Posted: 7/30/2014 8:50:52 PM EDT
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I've read multiple threads along the lines of...
OP --- "I have no skills and am generally worthless" Poster --- "Move to the oilfields, you'll be making $100k to start with, no skills needed" As someone who has no experience with "the oilfields", can someone please explain this to me. Why are employers at the oilfields willing to pay otherwise worthless people huge sums of money? Is it supply (of workers) vs. demand (of workers), where there is a huge demand but the job is so terrible that no-one is willing to do it, unless the pay is astronomical? Are employers just making so much money on oil that they can afford to throw it around and be frivolous? Please educate me. |
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Also, what could someone with a ME degree and no oilfield experience (5 years aerospace) earn? Curious 
Not afraid to rough it for an M-16 and savings to buy a house.  You say that until you're thrown in the middle of the prison yard. Trust me, most of the ones I see, that we fly there, are people you would avoid in general. Talking to the people that actually are from those oil towns, they say the courts are backed up for months because of everything that happens there. |
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You have to realize the oilfield is boom and bust. Today's water truck driver making $30/hr might go back to manning the counter at Autozone in two years. And people live to throw out $100k like it is a sure thing. If you work for a very good company you may get say $25-$30 for a position that matters and has benefits. So your base pay is say $50k-$60k, the rest is working overtime. Also, a $30/hr job doing mindless work has no benefits and it is why you see young kids running around in $50k trucks cause they don't care about retirement or benefits.
The oilfield works on say a 10 year cycle. If you live where it hits, when it hits, you can make money. If you get in after the game has started you will find yourself paying $1500 for a spot to park a camper and live out of it. If you want to work long term in the oil field you need to move with it. If you are a professional, then you can avoid moving, but you will really be limited to a few very large cities (Houston, etc.). So basically, the people making the money with no skills are the ones that already lived where the boom took off or have no problem living in a camper or with roommates. They also generally don't tote a family around with them, they live away from their family. I work in Africa. I make good money for it. I also want to come home and make my regular money again. I miss home, miss my wife, miss my life. Not everything is roses my friend, you only hear about the paychecks. Granted if you have no job or have some bills to pay you could suck it up and do the job, but you need to really look at it like a gold rush. There is money and there is bust, but there usually isn't the little things in life you should also treasure. |
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Also, what could someone with a ME degree and no oilfield experience (5 years aerospace) earn? Curious
Not afraid to rough it for an M-16 and savings to buy a house. Should be easy to get hired on. Might be a waste of your talent.
Start somewhere around 60k minimum. In my experience they seem to want to run you into the ground... Sleep and days off are bad words, dying or being crippled in a vehicle accident isn't for me. 
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Also, what could someone with a ME degree and no oilfield experience (5 years aerospace) earn? Curious
Not afraid to rough it for an M-16 and savings to buy a house. I'm headed to mud school in Houston for the next 2 months. I have zero oilfield experience and a sociology degree. Will be making about 80 grand starting plus great benefits with Halliburton. 2 weeks on 2 weeks off once I get done training. No man camps and they're giving me a truck and fuel card to get there and back on my hitches. It's more of a thinking job than a physical labor job. Mud Engineer if you're interested. |
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You have to realize the oilfield is boom and bust. Today's water truck driver making $30/hr might go back to manning the counter at Autozone in two years. And people live to throw out $100k like it is a sure thing. If you work for a very good company you may get say $25-$30 for a position that matters and has benefits. So your base pay is say $50k-$60k, the rest is working overtime. Also, a $30/hr job doing mindless work has no benefits and it is why you see young kids running around in $50k trucks cause they don't care about retirement or benefits. The oilfield works on say a 10 year cycle. If you live where it hits, when it hits, you can make money. If you get in after the game has started you will find yourself paying $1500 for a spot to park a camper and live out of it. If you want to work long term in the oil field you need to move with it. If you are a professional, then you can