[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Interested In Oil Field Work (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 7/8/2015 10:17:35 PM EDT
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A little background on myself, I went to school for Air Traffic Control (degrees in Air Traffic Management & Aerospace Operations), due to the federal government changing the hiring policy, I'm not getting my hopes up on landing a job in this field. I am interested in the oil field because I want a lucrative job and I actually enjoy working hard.
I have researched for a few days online to try and narrow down what interests me, but it hasn't helped any 
I know there are a few guys on here that work or have worked in the field and I would like to know what are some good entry level jobs to look into that have good opportunities for advancement. Also what is the pay and hours like that you've experienced? I am willing to travel most places for the right coin. I suck at the search function |
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I found a farmer that lost most of his guys to the oilfields, He figured it out and is paying me big bucks. Long hours sometimes, full time year round, I love it. Big paychecks.
There is still oilfield work to be found here, but it is winding down somewhat. I don't know that the pay will be what it once was, but there is still work to be had. I have family that work in the fields, one of which is in charge of hiring and firing crews, he is always saying there is more work than workers everywhere out there. |
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Quoted: Yup. Wait until the next big upswing, oilfield took a major shit, only a handful of companies are still fracing full steam right now. Quoted: Quoted: You missed the big upswing. What skills do you bring to the table? Yup. Wait until the next big upswing, oilfield took a major shit, only a handful of companies are still fracing full steam right now. Yep, too many experienced guys out there looking for jobs right now. Be hard for a new hire to find a job. |
Good luck. There's 10,000 ol boys in texas that got laid off and lost their houses that would like to enter the oil field again.
If this tells you anything. I have 6 pipeliners helping us build a metal building for 12 bucks an hour bc they cant find jobs. Guys that had big money welding jobs. Drive 80k jacked up dually brodozers and now they work as day labor till the oilfield comes back. |
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Let me guess, Riddle degrees? CTI? I'm in ATC, and I'm quite familiar with the new selection process. It makes zero sense. Nope, Riddle cost waaay to much. The ATM is CTI. I am still in the hiring for now, I took the ATSAT June 23rd, I'm just not getting my hopes up. |
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I was quality control manager for a few years, I was a land surveyor for 4-5 years. I'm not sure I have any skill will translate over into the oil field. Quoted:
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You missed the big upswing. What skills do you bring to the table? I was quality control manager for a few years, I was a land surveyor for 4-5 years. I'm not sure I have any skill will translate over into the oil field. Digging through old records to find out who owns what? Old courthouses? Markers? Landman. Except not really a good time to be a landman right now. It's office work - and mainly applies when a company is looking for new places to drill. When folks think "oilfield" they think Exploration and Production. But there is all the stuff that comes afterwards which is just as important - and hasn't slowed down near as much. Operating. Fabrication. I&E. Maintenance. Etc. |
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Good luck. There's 10,000 ol boys in texas that got laid off and lost their houses that would like to enter the oil field again.
