Oilfield? Other occupation?

[MightyWhitey]

I’m a IBEW journeyman lineman. If you’d be willing complete the 4 year apprenticeship, once you become a journeyman you can pretty well write your own paycheck and choose as much vacation as you want. I start working about mid March and I quit working in late august. So I’m off for every day of huntin season and in to the spring. If you want to work all year you have the ability to make over 400k in the right situations, but lower to mid 300k is common. You’re welcome to pm me if you’re interested.

 

[E-Rawk]

You wouldn't catch me dead working on the production side of things in the oil industry. Look for something in the midstream side, think Terminals and Storage or Control Room. The shift work kind of sucks, but I work 7 on and 7 off rotating between days and nights, make great money, and we don't get laid off during downturns or field busts.

 

[49ereric]

A long time ago I roughnecked in ND and eastern Montana.
when the rigs start welding the doors shut stacking out the bad times have arrived. Low Kelly dull bit new driller same old shit…

 

[Brooks]

The oil and gas is a cruel business. When things are good they are good and money is flowing but when things slow down you are gone . I have two of my kids that worked for Chesapeake Energy for 7 years each and when things slowed 100 people were told one morning you have 10 minutes to clean out your desk and be off the property.

 

[roadrunner]

The oil and gas is a cruel business. When things are good they are good and money is flowing but when things slow down you are gone . I have two of my kids that worked for Chesapeake Energy for 7 years each and when things slowed 100 people were told one morning you have 10 minutes to clean out your desk and be off the property.

Yeah, unfortunately the O&G industry is about the most chicken s%$t of all when it comes to that...

 

[Slugz]

Go overseas
35/35
Good money
6 months off year to hunt and fish

 

[Pdzoller]

If you are willing to start back at the bottom. Linemen or Utility Tree trimming apprentice are both good options and we need all the help we can get. As a Lineman you can basically work until you drop and receive good wages. As a tree guy you get would get a little less money but receive training that can be used to work in your own business on the side with limitless income potential.

 

[Don Qui Puncher]

You wouldn't catch me dead working on the production side of things in the oil industry. Look for something in the midstream side, think Terminals and Storage or Control Room. The shift work kind of sucks, but I work 7 on and 7 off rotating between days and nights, make great money, and we don't get laid off during downturns or field busts.

I work at a terminal I wish it was 7 and 7, we pretty much work 6-7 days a week all year. I’d rather make less with more time off. Some of the senior guys with no kids at home will go on 12 week stretches of 7 days a week. The owner operator drivers do very well too.

 

[dirtytough]

The oil field is easy work and good money. Most of the good employees make it through the downturns without getting laid off.

 

[Scorpion]

Lots of good suggestions in here, definitely see the upside in midstream or downstream to weather downturns. Historically there are a lot less opportunities there though.

On the upstream side, getting a job as a lease operator or similar would be good if you want to be a particular geographic field (ex - Powder River Basin, Bakken, Piceance).

That said, for good workers the real money has always been in D&C if you can land the right job. I don’t know what “great money” is on the midstream side, but it’s usually $150K-$200K and up for a lot of jobs in upstream D&C.

Most drilling rig roughnecks (not workover) and frac hands can land a 14/14 rotation and make over $100K without a ton of effort. Neither job is as backbreaking as it once was.

 

[william schmaltz]

Most drilling rig roughnecks (not workover) and frac hands can land a 14/14 rotation and make over $100K without a ton of effort. Neither job is as backbreaking as it once was.

This is fact. When I broke out, I was put on the last Kelly rig the company had and it was stacked out a few months later. We all got sent to a brand new B rig and basically didn't know what to do with ourselves. The only time the tongs were ever broke out were to torque BHA and after that everything was done with the iron roughneck. The only thing we did on the floor was kick slips, push back pipe and dope it. Tripping was boring as hell. I think most rigs even have hydraulic slips and mud tanks all have chem hoppers now. A roughneck is just a glorified janitor, but a damn well paid one for only having to work half the year. It's actually a pretty easy job if you get along well with others and can put up with FNG shit for 4-6 months. After 4-6 months a new worm will come along and a guy is on easy street.

My last year in the patch was me just keeping the driller company and trading him out so he could take breaks. It was the easiest money I ever made. We were talking about getting out of the patch on one of my last hitches. He made a comment about everyone that sticks around long enough eventually dies in the patch. Him and another guy on my crew died in a vehicle accident after work about 8 months later. I was just on the phone with someone in the Bakken yesterday about a consulting job. It just draws a guy in!

x2 if you're worth half a shit, I would've worry too much about layoffs.

 

[RAAAR]

I'm a plant operator at a refinery. It's good work, good pay. Downside is I worked almost 800 overtime hours last year and probably the same this year. But it's steady, well paying.