avoid moving, but you will really be limited to a few very large cities (Houston, etc.). So basically, the people making the money with no skills are the ones that already lived where the boom took off or have no problem living in a camper or with roommates. They also generally don't tote a family around with them, they live away from their family. I work in Africa. I make good money for it. I also want to come home and make my regular money again. I miss home, miss my wife, miss my life. Not everything is roses my friend, you only hear about the paychecks. Granted if you have no job or have some bills to pay you could suck it up and do the job, but you need to really look at it like a gold rush. There is money and there is bust, but there usually isn't the little things in life you should also treasure. Depends on if you are worth a damn or not. There is always work in the oilfield somewhere. My dad has made 100-400k a year for the last 25 or so years. |
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Depends on if you are worth a damn or not. There is ways work in the oilfield somewhere. My dad has made 100-400k a year for the last 25 or so years. Quoted:
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You have to realize the oilfield is boom and bust. Today's water truck driver making $30/hr might go back to manning the counter at Autozone in two years. And people live to throw out $100k like it is a sure thing. If you work for a very good company you may get say $25-$30 for a position that matters and has benefits. So your base pay is say $50k-$60k, the rest is working overtime. Also, a $30/hr job doing mindless work has no benefits and it is why you see young kids running around in $50k trucks cause they don't care about retirement or benefits. The oilfield works on say a 10 year cycle. If you live where it hits, when it hits, you can make money. If you get in after the game has started you will find yourself paying $1500 for a spot to park a camper and live out of it. If you want to work long term in the oil field you need to move with it. If you are a professional, then you can avoid moving, but you will really be limited to a few very large cities (Houston, etc.). So basically, the people making the money with no skills are the ones that already lived where the boom took off or have no problem living in a camper or with roommates. They also generally don't tote a family around with them, they live away from their family. I work in Africa. I make good money for it. I also want to come home and make my regular money again. I miss home, miss my wife, miss my life. Not everything is roses my friend, you only hear about the paychecks. Granted if you have no job or have some bills to pay you could suck it up and do the job, but you need to really look at it like a gold rush. There is money and there is bust, but there usually isn't the little things in life you should also treasure. Depends on if you are worth a damn or not. There is ways work in the oilfield somewhere. My dad has made 100-400k a year for the last 25 or so years. Who fucking cares |
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Who fucking cares Quoted:
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You have to realize the oilfield is boom and bust. Today's water truck driver making $30/hr might go back to manning the counter at Autozone in two years. And people live to throw out $100k like it is a sure thing. If you work for a very good company you may get say $25-$30 for a position that matters and has benefits. So your base pay is say $50k-$60k, the rest is working overtime. Also, a $30/hr job doing mindless work has no benefits and it is why you see young kids running around in $50k trucks cause they don't care about retirement or benefits. The oilfield works on say a 10 year cycle. If you live where it hits, when it hits, you can make money. If you get in after the game has started you will find yourself paying $1500 for a spot to park a camper and live out of it. If you want to work long term in the oil field you need to move with it. If you are a professional, then you can avoid moving, but you will really be limited to a few very large cities (Houston, etc.). So basically, the people making the money with no skills are the ones that already lived where the boom took off or have no problem living in a camper or with roommates. They also generally don't tote a family around with them, they live away from their family. I work in Africa. I make good money for it. I also want to come home and make my regular money again. I miss home, miss my wife, miss my life. Not everything is roses my friend, you only hear about the paychecks. Granted if you have no job or have some bills to pay you could suck it up and do the job, but you need to really look at it like a gold rush. There is money and there is bust, but there usually isn't the little things in life you should also treasure. Depends on if you are worth a damn or not. There is ways work in the oilfield somewhere. My dad has made 100-400k a year for the last 25 or so years. Who fucking cares
And we're off! 
