The Bakken saga continues - Another adventure in the oilfields

[USAF_JOHNSON]

JaCaNd this forum has been very helpful and hopeful! I really thank you for such a detail description of what it's like to find a job out here(companies, buildings, etc). I'm out here already(stationed at Minot AFB)... and would love to go job hunting right now, but my enlistment isn't up until January 2014... so 9ish months to go. I'll probably start handing out my resume directly to the companies in 3 or 4 months. I'm currently a jet engine mechanic, have 5 years of experience... and looking into what the Air Force will do for me about a CDL next week. So fingers crossed that I'll be able to find something as well despite no oil field experience! Please keep up with what you're doing, the information really helpful!

[JaCaNd]

Alrighty, time for an update. Landed a gig as a wireline operator here in Dickinson, pretty excited to get started after all the background/drug/physical tests get taken care of. All told, it took exactly 2 weeks from feet on the ground in Dickinson to having a solid job offer that I was interested in (that was after a year+ of online research and planning, so y'all still need to come prepared!) Had a few offers before that weren't that promising, but held out for the wireline gig.

More things that have been learned -

- If your goal is to come out here and make as much money as humanly possible in the shortest amount of time, then it's worth looking into applying at casing companies, along the lines of Noble Casing, Wyoming Casing, and those type outfits. They run 24/7/365, have non-rotational full-time crews, get absurd amounts of hours, and correspondingly huge paychecks. That being said, they're also going waaay beyond the 2 thermoses of coffee a day and ingesting every possible stimulant short of speed in order to stay awake and work their asses off, so it's pretty damn rough from a physical and mental point of view.

- Williston is kinda gross. This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's spent more than 30 seconds reading these forums, but seriously... it's not a super-pleasant place. It's dirty, busy, and smells like rotten eggs. (I know, H2S) The thing that surprised me most was the smog, I would guess from all of the natural gas flaring off and traffic. It's kinda sad, was driving up from Dickinson passing by the national park, surrounded by all of this amazing terrain, and the air looked like you were in downtown LA. Weird. Maybe this was just a day with some sort of inversion that was holding all the crap down and that's not the usual situation up there, but it was pretty noticeable.

- It is now possible to find housing in Williston and Minot. Williston is absurdly overpriced, as might be expected, BUT you can find a place to live there if you've got the pile of cash to fork over. Minot seems to be in a similar situation - there are places available if you do your homework. For this reason, a lot of companies seem to be getting away from offering employee housing and are expecting you to find your own place to live.

- Dickinson, however, is turning out to be an absolute pain in the ass in the housing department. Just not that much available down here, and can't quite figure out why - it seems like there's a ton of new development going on, but there just aren't that many places listed via the regular channels (craigslist, online listings). So if anyone has leads on housing in Dickinson, any info would be appreciated!

Originally Posted by USAF_JOHNSON

JaCaNd this forum has been very helpful and hopeful! I really thank you for such a detail description of what it's like to find a job out here(companies, buildings, etc). I'm out here already(stationed at Minot AFB)... and would love to go job hunting right now, but my enlistment isn't up until January 2014... so 9ish months to go. I'll probably start handing out my resume directly to the companies in 3 or 4 months. I'm currently a jet engine mechanic, have 5 years of experience... and looking into what the Air Force will do for me about a CDL next week. So fingers crossed that I'll be able to find something as well despite no oil field experience! Please keep up with what you're doing, the information really helpful!

USAF_JOHNSON - Glad I could help! Minot was my next stop if Dickinson didn't work out, I've heard from several sources that things are really picking up there, hiring-wise. In fact, if possible, I'm hoping that I can transfer in 6 months to a year, the outfit that I hired on with has a pretty big operation up there, and I would much rather live there than down here in Dickinson, since I spent a good chunk of my life there (Jim Hill Jr High!) FYI, saw some ads for A/P mechanics down here in Dickinson, the new life-flight type heli EMS operation was looking for pilots and mechanics, and I think the new jet center was looking for A/P guys as well, so that mechanic experience might actually be as valuable as having your CDL. That CDL does help quite a bit though, no argument there!

