Petroleum Industry Careers

[MtGomer]

As for the question about women, my 23 year old sister in law is a chemical engineer for Exxon at a Houston refinery. She loves it and can’t imagine doing anything other than oil. She’s been out of school one year and has already been promoted.
She works long hours and is on call a lot but it doesn’t seem to bother her. The money is fantastic too. Hell, They were paying her more per hour as an intern than my wife makes as a NICU RN and my wife makes a lot.

 

[Wrench]

I spent 7 years on the slope. I worked as a welder and went home because my first company wouldn't let me leave for 13 weeks straight. years later I came back and ran a well service crew. I enjoyed the work, and appreciate the safe work environment. ....but have never worked any place that made less sense.

We threw away money due to policy changes every day. Imagine throwing away a couple million bucks worth of lixie hammers because they have wood handles. Replace them with "unbreakable "plastic ones. Two months later it gets cold and they all break and back to lixies we go. I have countless stories like that.

I've been off the slope for 5 or 6 years now. I came home and worked a millwright job for 4 years and recently took a step up to the facilities supervisor.

Looking back, it was good money and I had good guys who weren't drunk or high at work. (Something that would keep me out of ND). The political process of safety vs common sense will mess with a person who is remotely analytical or has actual craft experience.

I would give it a try. Live cheap and pay cash because it can go poof in a day....but when it's hot....it's hot.

 

[darcytribe]

As for the question about women, my 23 year old sister in law is a chemical engineer for Exxon at a Houston refinery. She loves it and can’t imagine doing anything other than oil. She’s been out of school one year and has already been promoted.
She works long hours and is on call a lot but it doesn’t seem to bother her. The money is fantastic too. Hell, They were paying her more per hour as an intern than my wife makes as a NICU RN and my wife makes a lot.

Is there much need for nurses in this field? i.e. on-site nursing staff. I was just imagining there might be a fit for some related to the safety and rural aspect of where these jobs are located. If there is, any idea of the pay?

 

[Studd muffin]

I am a mechanical engr and work for a refinery. The job is a job, but the pay is great. It is not always necessarily about the salary, but the benefits that come with it, pension, 401k, health care, amazing bonus. There are lots of women engineers here. Mostly chemicals though. If you can get on with a company, it is very stable. The refineries and chem plants in the area are always hiring engineers.

We have a couple on-site nurses.

 

[Gulfgoose]

Is there much need for nurses in this field? i.e. on-site nursing staff. I was just imagining there might be a fit for some related to the safety and rural aspect of where these jobs are located. If there is, any idea of the pay?

My sister is an RN in Austin and her fiance is an engineer in the Permian basin. I know when they were looking at where to move the pay for an RN in Odessa/Midland was extremely tempting compared to other cities. Hard for them to keep employees when things boom. FYI this is for the main hospitals not on-site.

 

[dirtytough]

Looking back, it was good money and I had good guys who weren't drunk or high at work. (Something that would keep me out of ND). The political process of safety vs common sense will mess with a person who is remotely analytical or has actual craft experience.

Did you work in ND? Curious why you think the drugs and alcohol are bad here? Most companies drug and alcohol test all the time. I came from Washington which is where it looks like you live and drugs are way worse there. East Pierce county was #1 for meth in the country last I heard. There is a FB page about Seattle. Nothing in ND compares. I worked for a company that had over 500 employees just in ND and in 6 years we had 2 guys piss hot. Being in the DOT pool we got randoms about every 1.5 months.

I have worked with a lot of ladies out here. As you can imagine the language is pretty rough out in the field. I wouldn't want my daughter around it myself. If she could get on with a major and be in an office most of the time it wouldn't be a big deal.

 

[Wrench]

It's simple, the slope is dry... period. I know TONS of guys who work in the Dakotas and they get ripped every night.

If I'm working 100 plus hours a week and my mistake can send my whole crew home in a potato chip bag....I want sober work mates.....stone cold sober.

 

[Wrench]

Ps, if it's west of Ellensburg, it ain't Washington....it's seattle.

 

[BeerBugler]

I’m a I/E tech at a refinery, my wife is an RN. There’s a fair amount of options for me with good pay and decent benefits but my wife could work ANYWHERE at the drop of a hat. The demand for RN’s is insane and their wages and benefits are good also. Downside is, she did 4 years of college vs. my 2 year trade school.

 

[MtGomer]

Is there much need for nurses in this field? i.e. on-site nursing staff. I was just imagining there might be a fit for some related to the safety and rural aspect of where these jobs are located. If there is, any idea of the pay?

I would imagine there is a bit. And a lot of large companies have their own health services department. I’m sure nurses are employed in those.

 

[Wrench]

Prudhoe and Kuparuk do...I'd imagine Alpine and Eni do as well.

 

[BigBird69]

My sister is an RN in Austin and her fiance is an engineer in the Permian basin. I know when they were looking at where to move the pay for an RN in Odessa/Midland was extremely tempting compared to other cities. Hard for them to keep employees when things boom. FYI this is for the main hospitals not on-site.

Is your sister's fiance named Ross?

 

[Gulfgoose]

Is your sister's fiance named Ross?

Why do you have some good dirt on him?

 

[BigBird69]

Why do you have some good dirt on him?

Hahaha no he seems like a great guy.

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

I work in Wyoming for three pipeline companies that operate in Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming and South Dakota. Great work. I started in the exploration side as an engineer and I am very happy being on the midstream side now. Our company really never has slowed down. We are constantly building and expanding which is awesome. Wages- our folks in North Dakota do get paid more.

 

[dirtytough]

Dang you must know all the low class trash than. The TONS of guys I work with out here don’t get ripped every night.

A buddy was on location and there were 23 people out there last week. The oil company shut down and gave everyone randoms. No one pissed hot or failed a breathalyzer. I’ve been on location when Conoco has brought dogs out and searched everything. No drugs or alcohol then either. And there were probably 50-60 people on location during swap out.

The thing I’ve seen people get in trouble a lot for out here is guns, ammo, or brass. Guys take a work truck out shooting and forget to take everything out.

 

[archer109]

I’m with dirtytough on this. Born and raised here in the Bakken of ND. Sure back when boom first hit, it was rough crowds. Still some that fill the court news in McKenzie County. But overall it has sure changed. Most companies have the ransoms and is also a black list type thing that most major companies go by. If someone fails a piss test, there name goes on this list and most know of that person.

Some big liabilities anymore to have a druggy or drunk out on location.


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[lb80]

I work in the oil industry as a ME in a manufacturing plant in Oklahoma. I've seen several female engineers in our rotational management training program do very well. Disciplines have been mainly industrial and mechanical and a few chemical. Similar to what others have said on the discipline being less important as most engineering skills are developed on the job.

 

[schmalzy]

I think a critical thing to remember is upstream is a lot different than downstream, IE a casing hand offshore on a jackup is going to be a different experience than an engineer at a refinery. Different strokes for different folks, both with great positives. Having seen both ends, I liked exploration much more than the refinery side. That being said, exploration feels the pinch of the price of oil. Getting sent to the house is very real.

Great place to cut a decent life out. Education and background isn’t a deal breaker. Thankful for the opportunities I found there. Even if you get it out, it’ll be something you never forget. Most people (not all by any means) won’t know what hard work really is until they experience a drilling rig.


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[TravisIN]

I work in a refinery and it’s a great job. It’s not hunting so it’s not a dream job. But I make enough and get enough time off to hunt a lot. Definitely an interesting job. I can’t see it going anywhere anytime soon. Hopefully anyways


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