when she became responsible for a significant piece of work, she reflects with her characteristic positivity, “It was undoubtedly the biggest challenge I’ve faced in my career so far, but I learnt a great deal about being independent in my work and how to take responsibility for driving forward a solutions-minded approach. The experience helped make me the developer I am today.”
Ting Xin tells us that the culture at bp is a key part of what makes it a great place to learn and grow.
She adds that