If this tells you anything. I have 6 pipeliners helping us build a metal building for 12 bucks an hour bc they cant find jobs. Guys that had big money welding jobs. Drive 80k jacked up dually brodozers and now they work as day labor till the oilfield comes back. Makes sense, but it doesn't sound promising. That's probably why most of the articles I read were pre-2015 |
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Digging through old records to find out who owns what? Old courthouses? Markers? Landman. Except not really a good time to be a landman right now. Quoted:
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You missed the big upswing. What skills do you bring to the table? I was quality control manager for a few years, I was a land surveyor for 4-5 years. I'm not sure I have any skill will translate over into the oil field. Digging through old records to find out who owns what? Old courthouses? Markers? Landman. Except not really a good time to be a landman right now. Yep, every damned day. I loved the job and have considered going back. |
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Yep, every damned day. I loved the job and have considered going back. Quoted:
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You missed the big upswing. What skills do you bring to the table? I was quality control manager for a few years, I was a land surveyor for 4-5 years. I'm not sure I have any skill will translate over into the oil field. Digging through old records to find out who owns what? Old courthouses? Markers? Landman. Except not really a good time to be a landman right now. Yep, every damned day. I loved the job and have considered going back. A landman is a person who digs through courthouse records, deeds, etc, to figure out who owns a specific piece of land. And in particularly who owns the mineral rights below that piece of land. Then, may make contact with the owner and begin the process of figuring out a contract to drill a well / purchase the minerals. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landman_(oil_worker) |
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Quoted: Nope, Riddle cost waaay to much. The ATM is CTI. I am still in the hiring for now, I took the ATSAT June 23rd, I'm just not getting my hopes up. Quoted: Quoted: Let me guess, Riddle degrees? CTI? I'm in ATC, and I'm quite familiar with the new selection process. It makes zero sense. Nope, Riddle cost waaay to much. The ATM is CTI. I am still in the hiring for now, I took the ATSAT June 23rd, I'm just not getting my hopes up. Did you take the atsat before or after the BioQ? |
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Where did you go for CTI? I went to Middle Ga. Did you take the atsat before or after the BioQ? Quoted:
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Let me guess, Riddle degrees? CTI? I'm in ATC, and I'm quite familiar with the new selection process. It makes zero sense. Nope, Riddle cost waaay to much. The ATM is CTI. I am still in the hiring for now, I took the ATSAT June 23rd, I'm just not getting my hopes up. Did you take the atsat before or after the BioQ? Middle Ga, 2012. The process now goes, BioQ, Resume review, ATSAT, Security Clearance, Background/Psych/Physical, Academy I failed the 2014 BioQ, I cracked the code in 2015 
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Makes sense, but it doesn't sound promising. That's probably why most of the articles I read were pre-2015 Quoted:
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Good luck. There's 10,000 ol boys in texas that got laid off and lost their houses that would like to enter the oil field again.
If this tells you anything. I have 6 pipeliners helping us build a metal building for 12 bucks an hour bc they cant find jobs. Guys that had big money welding jobs. Drive 80k jacked up dually brodozers and now they work as day labor till the oilfield comes back. Makes sense, but it doesn't sound promising. That's probably why most of the articles I read were pre-2015 The guys here might be able to guide you though. My dad works in the oilfield for a marketing company that owns 750 trucks. He doesnt live in a very good area for oil and makes 110k a year driving a truck. My cousin has been there 20 years. Its doable. Just not easy like the boom times. |
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"Working in the oil patch" is a broad term...there's a thousand different job descriptions on a well site, oil or gas, new drill or old well rejuvenation..
Too bad none of them are hiring right now. Not in Oklahoma anyway, and this state is one big oil field. Most oilfield related employers I know right now have already laid off half their employees. The 20+ year guys are the only ones who still have jobs, but they can walk onto about any rig and go to work. |
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Open up your horizons a little. Instead of working the rigs "in the field", are you willing to relocate to a oil refinery, IF you could get on? Gulf Coast is highest concentration, but they are scattered everywhere; I think there are still 120-125 refineries operating in the US. There's 5 in OK, at least 3 in KS, dozens in Houston, Corpus Christi, etc. I just retired in May from an oil refinery after 38 yrs. We hired hourly process operators, off the street, with no experience, minimum education is HS diploma, for right at $30/hr, to staff the process operating (refining) units, for entry level (bottom helper) jobs. After completing a 3 yr apprenticeship program you're at $38/hr. You'd work 12 hr shifts, on some kind of shift rotation, depending on location. Most all 12 hr shift rotations work 84 hours in a 2 week pay period, so there's 4 hrs of OT built into your schedule. Then if you work one of your days off every now and then to fill open shifts due to sickness, vacation, etc., the OT hours add up. We have hourly guys with a high school diploma making $100,000 yr, if they're willing to work a little OT. Granted, there's always 1,200 to 1,500 applicants every time we advertised to hire a new class of 20 process operator apprentices. But, you have to apply and take the prelim tests, to get interviewed. Most oil refinery hourly jobs are represented by a union(s), but not all of them are.
