After 20 years in the oil business, Craig Reed, 62, is thinking about winding down his career just as a second downturn in six years rocks the industry. Reed is part of the baby boomer generation that forms the backbone of the U.S. oil workforce and now weighs retirement as energy firms cut spending and shelve projects. That is a worrying prospect for company executives keen to keep their most experienced workers while they ride out the oil market slump. “Between the politics and uncertainty and cost cutting, a lot of people of my age are saying that it isn’t worth it anymore,” says Reed who draws up engineering and construction contracts for major energy projects worldwide. “Many of us could handle the downturn in 2008, but when the volatility comes back so quickly, and in a different form, it is difficult to take.” For him, it […]