Mustafa Chetheer Alyaseen

Control is Never the End Goal

Mustafa’s path into engineering began with a simple curiosity about how things work and how technology can address real-world problems. Such interest led him to study Laser and Optoelectronics Engineering at the University of Technology in Baghdad before his career took him into the oil and gas industry. Over the next 15 years, Mustafa’s career took him from wireline services into Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) projects and commissioning. He later moved into maintenance and operations support. Each stage exposed him to different engineering challenges. As for Mustafa, he had to adapt, develop new skills, and take on greater responsibilities where he broadened his understanding of the systems behind field operations along the way. 

Yet, 15 years in the industry did not mark the end of his learning. As technology and engineering practices continued to evolve, Mustafa recognized the value of revisiting his technical foundations and developing a deeper understanding of instrumentation and process control – that mindset eventually led him to pursue EIT’s Professional Certificate of Competency in Instrumentation, Automation & Process Control. “I chose EIT because of its strong reputation for practical, industry-focused education. The course offered exactly what I was looking for: an opportunity to strengthen my technical foundation and stay current with modern instrumentation practices.” 

Learning Between the Lines

Choosing to continue learning was one thing. Making space for it alongside an established career and family life was another. In Mustafa’s operating oil field environment, priorities can change quickly, with urgent maintenance activities sometimes requiring his immediate attention. To keep his studies on track, he maintained a consistent routine and focused on making gradual progress.  

For him, pursuing the Professional Certificate of Competency in Instrumentation, Automation & Process Control meant finding a rhythm that allowed him to keep up with the demands of his work while staying committed to his studies.

According to him, EIT’s online learning model helped in deepening his understanding of areas that are already central to his job.

This helped in deepening concepts that are central to his role, including control philosophies, instrumentation diagrams, Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP), reliability, and automation. As Mustafa puts it, “The course helped me become more confident when reviewing technical documents, discussing control strategies, and communicating with different teams involved in operations, maintenance, and projects.” 

Mustafa’s Drive to Go Further

For Mustafa, the next stage of his development is to expand the knowledge he has already built through experience and his studies at EIT. He plans to pursue further professional development in areas including AutoCAD Plant 3D, process safety, Safety Instrumented Systems and Safety Integrity Levels (SIS/SIL), reliability engineering, and project management. For him, each technical area represents another opportunity to strengthen the knowledge he brings to the field.  

As Mustafa puts it, “The knowledge I gained through EIT provides a strong foundation for these goals and helps me build both technical depth and a broader understanding of modern industrial systems.” 

Mustafa’s experience shows that professional development can do more than expand an engineering professional’s knowledge. It can broaden an engineering professional’s perspective and prepare them for the evolving demands of instrumentation, automation, and process control across the evolving oil and gas industries.