Originally Posted by asitshouldbe

There is a huge turnover in the fields, they fire as quick as they hire, don't get too comfy in a job because just when you think you can count on the money...it's gone.
There are so many people waiting for these jobs that companies will have someone to replace you the same day you leave.
My husband worked for a company for 11 months and seen at least 100 guys come and go.
He wondered why none of the employees had been with them more than a year, the company doesn't keep anyone more than a year, except supervisors.
They rotate their "stock" they don't want people "burning out"... that's what the rumor is.
My husband was let go last week, that's ok because he made several contacts while out there and he has a few interviews next week.
It helps that he has one year experience in the fields.
Good luck.

asitshouldbe - Good to know. I'm hoping that this position lasts longer than a year, since it seems to be a great bunch of people so far. As you say, once you've got that initial year of experience in the field, you're much more employable in general. Fingers crossed that this one works out for a while, will have to chat with the coworkers about how long folks stick around and plan accordingly

[saintmj nyc]

TO JanND Hi
I've been reading several of ur posts and applaud ur courage , resilience and determination !!
I'm currently in an east coast state doing some research about the oil fields of ND and TX / OK .
Been a Mechanic / Tech most of my career , but no oil field work...( saving my $$$ to make a move
I gotta start over in a better place for my skills, ( my town doesnt pay ppl in my field well enough
I'm a recent diesel school mechanic who has also worked in power plants ( welding, generators, etc. )
How do you think a person with my experience would do out there ? BTW am also a female.........

[JaCaNd]

saintmj nyc - wasn't sure, was that a question for me or for JanND? I'll chime in since it sounded like you were asking me......I would say that with your skill set and work background, particularly the mechanic training, you shouldn't have any trouble finding work out here. There seems to be a pretty huge demand for mechanics, which makes sense considering the number of trucks in the fields, and the rough conditions that they're operating in every day. If you have the time and money to get your CDL, it's totally worth the effort even if you have no interest in being a driver, there are lots of positions that prefer or require the CDL that aren't your typical "truck driver" type gig.

Here's an article about a female driver who has done pretty well out here -

The New Oil Landscape - Pictures, More From National Geographic Magazine

Women definitely get hired out here. I've been reading some unsavory stuff lately about the general safety of women, mostly centering around Williston, but I think as long as you're careful about where you are, who you're hanging out with , etc. you should be fine. Being from NYC, I'm sure this will be second nature for you.

Best of luck to you, let us know if/when you end up heading out to this neck of the woods!

[JanND]

Originally Posted by saintmj nyc

TO JanND Hi
I've been reading several of ur posts and applaud ur courage , resilience and determination !!
I'm currently in an east coast state doing some research about the oil fields of ND and TX / OK .
Been a Mechanic / Tech most of my career , but no oil field work...( saving my $$$ to make a move
I gotta start over in a better place for my skills, ( my town doesn't pay ppl in my field well enough
I'm a recent diesel school mechanic who has also worked in power plants ( welding, generators, etc. )
How do you think a person with my experience would do out there ? BTW am also a female.........

Hi...and Thanks for the DM, and like my fellow poster JaCaND...You put my name of the message, but not sure it is me you are asking....but since you sent a friend request I'll share a post. Happy to share my thoughts, and loving the enthusiasm of a new resident and employee such as JaCaND. Good job!!
I think women get hired readily there, for many reasons. I second what JA said, and some great advice. You likely were talking to him, because I sure don't consider myself courageous..But, I'll add my two-cents too...You do need to consider your personal safety especially in Western N.D. And that applies male of female....More types of people are here, not all the salt of the earth. That being said, there are a few females that came in the last year that have posted about their experiences and have not expressed any real concerns. I think it may have a lot to do with who you surround yourself with as friends and where you might find yourself living. I know that most folks in N.D. are salt of the earth types that will help neighbor readily and almost always look out for each other.
Regarding your skills, I think that you should start w/ the online apps, get those sent out....I think you've mentioned that community thread which has quite a few company websites. There are lots of helpful threads and folks that will steer you to good companies, and don't be afraid to ask if you do get an offer. I'll send you a DM w/ some links.
There are women truck drivers as well as other oilfield positions, including in mancamp companies. These videos may interest you. Also, there are more than a couple new refinery's going in, some more in the Eastern part of N.D. with refinery's and gas plants in Western N.D. You could do a search of the N.D. forums and find some info. If you need more help just message. I wish you much success!! Jan
Ladies of the oil boom - Heidi Wrenson (1) - CNNMoney[LEFT]
Read more: //www.city-data.com/forum/north...#ixzz1gGqjKVls.

