Oil jobs (Denver, Fort Collins, Greeley: leases, violent crime, employment)

[collect]

I know nothing about oilfields,but I can use a shovel.
Is there any opertunities for me to make decent living?
How about rooms etc?

[nevada1427]

I've been asking people in that field and they all say the same thing. There are NO OIL JOBS, not in Colorado atleast. The majority (10 out of 12) of the people I asked said that they are changing careers because of this and a few are moving (2 to ALASKA!). You might want to try Texas or Alaska (from what I'm told) if you really want to find employment in this field. I hope this helps you and sorry for the slow response.

[jwiley]

There are a ton of oil jobs in colorado, just not in fort Collins. The whole idea that the jobs are in Texas or Alaska is a falicy, in fact 10 of the 25 guys I work with are from Texas and came out here to get into the oilfield.

Some jobs are located along the highway 85 corridor north of Denver up to Greeley, and the busiest oil field in the country is on the western slope around Rifle and Parachute up north to Rock Springs Wyoming. It really depends on what your long term goals are for where you should look.

The problem I have found is that many that want to get into the oil fields do not want to start at the bottom with the business end of a shovel or sledge hammer in their hands for 70+ hours a week while dealing with the weather elements and getting paid $14-18 and hour. Which is about the only way to get into the oilfield, College Degrees out there help you get ahead but they really only respect the guys who have done the work so without experience they are meaningless. I can get you a list of companies that are hiring and even paying relocation expenses if you are willing to deal with all the drawbacks to build yourself a solid career in the future.

[rya700]

So what is it really like working on the rigs? Just curious. My exBF did oilfield work but quit b/c it was dangerous and he saw someone get hurt badly and lifeflight had to come get him. He said that maybe he was just on a bad crew but decided that losing his limbs wasnt' worth it. There are also the stories about alot of illicit drug use/drinking with the 'righands' sometimes on the job. And alot of them excons, ect.

[jwiley]

Originally Posted by rya700

So what is it really like working on the rigs? Just curious. My exBF did oilfield work but quit b/c it was dangerous and he saw someone get hurt badly and lifeflight had to come get him. He said that maybe he was just on a bad crew but decided that losing his limbs wasnt' worth it. There are also the stories about alot of illicit drug use/drinking with the 'righands' sometimes on the job. And alot of them excons, ect.

Although I do not work on a drilling rig, I have several friends that do, and have spent plenty of time on the sites. There is a reason that the rigs are among the most dangerous jobs in the world, and being on a bad crew makes it that much worse. On a rig you are surrounded by machinery with moving parts, playing with pipes that weigh right around 500 pounds per piece, sometimes have to climb up 90 feet in the air, work themselves to the point of exhaustion, and have other guys running the controls. there is a saying in the oil field, both with the rigs and the frac crews, that it is not if you get hurt, but when and how bad.

The drug use however is not as bad as it once was, as many of the larger companies have mandatory testing for the whole crew any time there is an accident, with it being automatic termination if drugs are found. Now on the smaller company rigs it seems to be more prevalent, which is the reason many of them pay less and work their guys harder.

As for the ex-cons, yes there are some out although most times they have not committed any of the more violent crimes, just more of the DUIs, bar fights, theft type of infractions with armed robber, rapists, and murderers being on the do not hire lists. The thing is that most of them are everyday people, there are college graduates, high school graduates, former prom kings, with the occasional guy who made mistakes in his younger days. You get a large mix with all different colors, nationalities, and backgrounds with the common thread being their willingness to put their body on the line to make the great money to support their families and have the lifestyle that they want. For what they do and deal with it is amazing that there are not more injuries and deaths then there are, but it is something I and most other normal people have decided is not worth the money they are willing to pay.

[jnwint]

My fiance is looking for an oilfield job in the Fort Collins, CO area. He has a lot of experience as a roustabout and pumper. Do you know of any places hiring?

[justtryme4]

My son just got off an oil rig and found it to be the worst place he has ever worked. The job is rough but that is not the problem, the problem comes from the crew most of the time. There is a reason they are called 'rough'necks. They drink every night, some take drugs, but most have the fraternity type of lifestyles there. If you are starting on the bottom, you can expect to get beat on almost every night, even waken up after several 12 hour shifts to get messed with. He has been punched, choked and threatened by the boss. His boss has had 2 complaints already against him and will be getting his third from my son soon. If you can find a good crew, the work is hard but doable. Just be careful when starting at the bottom and good luck! I definitely would not recommend it to anyone I know after the experience my son's dealt with.

[movingin2new]

My dad worked on one in New Orleans - and it was rough. It was incredibly dangerous and he said drugs were a problem. He said the guys would drink the eye drops that were used to treat flash burns because there was cocaine in the mixture.

He lasted about 3 months - decided he'd had enough. He said the way the crews treated certain guys (in this case it was minorities) was awful. He was never beat on but he told me that one guy said to him something to the effect of "...if we don't like someone - they may go out on a rig one night (they did night shifts) and just never come back..."

Not sure if they were trying to scare him or what but he did say it was incredibly dangerous work - and the drugs and treatment of crew members was a problem - there anyway.

I have been curious though - as all the new leases going in for Weld and Larimer counties for the fracking and all that - I wondered if the oil jobs would increase or if they would bring their crews in from other places.

[krh6609]

Collect, Remeber that not all employees remain on the "front line" of the work. Two of my good friends went into the oil labor industry with no experience and here are thier experiences:1) Both found that there are a variety of positions available. 2) If you have common sense and an ability to excell, then there are plenty of positions that get you out of the danger zone. 3) Both said that it is not ALL hard work, but more like a few hard hours on, and then several hours of standby. Depends on the position. One of them drives a fuel truck back and fourth to the equipment. Says it's not too bad.
I'd tell you that there are a lot of people getting into it and staying in it. Ask the hiring company where the career can lead to. AND YES, Colorado is doing a lot of hiring. Both of these guys got good paying ( $ 16- $ 22hr) jobs within an hour of here and are back in town a lot.

[longjohn4122000]

Hello,

I was wondering if you would be willing to send me the list of oil rigs that are hiring. I'm willing to start low and work my way up, I just don't know where to start

John

Originally Posted by jwiley

There are a ton of oil jobs in colorado, just not in fort Collins. The whole idea that the jobs are in Texas or Alaska is a falicy, in fact 10 of the 25 guys I work with are from Texas and came out here to get into the oilfield.

Some jobs are located along the highway 85 corridor north of Denver up to Greeley, and the busiest oil field in the country is on the western slope around Rifle and Parachute up north to Rock Springs Wyoming. It really depends on what your long term goals are for where you should look.

The problem I have found is that many that want to get into the oil fields do not want to start at the bottom with the business end of a shovel or sledge hammer in their hands for 70+ hours a week while dealing with the weather elements and getting paid $14-18 and hour. Which is about the only way to get into the oilfield, College Degrees out there help you get ahead but they really only respect the guys who have done the work so without experience they are meaningless. I can get you a list of companies that are hiring and even paying relocation expenses if you are willing to deal with all the drawbacks to build yourself a solid career in the future.