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And we're off! Quoted:
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You have to realize the oilfield is boom and bust. Today's water truck driver making $30/hr might go back to manning the counter at Autozone in two years. And people live to throw out $100k like it is a sure thing. If you work for a very good company you may get say $25-$30 for a position that matters and has benefits. So your base pay is say $50k-$60k, the rest is working overtime. Also, a $30/hr job doing mindless work has no benefits and it is why you see young kids running around in $50k trucks cause they don't care about retirement or benefits. The oilfield works on say a 10 year cycle. If you live where it hits, when it hits, you can make money. If you get in after the game has started you will find yourself paying $1500 for a spot to park a camper and live out of it. If you want to work long term in the oil field you need to move with it. If you are a professional, then you can avoid moving, but you will really be limited to a few very large cities (Houston, etc.). So basically, the people making the money with no skills are the ones that already lived where the boom took off or have no problem living in a camper or with roommates. They also generally don't tote a family around with them, they live away from their family. I work in Africa. I make good money for it. I also want to come home and make my regular money again. I miss home, miss my wife, miss my life. Not everything is roses my friend, you only hear about the paychecks. Granted if you have no job or have some bills to pay you could suck it up and do the job, but you need to really look at it like a gold rush. There is money and there is bust, but there usually isn't the little things in life you should also treasure. Depends on if you are worth a damn or not. There is ways work in the oilfield somewhere. My dad has made 100-400k a year for the last 25 or so years. Who fucking cares
And we're off! Someone had to say it, I held my tongue. I gave an honest opinion and the reply was the typical oilfield talk. |
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And we're off! Quoted:
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You have to realize the oilfield is boom and bust. Today's water truck driver making $30/hr might go back to manning the counter at Autozone in two years. And people live to throw out $100k like it is a sure thing. If you work for a very good company you may get say $25-$30 for a position that matters and has benefits. So your base pay is say $50k-$60k, the rest is working overtime. Also, a $30/hr job doing mindless work has no benefits and it is why you see young kids running around in $50k trucks cause they don't care about retirement or benefits. The oilfield works on say a 10 year cycle. If you live where it hits, when it hits, you can make money. If you get in after the game has started you will find yourself paying $1500 for a spot to park a camper and live out of it. If you want to work long term in the oil field you need to move with it. If you are a professional, then you can avoid moving, but you will really be limited to a few very large cities (Houston, etc.). So basically, the people making the money with no skills are the ones that already lived where the boom took off or have no problem living in a camper or with roommates. They also generally don't tote a family around with them, they live away from their family. I work in Africa. I make good money for it. I also want to come home and make my regular money again. I miss home, miss my wife, miss my life. Not everything is roses my friend, you only hear about the paychecks. Granted if you have no job or have some bills to pay you could suck it up and do the job, but you need to really look at it like a gold rush. There is money and there is bust, but there usually isn't the little things in life you should also treasure. Depends on if you are worth a damn or not. There is ways work in the oilfield somewhere. My dad has made 100-400k a year for the last 25 or so years. Who fucking cares
And we're off! 13'ers gotta 13.
Does not hurt my feelings. I put up with roughnecks, power tripping drillers, Tool Pushers, and Company men for a living. I can take it, and I can dish it out. 