Six figure hourly jobs are out there, you just got to search them out. Edit: when domestic crude oil prices are lower, drilling curtailed, etc, the refineries don't reduce throughput, they just pay less for the crude, gasoline prices go down, etc. They may process more foreign crude vs domestic, but their throughput rates usually stay the same, unless all of us start driving less and buy less gasoline, diesel, etc. Best wishes! |
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I still "have" a job but I'm working like 8-10 days a month. Trying to find me a regular job right now.
5 years on a rig, 3 years running a rig, cdl. And I've finally got 2 interviews tomorrow for jobs I applied for 3 months back..to ease your pain on the crappy time getting in it right now, last year I made 90k @20 dollars an hour. I'm interviewing for 12-13 dollar an hour jobs... Eta: I took a 2 dollar an hour pay cut and and then was jobless 3 hours later back in February working for a diff rig company |
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I still "have" a job but I'm working like 8-10 days a month. Trying to find me a regular job right now. 5 years on a rig, 3 years running a rig, cdl. And I've finally got 2 interviews tomorrow for jobs I applied for 3 months back..to ease your pain on the crappy time getting in it right now, last year I made 90k @20 dollars an hour. I'm interviewing for 12-13 dollar an hour jobs... Eta: I took a 2 dollar an hour pay cut and and then was jobless 3 hours later back in February working for a diff rig company Key energy is hiring Derrick men and up in South Texas. |
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Key energy is hiring Derrick men and up in South Texas. Quoted:
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I still "have" a job but I'm working like 8-10 days a month. Trying to find me a regular job right now. 5 years on a rig, 3 years running a rig, cdl. And I've finally got 2 interviews tomorrow for jobs I applied for 3 months back..to ease your pain on the crappy time getting in it right now, last year I made 90k @20 dollars an hour. I'm interviewing for 12-13 dollar an hour jobs... Eta: I took a 2 dollar an hour pay cut and and then was jobless 3 hours later back in February working for a diff rig company Key energy is hiring Derrick men and up in South Texas. I appreciate the heads up. I don't plan to travel unless my wife somehow loses her job. He'll I didn't plan on staying in it this long. I was a first and hopefully last generation oilfield worker. |
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I appreciate the heads up. I don't plan to travel unless my wife somehow loses her job. He'll I didn't plan on staying in it this long. I was a first and hopefully last generation oilfield worker. Quoted:
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I still "have" a job but I'm working like 8-10 days a month. Trying to find me a regular job right now. 5 years on a rig, 3 years running a rig, cdl. And I've finally got 2 interviews tomorrow for jobs I applied for 3 months back..to ease your pain on the crappy time getting in it right now, last year I made 90k @20 dollars an hour. I'm interviewing for 12-13 dollar an hour jobs... Eta: I took a 2 dollar an hour pay cut and and then was jobless 3 hours later back in February working for a diff rig company Key energy is hiring Derrick men and up in South Texas. I appreciate the heads up. I don't plan to travel unless my wife somehow loses her job. He'll I didn't plan on staying in it this long. I was a first and hopefully last generation oilfield worker. I am third generation.
We are slow learners.
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I am third generation.
We are slow learners. Quoted:
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I still "have" a job but I'm working like 8-10 days a month. Trying to find me a regular job right now. 5 years on a rig, 3 years running a rig, cdl. And I've finally got 2 interviews tomorrow for jobs I applied for 3 months back..to ease your pain on the crappy time getting in it right now, last year I made 90k @20 dollars an hour. I'm interviewing for 12-13 dollar an hour jobs... Eta: I took a 2 dollar an hour pay cut and and then was jobless 3 hours later back in February working for a diff rig company Key energy is hiring Derrick men and up in South Texas. I appreciate the heads up. I don't plan to travel unless my wife somehow loses her job. He'll I didn't plan on staying in it this long. I was a first and hopefully last generation oilfield worker. I am third generation.
