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Hello everyone. I am considering relocating to Williston, and the Bakken oil region, and was wondering if anyone can give me some advice/insights. I have lived in New Jersey my whole life (I'm 24), and feel like I need a change. Opportunities for a solid career and a livable wage in NJ are very bad. I am interested in a career with the railroad, and I've heard this region has a lot of railroad jobs (like BNSF and Canadian Pacific). I do have some concerns though. I unfortunately don't have the savings needed to relocate without a job lined up. It would be devastating to move, and then have to go back. Employers probably won't take me seriously if I apply with my NJ address either. Any ideas on that? Also, what is the quality of life like? I have driven through North Dakota. There is a certain beauty and peacefulness about the state. I just wasn't used to the lack of people, and going for many miles without seeing a town lol. I've seen programs on Williston. No offense to anyone, but the city seems to lack just basic services. Is Williston really livable? Also, how cold are the winters? It rarely goes below 30 in NJ. I've heard in ND it can go to 40-50 below! How does one work outside in those temperatures? Anyway, thanks so much for any insights. I'm feeling a calling to move here. I can't exactly explain it.
As others have suggested, go to Fargo or Grand Forks and get a factory job for six months to a year. They are short of manpower and jobs can be had for $20 / hr or so. Apartments are around $1000 / mo but you could get a roommate. With a North Dakota address, the Bakken employers will begin to take you more seriously, especially if they know you can take a winter.
Some winters are much warmer than others. Last winter was a bear.
You didn't say what your educational or vocational training was.
You might also try looking at Montana. Billings, MT may have more of what your use to services wise and because of the pull of the oil fields so close they are hurting for workers in serveral of the businesses also. Plus the weather is a little more temperate. I grew up in Grand Forks- (It is a college town), but Billings has a much milder winter by comparison. Still can get pretty cold but nothing like Eastern North Dakota.
The web is full of "jobs in North Dakota oil fields" sites. I drove a truck in the oil fields in the winter of 2012-13 then returned to my home for family reasons. I'm returning this Sunday. Because I have some experience it took about 2 weeks to get 3 offers.
My number one recommendation is to find a job (and especially housing) before you go. I cannot emphasize the housing aspect enough. Many (most?) employers subsidize workers housing. They have man camps, apartment buildings, trailers set up for their workers. They charge rent from $500 to $1,500 (generally speaking) and that is only part of the rent. They subsidize a good chunk of it.
Get on the web and start sending applications. If you get an interview (on the phone or Skype usually) when they ask if you have any questions be sure and inquire about housing, the number of hours you can work in a week (anything over 40 is time and a half), how much home time will you have (assuming you leave family behind) and how often can you take it. My new schedule will be five days on and 1 day off (I could've chose a 5/2, 5.3 schedule). Every four weeks I can take 7 days off. I won't because I'm there to make money and If I'm taking 7 days off I'm not earning. I'll probably take a week off to come home about every 3 months. It's about a 10 hour drive for me to come home or I can fly out of Dickinson and be home in 90 minutes for just over $400. I'll spend the money and not spend 20 hours of my off time driving.
Finally, please do not PM me and ask questions which are better answered by doing some research on your own. I recently had a person asking me such questions as "what's it like in the winter in North Dakota?". Really?! Haven't you heard, it's cold! That was one in a series of questions sent as a PM. If you have a specific question about conditions type the question in "bing" or "google" and you'll get a page full of answers.
I've seen programs on Williston. No offense to anyone, but the city seems to lack just basic services. Is Williston really livable? Also, how cold are the winters? It rarely goes below 30 in NJ. I've heard in ND it can go to 40-50 below! How does one work outside in those temperatures? Anyway, thanks so much for any insights. I'm feeling a calling to move here. I can't exactly explain it.
Hyperbole? The city is fully functioning with hospital, an assortment of restaurants, grocery stores, an old school main street, and a scattering of retail outlets. No, it's not New Jersey but it has everything a person needs. Wants can be had within a reasonable driving distance elsewhere (Minot, Bismarck, Billings). The city is plenty livable. Actually kind of a nice place once you get off the main thoroughfares and sprawling industrial mess along them. Beautiful badlands are just 90 minutes away and the Montana version just over two hours away. The air temperature did get to -35F here last winter. It does get cold but last winter was somewhat an aberration. Williston tends to get mild interludes during winter that the eastern part of the state lacks. The humidity is less in summer making it perhaps the ND town with the nicest summer weather. If you do come here then bring your passport or birth certificate. You cannot get a North Dakota ID without one.
This recession/depression has dragged on since 2009 and the economy is still in tatters
with 1 in 6 americans still living in poverty.
The drilling & fracking regions of the Midwest are the exception to that.
From the Bakken in ND to the Eagle Rock formation in TX the economy is doing great.
And unless oil drops back to $40 or $50 a barrel it should stay that way.
"Saudi Arabia's oil minister told fellow OPEC members they must combat the U.S. shale oil boom, arguing against cutting crude output in order to depress prices and undermine the profitability of North American producers.
Ali al-Naimi won the argument at Thursday's meeting, against the wishes of ministers from OPEC's poorer members such as Venezuela, Iran and Algeria which had wanted to cut production to reverse a rapid fall in oil prices.
They were not prepared to offer big cuts themselves, and, choosing not to clash with the Saudis and their rich Gulf allies, ultimately yielded to Naimi's pressure."
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