Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Learned my trade in fast paced NYC/North Jersey. Have all the references and skills required to land a solid job in construction (carpentry). The pay rate they give me would be enough to justify the lure. I've done my homework on Williston. Love the cold weather. Currently living in Chicago.
Now that it is Summer 2015 and I see all the web-based writing about encouraging folks to head to Williston is now 3 years old, is it still worth it? Has the time passed? Is it so overcrowded and competitive now that it's not what it was? I don't mind living in a man camp for however long until I figure out what I would do for housing. I just want to know if this can be pulled off without a car ESPECIALLY if you're trying to do something such as construction in what I can already picture are sprawling housing developments in the foreground of an endless field of prarie.
There is a guy here I know who biked from Texas to Williston over the past couple of months. If construction is your forte you may find it difficult to get on some job sites because there are some long commutes which can include dirt roads. A car will make it easier but there are other jobs to do besides construction. I figure if that guy could make it work, you should probably be able to do it as well. I would also try networking and see if you could possibly be able to car pool with someone. One other thing to keep in mind is that shopping can be difficult without a car, but if you can buy groceries online then you may be ok.
This is pretty much what I thought. There are some that have done it, but it's going to be rough. I would imagine that carpooling would be mandatory (other than taking the shuttle) regardless of the job because living in Williston proper is out of the question for new comers no? Perhaps a cheap $1200 car would be a much more practical solution to this.
What about some of the other questions I asked? Is the job market still there? How long does it take to get into a man camp?
I would think you would be able to find some sort of transportation right? people must car pool all the time. you could post something on CL about the fact that you are going and looking to carpool and can pitch in for gas. I am also interested in this thread.
From what I understand if you don't work for the company that owns the man camp, you can't live there. Until you are employed you're on your own for a place to live.
This is pretty much what I thought. There are some that have done it, but it's going to be rough. I would imagine that carpooling would be mandatory (other than taking the shuttle) regardless of the job because living in Williston proper is out of the question for new comers no? Perhaps a cheap $1200 car would be a much more practical solution to this.
What about some of the other questions I asked? Is the job market still there? How long does it take to get into a man camp?
I don't see why living in Williston is out of the question. I came out here a few months ago and I live a little bit north of town but not far by any means. (About ten to fifteen minutes away from downtown). You can go on craigslist and see the listings for rent. I am currently paying $700 a month for a room with shared bathroom and kitchen with utilities, internet and cable included. One thing I would do is definitely have some money saved up before you come here, at least to the tune of few thousand dollars. When you find a place to live you will probably have to pay the first month right off the bat and then a deposit. The job market is still there if you look hard enough, there is always something going on even though from what I heard it has slowed down considerably. The key is going to be persistence and budgeting, so make sure you are sending out resumes, making phone calls, going to the temp agencies in town and also networking with other people. In addition to that always keep as many avenues open as possible because you may think you have the job in the bag and something can change in the last moment. Make sure that you do something everyday that you are here that furthers your goal of employment and you will be fine. That means sending out a resume or applying for a job online or whatever it is that you can do. The budgeting part means having enough saved to cover the cost of living for a few months or so just in case you aren't able to find a job quickly enough. I found a job my first week and worked there for a few weeks before I left for a better opportunity which ended up not working out for me because they decided to lay off shortly after The oil and gas jobs are probably going to be hard to get into unless you have experience and certifications, apparently a CDL helps quit a bit. I spoke to some guys who have worked in the OG industry for several years and they are having a hard time finding Oilfield work. There are several temp agencies in town within a few mile radius of each other. Elwood Staffing, Executive Services and Command Center. The first two seem to be better at getting permanent employment, while Command Center is more like a day labor agency where you do one, two or three day jobs (at least in my experience). This is not a knock on CC in any way because the work is always different so it doesn't get boring and they pay you the same day. Bottom line is, if you keep putting yourself out there and showing people that you are a hard and reliable worker then good things will come your way. Feel free to PM if you have other questions.
Learned my trade in fast paced NYC/North Jersey. Have all the references and skills required to land a solid job in construction (carpentry). The pay rate they give me would be enough to justify the lure. I've done my homework on Williston. Love the cold weather. Currently living in Chicago.
Now that it is Summer 2015 and I see all the web-based writing about encouraging folks to head to Williston is now 3 years old, is it still worth it? Has the time passed? Is it so overcrowded and competitive now that it's not what it was? I don't mind living in a man camp for however long until I figure out what I would do for housing. I just want to know if this can be pulled off without a car ESPECIALLY if you're trying to do something such as construction in what I can already picture are sprawling housing developments in the foreground of an endless field of prarie.
I would study the geology of oil-bearing shale before assuming any work will last very long out there. The "shale revolution" is mostly drunken hype when you look at the details of recoverable reserves vs. what's reported on Fox News, etc. ND and TX may peak by the early 2020s. The deposits are in shallow layers and require constant new drilling; nothing like the crude oil that peaked in America around 1970.
There is also confusion and misinformation about the huge difference between oil-bearing shale (which can be fracked for liquid oil) and low-EROI kerogen, which is the source of "trillions of barrels!" myths. Like so many things, the science gets lost amid patriotic enthusiasm.
Learned my trade in fast paced NYC/North Jersey. Have all the references and skills required to land a solid job in construction (carpentry). The pay rate they give me would be enough to justify the lure. I've done my homework on Williston. Love the cold weather. Currently living in Chicago.
Now that it is Summer 2015 and I see all the web-based writing about encouraging folks to head to Williston is now 3 years old, is it still worth it? Has the time passed? Is it so overcrowded and competitive now that it's not what it was? I don't mind living in a man camp for however long until I figure out what I would do for housing. I just want to know if this can be pulled off without a car ESPECIALLY if you're trying to do something such as construction in what I can already picture are sprawling housing developments in the foreground of an endless field of prarie.
The time to check it out is NOW. Weather is great and all of the easy money is evaporating. You can still make great above average money, but only for those who want to work.
Now that it is Summer 2015 and I see all the web-based writing about encouraging folks to head to Williston is now 3 years old, is it still worth it? Has the time passed?
The unemployment rate is still among the lowest in the nation.
Why are you planning on NOT having a car? I could see you making arrangements to ride with someone to job sites, but are you prepared to really compensate someone for the ride?
It costs about 50 cents a mile to operate a car. Say you work 10 miles out. That's $10 in costs. If I was driving you, I would want $5/day. My math comes from the fact that I would be making the $10 drive anyway, so I charge you for half the costs.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The oil and gas jobs are probably going to be hard to get into unless you have experience and certifications, apparently a CDL helps quit a bit. I spoke to some guys who have worked in the OG industry for several years and they are having a hard time finding Oilfield work. There are several temp agencies in town within a few mile radius of each other. Elwood Staffing, Executive Services and Command Center. The first two seem to be better at getting permanent employment, while Command Center is more like a day labor agency where you do one, two or three day jobs (at least in my experience). This is not a knock on CC in any way because the work is always different so it doesn't get boring and they pay you the same day. Bottom line is, if you keep putting yourself out there and showing people that you are a hard and reliable worker then good things will come your way. Feel free to PM if you have other questions.
Shale is just part of Peak Oil