We are slow learners. Bahaha obviously. Naw it was fun before I this whole safety crap shoot came around. And I'm very picky of who I will work for these days. Too many bad/idiot toolpushers. There's only 2 guys I'll work for. Ones here and one in nodak. If I hate my next job maybe it'll be booming in again in few years and can go get a toolpusher spot or go be a toolhand...other then that....nope nope nope screw this lol. |
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Bahaha obviously. Naw it was fun before I this whole safety crap shoot came around. And I'm very picky of who I will work for these days. Too many bad/idiot toolpushers. There's only 2 guys I'll work for. Ones here and one in nodak. If I hate my next job maybe it'll be booming in again in few years and can go get a toolpusher spot or go be a toolhand...other then that....nope nope nope screw this lol. Quoted:
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I still "have" a job but I'm working like 8-10 days a month. Trying to find me a regular job right now. 5 years on a rig, 3 years running a rig, cdl. And I've finally got 2 interviews tomorrow for jobs I applied for 3 months back..to ease your pain on the crappy time getting in it right now, last year I made 90k @20 dollars an hour. I'm interviewing for 12-13 dollar an hour jobs... Eta: I took a 2 dollar an hour pay cut and and then was jobless 3 hours later back in February working for a diff rig company Key energy is hiring Derrick men and up in South Texas. I appreciate the heads up. I don't plan to travel unless my wife somehow loses her job. He'll I didn't plan on staying in it this long. I was a first and hopefully last generation oilfield worker. I am third generation.
We are slow learners. Bahaha obviously. Naw it was fun before I this whole safety crap shoot came around. And I'm very picky of who I will work for these days. Too many bad/idiot toolpushers. There's only 2 guys I'll work for. Ones here and one in nodak. If I hate my next job maybe it'll be booming in again in few years and can go get a toolpusher spot or go be a toolhand...other then that....nope nope nope screw this lol. The safety shit is getting carried away to the point it is causing safety issues. 
Now some operators are deciding that they want a separate SCBA setup from the others. Everyne used to use Scot AV-2000 masks but now some are using drager masks. Just because you fit one does not mean you fit the other. Some poor bastard will think he is good to go on his fit test and end up with a mask that does not seal.
I dont trust the safety guys further than I can throw them. They are usually missing a finger or two. I buy my own crickets and bump gas. |
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Quoted: Let me guess, Riddle degrees? CTI? I'm in ATC, and I'm quite familiar with the new selection process. It makes zero sense. Actually, it makes perfect sense if you're a progressive-liberal that wants to 'punish' educated white people for holding all of the poor minorities down and taking all the good jobs, because reasons. |
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Best rule of thumb in any industry:
Be as useful as possible. The person with the "It's not my job" attitude is the sour apple that will be cut or fired. I mention this attribute because I've seen a few service members who are used to having more formal structure within an organization, ie the military, where people have specific jobs. In the oil and gas you have an ass, a face, two hands and legs. Be the guy who can figure it out and get it done...safely. If you can do that you'll be successful no matter the market conditions. -edit- Roustabout work, which if you want to know what they do, just look up roustabout in the dictionary. 50-80k annually. Labor intensive, home every night. It's the bottom of the totem poll in the industry but it's good experience to gain which will give you a leg up in future applications above someone who doesn't know shit getting hired to a coil / workover / frac / pumping job. Workover Rigs, good opportunity with good money and experience to gain. Work is labor intensive, generally a service that's needed no matter the market. Pay will be from 70-100k annually. Usually just daylight hours, 12-14 hour days. Every other weekend off is a typical schedule. 5days on, 2 days off, 6 days on, 1 off (Sunday) Id say getting your foot in the door in any sector of the industry is a good move. Once your in and you think you know something, keep your ears open before you open your mouth. You won't be very well regarded, atleast by those who matter around you. And don't be a rumor mill guy, or management hater, or any other form of scum arm-chair employee. Keep a smile on your face, work hard, even harder when it sucks, and you'll get more out of it than just a paycheck. |
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Be a bit salesman like I was...