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13'ers gotta 13. Quoted:
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You have to realize the oilfield is boom and bust. Today's water truck driver making $30/hr might go back to manning the counter at Autozone in two years. And people live to throw out $100k like it is a sure thing. If you work for a very good company you may get say $25-$30 for a position that matters and has benefits. So your base pay is say $50k-$60k, the rest is working overtime. Also, a $30/hr job doing mindless work has no benefits and it is why you see young kids running around in $50k trucks cause they don't care about retirement or benefits. The oilfield works on say a 10 year cycle. If you live where it hits, when it hits, you can make money. If you get in after the game has started you will find yourself paying $1500 for a spot to park a camper and live out of it. If you want to work long term in the oil field you need to move with it. If you are a professional, then you can avoid moving, but you will really be limited to a few very large cities (Houston, etc.). So basically, the people making the money with no skills are the ones that already lived where the boom took off or have no problem living in a camper or with roommates. They also generally don't tote a family around with them, they live away from their family. I work in Africa. I make good money for it. I also want to come home and make my regular money again. I miss home, miss my wife, miss my life. Not everything is roses my friend, you only hear about the paychecks. Granted if you have no job or have some bills to pay you could suck it up and do the job, but you need to really look at it like a gold rush. There is money and there is bust, but there usually isn't the little things in life you should also treasure. Depends on if you are worth a damn or not. There is ways work in the oilfield somewhere. My dad has made 100-400k a year for the last 25 or so years. Who fucking cares
And we're off! 13'ers gotta 13. I know I know you win :) |
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All I'm saying is the the oil field guys around here have caused more trouble than anything. And they have the attitude that they are better than the rest of the labor force. It gets old fast with all of the bar fights I can understand that viewpoint. We are not tolerant of that. My company does a LOT of alcohol testing. Blow a .04 and you are fired on the spot. .02 and you are suspended for 3 months. We also do a lot of hair follicle testing. They go back three months. I have been tested five times this year. Some oilfield workers do act like fools and it makes us all look bad. Those are the alcoholics sitting around spouting off the "beware, it's boom or bust" bullshit all the time. If it gets slow, I'll go back to snubbing or go international. |
| Its mainly because they make billions a year profit. Engineers start at like 75k for the first 9 months then after training you get bonuses that will put you up to 150k ish plus housing and per diem which is another 3-4k month. And that's sitting in a chair monitoring shit.. |
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I have a few awesome friends that are in the oil field so I'm all for them. It's just that they attract a rough crowd. But hey if I can convince a few to buy life insurance I'm happy haha I have a couple policies. It's kind of irresponsible not to unless you are single. |
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I'm headed to mud school in Houston for the next 2 months. I have zero oilfield experience and a sociology degree. Will be making about 80 grand starting plus great benefits with Halliburton. 2 weeks on 2 weeks off once I get done training. No man camps and they're giving me a truck and fuel card to get there and back on my hitches. It's more of a thinking job than a physical labor job. Mud Engineer if you're interested. Quoted:
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Also, what could someone with a ME degree and no oilfield experience (5 years aerospace) earn? Curious
Not afraid to rough it for an M-16 and savings to buy a house. I'm headed to mud school in Houston for the next 2 months. I have zero oilfield experience and a sociology degree. Will be making about 80 grand starting plus great benefits with Halliburton. 2 weeks on 2 weeks off once I get done training. No man camps and they're giving me a truck and fuel card to get there and back on my hitches. It's more of a thinking job than a physical labor job. Mud Engineer if you're interested. I have a couple buddies that just came back from a mud school in Houston. They said it ain't no joke, esp if you don't like math. |
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I have a couple policies. It's kind of irresponsible not to unless you are single. Quoted:
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I have a few awesome friends that are in the oil field so I'm all for them. It's just that they attract a rough crowd. But hey if I can convince a few to buy life insurance I'm happy haha I have a couple policies. It's kind of irresponsible not to unless you are single. I try to target the slightly older guys that are starting to think about the future. The young ones that only care about their trucks ain't buying anything haha |
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The worthless ones get weeded out pretty quick.
