A cellist at heart, Julia longed to return to her hometown to reconnect with her Chinese-rooted extended family and immerse herself in Oslo's vibrant music scene.

Despite her attachment to Subsea7's headquarters in Stavanger, rumors of an Oslo office intrigued her. Julia began inquiring and may have been a bit persistent with her leaders, but she saw the opportunity to combine what she values most: family, music, and Subsea7.

Last summer, she received the green light to move into the same premises as Seaway7, a wind energy company wholly owned by Subsea7.

"Why didn't you want to move back home to Oslo and work for another company?" we ask.

"Because I really enjoy my job. We work on major projects and are involved in developing energy infrastructure on the seabed from concept development through construction to offshore installation of the products we've created," she says.

However, she adds, "Certainly, similar work could be done for other companies, but what truly makes this place unique are the people. The colleagues in Stavanger and now at the Oslo office are fantastic individuals, professionally skilled and team players."

She explains that, like in any job, there are sometimes routine and less motivating tasks that simply need to be done.

"But I look forward to work every day, even those with heavy workloads. And that's because I get to meet my supportive colleagues who I view as friends."

Julia still meets her friends at the Stavanger office often.

“Luckily, I get to travel to the main Norway office regularly, and, in my current project, for several days at a time”.

Julia is a multitalented individual. She speaks four languages: Norwegian is her native tongue, and she also speaks Chinese, English, and Spanish, though she says her Spanish and Chinese are not as good as they were because she does not get to practice them enough.

"Unfortunately, my family speaks a lot of Norwegian at home. I wish we could speak more Chinese since languages are perishable," she says.

She is also an excellent cellist and could have pursued a career as a musician. Julia comes from a musical family. Two of her cousins are among Norway's top talents in classical music: Catharina Chen, one of the youngest 1st concertmasters at the Norwegian Opera & Ballet, and Sara Chen, the 2nd concertmaster for the Norwegian Radio Orchestra (KORK).

Julia enjoying a sunny day at the office.

Her parents strongly encouraged Julia to play an instrument, but there was never excessive pressure. When she started out, there were some struggles as learning the basics of classical music is demanding, but her parents encouraged her to never give up.

As she improved, she discovered how wonderful it is to handle a classical instrument. Julia chose to become a cellist. And she became a very good cellist.

However, in 2015, she had to make a difficult choice. She had been accepted to both the Norwegian Academy of Music and to Marine Technology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim.

"Music was always my plan A. However, after careful consideration I ended up choosing Marine Technology, which was kind of my plan B."

"Do you regret that choice?" we ask.

"No, never. I have a fantastic job. And I've never regretted putting so much effort into music. What I learned over 12 years of playing is something no one can take away from me. And I still derive a lot of joy from playing."

Getting closer to the music scene in Oslo, which she knew from before, was one of the reasons Julia wanted to return to her hometown.

"I had a desire to play more, be in touch with the music scene, and I definitely want to take on performance opportunities if I get the chance."

But the main reason she wanted to come back home was her family.

"I have a large and wonderful family, and we gather regularly for big get-togethers."

Julia also thrives in her new work environment at Skøyen, central Oslo.

“Both colleagues from Subsea7 and Seaway7 are incredible, and I've already made many friends. Like in Stavanger, there are great workout facilities at work, and both places I have fantastic workout buddies," she says, adding that exercise is important to her as it promotes better health, well-being, and sleep.

She also mentions that the premises are excellent with a good lunch arrangement and are located near the train station at Skøyen.

Julia now looks forward to having more colleagues at Subsea7's office in Oslo. Subsea7 plans to hire between 20 and 30 engineers in Oslo this year.