Get yelled at, cussed at, and thrown out of trailers just to come back the next day. Well depending on the situation....sometimes yall waste their money, sometimes their engineers waste their money. I ran it the way I was told to! |
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Best rule of thumb in any industry: Be as useful as possible. The person with the "It's not my job" attitude is the sour apple that will be cut or fired. I mention this attribute because I've seen a few service members who are used to having more formal structure within an organization, ie the military, where people have specific jobs. In the oil and gas you have an ass, a face, two hands and legs. Be the guy who can figure it out and get it done...safely. If you can do that you'll be successful no matter the market conditions. Been trying to get fired for 2 years like that lol. They just won't do it. Quit the same place twice get called back a week later. My phone doesn't ring much these days and I enjoy it |
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A landman is a person who digs through courthouse records, deeds, etc, to figure out who owns a specific piece of land. And in particularly who owns the mineral rights below that piece of land. Then, may make contact with the owner and begin the process of figuring out a contract to drill a well / purchase the minerals. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landman_(oil_worker) Quoted:
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You missed the big upswing. What skills do you bring to the table? I was quality control manager for a few years, I was a land surveyor for 4-5 years. I'm not sure I have any skill will translate over into the oil field. Digging through old records to find out who owns what? Old courthouses? Markers? Landman. Except not really a good time to be a landman right now. Yep, every damned day. I loved the job and have considered going back. A landman is a person who digs through courthouse records, deeds, etc, to figure out who owns a specific piece of land. And in particularly who owns the mineral rights below that piece of land. Then, may make contact with the owner and begin the process of figuring out a contract to drill a well / purchase the minerals. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landman_(oil_worker) Not a good time to try and start a career as a landman. Most of the ones i know are laid off and have been for a while. It seems only the lucky ones, myself included, or the connected ones are still workong. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Interestingly, the fabrication for surface equipment business hasn't slowed THAT much.
LACTs, artificial lift, tanks, etc, is still moving decently. Exploration? Sure. But production will always need folks. As younger folks get into decision making positions at companies I think we'll see much more of a push for digital integration of well sites, etc. Much of it is there already, especially at the bigger companies. But there are TONS of smaller operators who haven't really moved into the digital / online world. Being a skilled I&E / Automation / SCADA guy could pay off at the turn. Quoted:
Not a good time to try and start a career as a landman. Most of the ones i know are laid off and have been for a while. It seems only the lucky ones, myself included, or the connected ones are still workong. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile No doubt. I only mentioned it because he posted he enjoyed surveying - of which the records side is somewhat related. |
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Best rule of thumb in any industry: Be as useful as possible. The person with the "It's not my job" attitude is the sour apple that will be cut or fired. I mention this attribute because I've seen a few service members who are used to having more formal structure within an organization, ie the military, where people have specific jobs. In the oil and gas you have an ass, a face, two hands and legs. Be the guy who can figure it out and get it done...safely. If you can do that you'll be successful no matter the market conditions. If you suck at everything you can usually switch to HSE.
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Interestingly, the fabrication for surface equipment business hasn't slowed THAT much. LACTs, artificial lift, tanks, etc, is still moving decently. Exploration? Sure. But production will always need folks. As younger folks get into decision making positions at companies I think we'll see much more of a push for digital integration of well sites, etc. Much of it is there already, especially at the bigger companies. But there are TONS of smaller operators who haven't really moved into the digital / online world. Being a skilled I&E / Automation / SCADA guy could pay off at the turn. If you flood my market I am going to hunt you down. 
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| If you want the badass status without the sweat equity get in a tool shop and eventually run down hole tools. Long hours buy great and east money. Work directly with the rig crew but make a ton more than them and sit in your truck while they trip in or out (most of the time) |
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If you suck at everything you can usually switch to HSE. Quoted:
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Best rule of thumb in any industry: Be as useful as possible. The person with the "It's not my job" attitude is the sour apple that will be cut or fired. I mention this attribute because I've seen a few service members who are used to having more formal structure within an organization, ie the military, where people have specific jobs. In the oil and gas you have an ass, a face, two hands and legs. Be the guy who can figure it out and get it done...safely. If you can do that you'll be successful no matter the market conditions. If you suck at everything you can usually switch to HSE. I know some very good HSE people and some not so good. Its a job that's very attractive to those who are former LEO, wannabe LEO, or they hold a position on an HOA board in their free time. But they have jobs to do too, some are better than others.
