Lindsey McCarty is a managing partner and COO for Selenite Energy Partners, a portfolio company of Carnelian Energy Capital that provides structured capital solutions for the energy industry, where she’s responsible for engineering and technical analysis.
In this week’s “My Career in Energy” Q&A, Lindsey tells us about her first job, what excites her about her current role, and shares advice for those entering the energy industry today.
What was your first job?
My first job was as a production engineer for Marathon in Oklahoma City, and to this day it remains one of my favorite assignments. The ability to spend material time on location early in my career was invaluable, and I owe much of what I know today to some fantastic mentors during my time in that role.
What is the first thing you do when you start work in the morning?
Each morning I start with a cup of coffee while I read analyst notes and news, check emails, go through office mail and handle any back-office items that need addressing. We are a small group, so we all wear a lot of hats at Selenite.
What would you be doing if you weren’t in this career?
I would try to find a way to craft for a living. When that inevitably did not work out, I would love to teach high school math.
How do you relax?
My favorite ways to spend free time are knitting, laughing with friends and family, playing with my sons, and traveling with my husband.
What was your favorite school subject and why?
I always appreciated math, especially statistics, but my favorite class was band.
What advice would you give someone entering the energy industry today?
There is a place for you here. Where most people see headwinds, look for solutions. Be the kind of person other people want to work with. Take any opportunity you can to learn data science because it is now and will continue to be a very valuable skill set that can be applied in numerous ways in energy. This industry is never stagnant, and while I don’t know what it will look like in 10 years, I know it won’t look exactly like it does today so position yourself to be flexible and hold on tight.
What book has helped you most at work?
In work and life, “Outliers” and “Talent is Overrated” have stuck with me. In short, generally, those who excel do so because of the hours they put in rather than sheer innate ability.
If you could travel back in time 10 years, would you do anything differently?
If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t change any decisions I made or experiences I’ve had, but I would tell myself to worry less.
What excites you about your job?
I love crossing paths with many different people and getting to analyze deals from all over the continent. It’s fun to work for a small company where I have a seat at the table in terms of making decisions, but still get to do technical analysis — often those are mutually exclusive.
Want to connect with Lindsey? You can find her LinkedIn here.
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