The hardest workers that can tough it out and learn everything they can about their job and perfect it are the ones that move up. Just be healthy and prepared to work and show some enthusiasm and you will get quite far in the industry. That is if you get hired in the first place. |
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I have a couple buddies that just came back from a mud school in Houston. They said it ain't no joke, esp if you don't like math. Quoted:
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Also, what could someone with a ME degree and no oilfield experience (5 years aerospace) earn? Curious
Not afraid to rough it for an M-16 and savings to buy a house. I'm headed to mud school in Houston for the next 2 months. I have zero oilfield experience and a sociology degree. Will be making about 80 grand starting plus great benefits with Halliburton. 2 weeks on 2 weeks off once I get done training. No man camps and they're giving me a truck and fuel card to get there and back on my hitches. It's more of a thinking job than a physical labor job. Mud Engineer if you're interested. I have a couple buddies that just came back from a mud school in Houston. They said it ain't no joke, esp if you don't like math. But that's what you want to shoot for. A position that is skilled and hard to easily replace. The Brodozer driving roughneck or roustabout can be replaced in a day. |
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I have a couple buddies that just came back from a mud school in Houston. They said it ain't no joke, esp if you don't like math. Quoted:
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Also, what could someone with a ME degree and no oilfield experience (5 years aerospace) earn? Curious
Not afraid to rough it for an M-16 and savings to buy a house. I'm headed to mud school in Houston for the next 2 months. I have zero oilfield experience and a sociology degree. Will be making about 80 grand starting plus great benefits with Halliburton. 2 weeks on 2 weeks off once I get done training. No man camps and they're giving me a truck and fuel card to get there and back on my hitches. It's more of a thinking job than a physical labor job. Mud Engineer if you're interested. I have a couple buddies that just came back from a mud school in Houston. They said it ain't no joke, esp if you don't like math. Yeah. A few guys from here have flunked recently. The boss met with us for 3 days last week and worked through down hole volumes and mass balance equations so the first weeks don't catch us off guard. I don't plan to do much besides studying. Gave up a 17 year career to do this so I have to make it work. |
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Yeah. A few guys from here have flunked recently. The boss met with us for 3 days last week and worked through down hole volumes and mass balance equations so the first weeks don't catch us off guard. I don't plan to do much besides studying. Gave up a 17 year career to do this so I have to make it work. Quoted:
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Also, what could someone with a ME degree and no oilfield experience (5 years aerospace) earn? Curious
Not afraid to rough it for an M-16 and savings to buy a house. I'm headed to mud school in Houston for the next 2 months. I have zero oilfield experience and a sociology degree. Will be making about 80 grand starting plus great benefits with Halliburton. 2 weeks on 2 weeks off once I get done training. No man camps and they're giving me a truck and fuel card to get there and back on my hitches. It's more of a thinking job than a physical labor job. Mud Engineer if you're interested. I have a couple buddies that just came back from a mud school in Houston. They said it ain't no joke, esp if you don't like math. Yeah. A few guys from here have flunked recently. The boss met with us for 3 days last week and worked through down hole volumes and mass balance equations so the first weeks don't catch us off guard. I don't plan to do much besides studying. Gave up a 17 year career to do this so I have to make it work. Mud is kind of important. There are only two things going in the hole. Mud and steel, and it's kinda hard to screw up steel.
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You say that until you're thrown in the middle of the prison yard. Trust me, most of the ones I see, that we fly there, are people you would avoid in general. Talking to the people that actually are from those oil towns, they say the courts are backed up for months because of everything that happens there. Quoted:
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Also, what could someone with a ME degree and no oilfield experience (5 years aerospace) earn? Curious
Not afraid to rough it for an M-16 and savings to buy a house. You say that until you're thrown in the middle of the prison yard. Trust me, most of the ones I see, that we fly there, are people you would avoid in general. Talking to the people that actually are from those oil towns, they say the courts are backed up for months because of everything that happens there. If you don't factor in what it costs to live in the boom cycle you are going to go bust |
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I have a couple buddies that just came back from a mud school in Houston. They said it ain't no joke, esp if you don't like math. METH Quoted:
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Also, what could someone with a ME degree and no oilfield experience (5 years aerospace) earn? Curious
Not afraid to rough it for an M-16 and savings to buy a house. I'm headed to mud school in Houston for the next 2 months. I have zero oilfield experience and a sociology degree. Will be making about 80 grand starting plus great benefits with Halliburton. 2 weeks on 2 weeks off once I get done training. No man camps and they're giving me a truck and fuel card to get there and back on my hitches. It's more of a thinking job than a physical labor job. Mud Engineer if you're interested. I have a couple buddies that just came back from a mud school in Houston. They said it ain't no joke, esp if you don't like math. METH J/K
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You say that until you're thrown in the middle of the prison yard. Trust me, most of the ones I see, that we fly there, are people you would avoid in general. Talking to the people that actually are from those oil towns, they say the courts are backed up for months because of everything that happens there. Quoted:
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Also, what could someone with a ME degree and no oilfield experience (5 years aerospace) earn? Curious
Not afraid to rough it for an M-16 and savings to buy a house. You say that until you're thrown in the middle of the prison yard. Trust me, most of the ones I see, that we fly there, are people you would avoid in general. Talking to the people that actually are from those oil towns, they say the courts are backed up for months because of everything that happens there. Man camps are pretty damn close to prisons. 
