My name is Hytham, and I am a Chemical Engineer working in the refinery and natural gas liquids fractionation as part of Saudi Aramco’s downstream operations. I’m almost completing 10 years in the company. I’m currently leading the safety coordination team.

After finishing high school I joined the company’s college preparatory program and they sent me to study chemical engineering and economics at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

When I joined the Ras Tanura oil refinery I did not expect the operations to be of this magnitude. It’s really huge for a Chemical Engineer — it’s like a child going to Disneyland.

Working in one of the world’s largest facilities of this kind is very interesting because things are always changing; you have room to work on different assignments, work with different teams, and that was certainly my case working in this refinery. Working in Saudi Aramco is very interesting because through my last 10 years in the company I have met so many nationalities, people from different backgrounds, and even many people from different areas of Saudi Arabia.

There are so many hobbies if you can pick one and have the discipline to focus on, because there is so much going on. For me specifically, photography is my hobby. Wherever you go in the company you find people who have been everywhere in the world with different experiences and it has been really enriching for me.

So if you’re thinking about joining the company I’d say give it a try, it’s a very unique opportunity I don’t think you can find elsewhere.