Heritage: Fall 2021

Kyle King
’16, BS Geology
Core Laboratories Analyst, Houston, Texas

As a professional rock collector, core analyst Kyle King conducts exploratory geological work in oil fields across the world. After drilling out and pulling sections of rock to the surface, King takes them back to labs located in either Denver, Houston or Midland where he conducts tests to determine the best approach to maximize oil field production.

“With my job, what we’re doing is getting data from a field to say, ‘I know this well can produce this much and make this much profit.’ If I drill 200 feet over here, I might be able to do the same thing,” he said. “It’s all about finding what’s actually down there and being able to produce what the country needs as far as petroleum products go.”

King’s career began in 2017 with a recruiter phone call for a job he didn’t know existed. Since then, he has traveled to places near and far.

“One of my favorite memories, I was in South America near the equator during Christmas. Within 24 hours of leaving 100-degree weather there, I was in minus 8 degree weather on the northern coast of Alaska.”

Although King didn’t know that being a core analyst was an option, he always knew he wanted to go into the oil industry with his geology degree earned from SHSU.

“Because of certain experiences and knowledge acquired during college, I’m comfortable going to a rig, being in the middle of nowhere, staying like that and doing this work,” King said. “This is a cool job that requires a love for the outdoors and for traveling. I’ve seen a bunch of places that, normally, I would have never been able to see.”