But we do have nice Rec rooms. 
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Also, what could someone with a ME degree and no oilfield experience (5 years aerospace) earn? Curious
Not afraid to rough it for an M-16 and savings to buy a house. Call and find out. They would most likely want you to move to Tulsa or Houston. http://www.hpinc.com/careers/job-postings/corporate-field-offices |
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I have a couple buddies that just came back from a mud school in Houston. They said it ain't no joke, esp if you don't like math. Quoted:
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Also, what could someone with a ME degree and no oilfield experience (5 years aerospace) earn? Curious
Not afraid to rough it for an M-16 and savings to buy a house. I'm headed to mud school in Houston for the next 2 months. I have zero oilfield experience and a sociology degree. Will be making about 80 grand starting plus great benefits with Halliburton. 2 weeks on 2 weeks off once I get done training. No man camps and they're giving me a truck and fuel card to get there and back on my hitches. It's more of a thinking job than a physical labor job. Mud Engineer if you're interested. I have a couple buddies that just came back from a mud school in Houston. They said it ain't no joke, esp if you don't like math. After 5 years of industry aerospace math I can adjust (have worked energy in the past). If you wouldn't mind passing on who I should send my resume to, and what kind of job is available (via PM), that would be awesome. I'm looking for the right job to bring me back to TX. |
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Who fucking cares Quoted:
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You have to realize the oilfield is boom and bust. Today's water truck driver making $30/hr might go back to manning the counter at Autozone in two years. And people live to throw out $100k like it is a sure thing. If you work for a very good company you may get say $25-$30 for a position that matters and has benefits. So your base pay is say $50k-$60k, the rest is working overtime. Also, a $30/hr job doing mindless work has no benefits and it is why you see young kids running around in $50k trucks cause they don't care about retirement or benefits. The oilfield works on say a 10 year cycle. If you live where it hits, when it hits, you can make money. If you get in after the game has started you will find yourself paying $1500 for a spot to park a camper and live out of it. If you want to work long term in the oil field you need to move with it. If you are a professional, then you can avoid moving, but you will really be limited to a few very large cities (Houston, etc.). So basically, the people making the money with no skills are the ones that already lived where the boom took off or have no problem living in a camper or with roommates. They also generally don't tote a family around with them, they live away from their family. I work in Africa. I make good money for it. I also want to come home and make my regular money again. I miss home, miss my wife, miss my life. Not everything is roses my friend, you only hear about the paychecks. Granted if you have no job or have some bills to pay you could suck it up and do the job, but you need to really look at it like a gold rush. There is money and there is bust, but there usually isn't the little things in life you should also treasure. Depends on if you are worth a damn or not. There is ways work in the oilfield somewhere. My dad has made 100-400k a year for the last 25 or so years. Who fucking cares Damn 13'er you okay?