[BCHTX]

Also, if you have no exp. the best time to hit the pavement would be around March - July. The oilfield slows down towards the end of the year. They're trying to close the books and begin the new year. Once the new year hits there is a surge of drilling activity. After the hole is dug the services needed beyond that start ramping up. i.e. fracking, wireline, coil tubing, workover etc. etc. Good luck.

[MTMike7]

Originally Posted by JaCaNd

- Williston is kinda gross. This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's spent more than 30 seconds reading these forums, but seriously... it's not a super-pleasant place. It's dirty, busy, and smells like rotten eggs. (I know, H2S) The thing that surprised me most was the smog, I would guess from all of the natural gas flaring off and traffic. It's kinda sad, was driving up from Dickinson passing by the national park, surrounded by all of this amazing terrain, and the air looked like you were in downtown LA. Weird. Maybe this was just a day with some sort of inversion that was holding all the crap down and that's not the usual situation up there, but it was pretty noticeable.

This is perhaps an unfair characterization of Williston. I have never seen smog in the area, there is just two much wind for one thing and not much manufacturing that I know of. This time of the year the wind kicks up a lot of dust and sometimes it can look like smog or smoke. Also, you were here just before things started to green up, much better now. I agree with the dirtiness, street sweepers should do more. Rotten egg smell? You must have been here on a really weird day. Curious how the Oasis Interview went?

[Jimbo Buffet]

Originally Posted by JaCaNd

First post EVER. To start off, I want to give a big round of thanks to folks like JanND, Robione, Elkhunter, Rickydink, and everyone else on this forum who has made an effort to help educate web-surfers like myself about this crazy situation going on with the oil boom. If it wasn't for you guys, I wouldn't have had the on-the-ground intel and the resulting confidence to make the trip out there to give it a go in the oil fields. It is really, truly appreciated, thanks so much.

So after nearly a year of planning, pondering, preparation, obsessive web surfing, reading pretty much every post on this site regarding the boom, and googling every imaginable combination of "North Dakota, oil, jobs, driving, employment, etc", I'm pulling the trigger and heading east. Gonna be out there in mid-March, and really excited to get started on the ground, pounding the pavement and visiting companies. I've done my homework, and pretty much tried to make myself as employable of a entry level dude as a possible without going to school for petroleum engineering (actually considered that, but didn't want to wait 4 years…) Here's what I've done to prepare, and what I know, largely based on what I've read on this site

- Got CDL class A with Hazmat, Tanker, Doubles/Triples Air Brakes. Recent driving school grad, and I know I won't be hooking up a crude hauling job anytime soon (got the memo about "experienced drivers only"…) but hoping it'll help me land other work
- H2S, OSHA 10 hour, and First Aid/CPR certs
- Housing lined up close to Dickinson. Hoping to center my job search in this area, and head up to Williston only if Dickinson isn't looking promising.
- Have a reliable car, and enough financial resources to last me a few months in case the job search doesn't goes as quickly as planned
- Got an absurdly exhaustive list of companies to apply at, found on jobsnd.com, rigzone, ndoiljobs, the Williston Shopper and company sites. Got a really clear idea of what kind of work I would like to get into (Wireline, cased hole operations) but still planning on applying to a wide range of positions (drilling, workover rigs, coiled tubing, rathole, maybe fracking, driving, etc)
- Native North Dakotan, born in Fargo, lived in Westhope and Minot for the first 15 years of my life, and most recently lived in AK, so the weather and lifestyle DEFINITELY won't be a problem
- Solid work history, clean driving record, clear criminal background, can pass any drug test on the planet (worked with helicopters for the past decade, so random drug tests were always a possibility)
- Several college degrees, none of which have any relevance whatsoever to oilfield work
- Hard worker, physically capable, nothing preventing me from doing hard physical work outdoors for 80+ hours a week

My biggest weakness should be glaringly obvious at this point - no oilfield experience. Based on what I've read on the forums, in the early stages of the boom, this wouldn't have been a big deal, since companies were hiring everyone with a pulse, but now that things have calmed down a bit, that's not necessarily the case, and I guess companies are holding out for folks with experience most of the time (though not always, I guess). I'm hoping that the rest of the stuff I've got going will outweigh this little detail… fingers crossed.