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I know some very good HSE people and some not so good. Its a job that's very attractive to those who are former LEO, wannabe LEO, or they hold a position on an HOA board in their free time. But they have jobs to do too, some are better than others. Quoted:
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Best rule of thumb in any industry: Be as useful as possible. The person with the "It's not my job" attitude is the sour apple that will be cut or fired. I mention this attribute because I've seen a few service members who are used to having more formal structure within an organization, ie the military, where people have specific jobs. In the oil and gas you have an ass, a face, two hands and legs. Be the guy who can figure it out and get it done...safely. If you can do that you'll be successful no matter the market conditions. If you suck at everything you can usually switch to HSE. I know some very good HSE people and some not so good. Its a job that's very attractive to those who are former LEO, wannabe LEO, or they hold a position on an HOA board in their free time. But they have jobs to do too, some are better than others. Some are WAY better than others. I did a self test on my cricket once at the gate. The safety guy got paranoid and thought It was alerting on H2s. He did not know they had to be tested every 20 hours.
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Some are WAY better than others. I did a self test on my cricket once at the gate. The safety guy got paranoid and thought It was alerting on H2s. He did not know they had to be tested every 20 hours. Quoted:
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Best rule of thumb in any industry: Be as useful as possible. The person with the "It's not my job" attitude is the sour apple that will be cut or fired. I mention this attribute because I've seen a few service members who are used to having more formal structure within an organization, ie the military, where people have specific jobs. In the oil and gas you have an ass, a face, two hands and legs. Be the guy who can figure it out and get it done...safely. If you can do that you'll be successful no matter the market conditions. If you suck at everything you can usually switch to HSE. I know some very good HSE people and some not so good. Its a job that's very attractive to those who are former LEO, wannabe LEO, or they hold a position on an HOA board in their free time. But they have jobs to do too, some are better than others. Some are WAY better than others. I did a self test on my cricket once at the gate. The safety guy got paranoid and thought It was alerting on H2s. He did not know they had to be tested every 20 hours. I got hit with a full page of "violations" my very first day operating. Mind you I was Givin a rig I'd never worked on and had been stacked for 4 months. Tape on hammer handle (bottom so it didn't slip out of hands), steps on ladder not level, clutch rattling, no crown o matic (wires were hanging was parked like that) |
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I got hit with a full page of "violations" my very first day operating. Mind you I was Givin a rig I'd never worked on and had been stacked for 4 months. Tape on hammer handle (bottom so it didn't slip out of hands), steps on ladder not level, clutch rattling, no crown o matic (wires were hanging was parked like that) Quoted:
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Best rule of thumb in any industry: Be as useful as possible. The person with the "It's not my job" attitude is the sour apple that will be cut or fired. I mention this attribute because I've seen a few service members who are used to having more formal structure within an organization, ie the military, where people have specific jobs. In the oil and gas you have an ass, a face, two hands and legs. Be the guy who can figure it out and get it done...safely. If you can do that you'll be successful no matter the market conditions. If you suck at everything you can usually switch to HSE. I know some very good HSE people and some not so good. Its a job that's very attractive to those who are former LEO, wannabe LEO, or they hold a position on an HOA board in their free time. But they have jobs to do too, some are better than others. Some are WAY better than others. I did a self test on my cricket once at the gate. The safety guy got paranoid and thought It was alerting on H2s. He did not know they had to be tested every 20 hours. I got hit with a full page of "violations" my very first day operating. Mind you I was Givin a rig I'd never worked on and had been stacked for 4 months. Tape on hammer handle (bottom so it didn't slip out of hands), steps on ladder not level, clutch rattling, no crown o matic (wires were hanging was parked like that) I seriously hate crown-o-matics.
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