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Damn 13'er you okay? Quoted:
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You have to realize the oilfield is boom and bust. Today's water truck driver making $30/hr might go back to manning the counter at Autozone in two years. And people live to throw out $100k like it is a sure thing. If you work for a very good company you may get say $25-$30 for a position that matters and has benefits. So your base pay is say $50k-$60k, the rest is working overtime. Also, a $30/hr job doing mindless work has no benefits and it is why you see young kids running around in $50k trucks cause they don't care about retirement or benefits. The oilfield works on say a 10 year cycle. If you live where it hits, when it hits, you can make money. If you get in after the game has started you will find yourself paying $1500 for a spot to park a camper and live out of it. If you want to work long term in the oil field you need to move with it. If you are a professional, then you can avoid moving, but you will really be limited to a few very large cities (Houston, etc.). So basically, the people making the money with no skills are the ones that already lived where the boom took off or have no problem living in a camper or with roommates. They also generally don't tote a family around with them, they live away from their family. I work in Africa. I make good money for it. I also want to come home and make my regular money again. I miss home, miss my wife, miss my life. Not everything is roses my friend, you only hear about the paychecks. Granted if you have no job or have some bills to pay you could suck it up and do the job, but you need to really look at it like a gold rush. There is money and there is bust, but there usually isn't the little things in life you should also treasure. Depends on if you are worth a damn or not. There is ways work in the oilfield somewhere. My dad has made 100-400k a year for the last 25 or so years. Who fucking cares Damn 13'er you okay? I'm great thanks for asking 
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| For what it's worth the Pittsburgh steel mills paid top dollar to guys off the street before they disappeared in the 80's. I had college grads I went to high school with working right along side of me because it paid so well. The more seniority you had the higher the pay. |
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Most of the time when you hear "oilfield" people only think or talk about rig positions (roughnecks). There are a shit ton of different jobs available. It just depends on what you want and what skillset you bring. The industry as a whole is entering into a shortage of skilled, experienced workers though.
ETA: The high pay for the "unskilled' positions is due to long, dirty, dangerous work as others have already mentioned. You'll make good money but you'll definitely earn it. If you're married, the divorce rate is pretty high in the field. |
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Most of the time when you hear "oilfield" people only think or talk about rig positions (roughnecks). There are a shit ton of different jobs available. It just depends on what you want and what skillset you bring. The industry as a whole is entering into a shortage of skilled, experienced workers though. Yup. There is a LOT involved in a well. Drilling Fracing Coiled tubing Snubbing Wireline Cementing Instrumentation/SCADA Pipelines Road construction Trucking Crane operations Seismology Surveying The list goes on. |
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The stories. I have been working in oil fields for the past 14 years. Like others stated, not all jobs are drilling related. I work in maintenance, and although it started out a little rough, after time I worked up to a pretty good position with a major. I work 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off, plus I get 2 weeks vacation every year. So for working 24 weeks a year, I make 150-165K, depending on my annual bonus. The camp is nothing like jail. I would not trade it for anything, nor would 99% of my co-workers. Yeah, I'm gone every 2 weeks, but I'm home every 2 weeks with no worries about getting called in. There is no way I could go back to a 40 week job in town, with just weekends off and 1 vacation a year. Benefits are excellent also. It is not for everyone, but it sure works for me.
Downfall is they are implementing more and more rules about how we do our jobs, it's just taking the fun out of it. Way too many safety rules now-a-days. I also average about a trip a year for some sort of training, and trust me, we do quite well on those trips! I would always recommend oil field work. I got this far with a HS education. Engineers do much better, they like engineers, doesn't matter what field. Go for it!! |
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It's a good gig if you're willing to learn in whichever field you choose. I've been roughnecking, pipelining, production, midstream, and every where in between. I make excellent money, I remember everything I'm taught, and I've only worked for 3 companies doing it. Make a good name for yourself, do what's required of you plus some, show up sober, and people will remember you and you'll always have a job. Either of the other two companies I worked for prior to Cimarex I could walk back into or make a phone call and have a job starting at 75k until they found a position doing whatever I was doing when I was left.
It's filled with idiots but they don't last long, the smarter guys stick around and make a hell of a career anywhere in the world. I'll never do anything else, have no desire to. From drilling rigs to pipelines it gets in your blood. |