So I do have a few final questions for folks that are out there and have successfully done what I'm hoping to do, mostly about the current situation and overall strategy.

- Is my overall impression of the current situation correct?
- Are newbies still having luck out there? Should I be thinking about going to WSC for some of their petroleum classes to beef up the entry-level resume a little more?
- Any companies that are really hiring aggressively these days? Hot tips on companies that would be good places to check out in mid-March?
- Last and most important - I'm passing through Dickinson/Western ND on a road trip to the east coast a few weeks before permanently moving to the area, and I'm wondering if it's worth my time to drop off resumes at some of the more promising places that I'd like to eventually apply at, or is it a better idea to wait till I can start work immediately before making the rounds with resumes and applications? Thinking that the "here's my resume, but I can't start for 2 weeks" thing might backfire and do more harm than good...

I would appreciate any feedback about these questions or any other current info that anyone thinks would be helpful for a potential green hat getting started out in the area to know. I'm hoping to try and document this whole process, and contribute to the community of folks that are already on here giving good info and advice. Robione has been the king of this for me, (and started off with an eerily similar situation!) so I'll be trying to do as good of a job as he has done in documenting the experience and entertaining folks. Can't promise to live up to his rep, but will give it a good shot.

Thanks again for all the info from everybody, looking forward to the whole experience and talking to folks on the forums!

I didn't have any of that. No CDL, native of PA, never been out west, and it still worked out.

[Jimbo Buffet]

Originally Posted by saintmj nyc

TO JanND Hi
I've been reading several of ur posts and applaud ur courage , resilience and determination !!
I'm currently in an east coast state doing some research about the oil fields of ND and TX / OK .
Been a Mechanic / Tech most of my career , but no oil field work...( saving my $$$ to make a move
I gotta start over in a better place for my skills, ( my town doesnt pay ppl in my field well enough
I'm a recent diesel school mechanic who has also worked in power plants ( welding, generators, etc. )
How do you think a person with my experience would do out there ? BTW am also a female.........

Female, mechanic, LOL? Never heard of that in my life!

[Jimbo Buffet]

Originally Posted by JanND

Hi...and Thanks for the DM, and like my fellow poster JaCaND...You put my name of the message, but not sure it is me you are asking....but since you sent a friend request I'll share a post. Happy to share my thoughts, and loving the enthusiasm of a new resident and employee such as JaCaND. Good job!!
I think women get hired readily there, for many reasons. I second what JA said, and some great advice. You likely were talking to him, because I sure don't consider myself courageous..But, I'll add my two-cents too...You do need to consider your personal safety especially in Western N.D. And that applies male of female....More types of people are here, not all the salt of the earth. That being said, there are a few females that came in the last year that have posted about their experiences and have not expressed any real concerns. I think it may have a lot to do with who you surround yourself with as friends and where you might find yourself living. I know that most folks in N.D. are salt of the earth types that will help neighbor readily and almost always look out for each other.
Regarding your skills, I think that you should start w/ the online apps, get those sent out....I think you've mentioned that community thread which has quite a few company websites. There are lots of helpful threads and folks that will steer you to good companies, and don't be afraid to ask if you do get an offer. I'll send you a DM w/ some links.
There are women truck drivers as well as other oilfield positions, including in mancamp companies. These videos may interest you. Also, there are more than a couple new refinery's going in, some more in the Eastern part of N.D. with refinery's and gas plants in Western N.D. You could do a search of the N.D. forums and find some info. If you need more help just message. I wish you much success!! Jan
Ladies of the oil boom - Heidi Wrenson (1) - CNNMoney[LEFT]
Read more: //www.city-data.com/forum/north...#ixzz1gGqjKVls.

Oil work just isn't my thing. I landed a $20 Hourly job in a warehouse, and it seems to be working out great. Wife got an easy job as Night auditor at a hotel....easy gravy!