Howdy gang,

I was wondering if anyone here has worked the oil fields befor?
After watching the news today, they were talking about a Roughneck school in Wyoming,
and the fact that you make 50k a year to start. I must say I am STRONGLY considering moving to Wyoming.

Have any of you done this for a living? What is it like?

Randy

I used to work with a few guys who went to the fields, one is still doing it. Hard work, long days, good pay.. You get to save a lot of money since you dont have many places to spend it and most things are paid for.. If you want, I can try to find out where the one guy is still working at, maybe he has some suggestions.. he is from PEI.

When I was born, my father was a roughneck. He worked his way up in the company, until he became a boiler room man at a refinery. He then went to college at nights, and got a desk job doing well reports about the time I got into high school, and then got promoted until he was managing an entire refinery and the outlying well network. Then he retired.

I was around the oil business and the people who worked it the first half of my life. The town I grew up in was an oil and gas town. A lot of colorful people who worked very hard.

Although I never worked the rigs personally, I have been on them, and up in them many times. A few of my best friends worked the rigs out in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The best job I think on a rig, is the derrick hand, but not good if you do not like heights. The cold in the winter is miserable up there too. The heat is miserable on the rig floor in the summer. A "newbie" can expect to work the mud pits to start, and that is not the greatest. My friends seemed to work a lot of double shifts too, which will wipe you out.

Main thing. I have known a half dozen people that have gotten killed being roughnecks. A couple of electrocutions when it was raining. One got killed by the rat hole digger when it hit him in the head. Another couple killed by drill pipes getting out of control. Another when the tool that tightens and loosens the drill pipes (chain attached to a winch) broke, and he was almost cut in half by the chain. Very, very dangerous work. A lot of guys drank on the job out in the boonies, and some smoked grass too. But that was back in the day, and it may be different now.

All it takes is a split second of inattention, and you can get killed or maimed. Just a little warning there. I suggest you spend a little time around a drilling rig, and up in the derrick just observing to get a feel for whats involved if you have not already.

Yep. Way back when they had men of iron and wooden derricks. Ok-maybe not wooden derricks. Worked crown to the ground. Could tear down or nipple up. In those days, we worked 12 hr shifts, from the day the rig arrived on location till the day it was torn down and ready to move to the next location--whether it be 500 ft away or 500 miles. Did it on and off-mostly on-for 18 yrs. I'm one of the few that worked that long--in those times--that still has all my fingers and toes. You don't shut down for weather-ever. Or holidays-not even Christmas. There's no such thing as bad weather in the oil patch-just bad clothing. Blizzards, blazing sun, wind like a banshee driving hail, rain sleet or snow, you keep turning to the right, throwing the chain, pulling slips, pullin pipe, latching tongs, and pumpin mud. Wanna break out in the oilfield? Take a light lunch and 2 pair of gloves bub-you'll need em. Money? Worm roughnecks started at $7/hr when I started. It's a man's job, but it'll make an old one of you if you let it-or a dead one if you ever forget where you are. One mistake, and that beast can be out of the ground and in your face before you can blink.

CliffW will likely be along soon to give you a little more insight. He's a roughneck.

EDIT:
A roughneck school??? What the hell is that crap? Never heard of such.You don't need that. Show up at any drilling contractor's office and go to work.

[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 08-29-2005).]

dude just move to alberta..unfortunately we cant keep guys...u need to be fast smart and two steps ahead at all times.. the work is repitious so its easy to catch on...your gonna need h2s,fall arrest, maybe confined spaces, first aid and one more ticket but i cant remember...as for canada vs stateside...our safety guidelines are above us standards....some companies just dont care..here in canada CAODC governs every move we make..i started out at age 28...made full time last year at age 30...now i have my first line and i can drill as soon as my broken arm is done healing and im cleared to work..yes u can get hurt on a rig even if u take precautions...
go online and check out some companies...if u want to work you can find a job out here...
pay rates are
roughneck 21.50 hour-33.75 overtime
motorman 23.50 hour-35.25 overtime
derrickhand 28.5 hour-42.75 overtime
driller 33.5 hour-50.25 overtime
so if your motivated u can make a nice living in the patch...
i went from 28g a year to 70 g last year and i hope to break 100 g this year...
they can work 2 weeks on 1 week off or 3 weeks on 2 weeks off it depends.. 12 hour shifts anything over 40 hours a week is overtime and u work 96 hours a week so thats 56 hours ot a week...u do the math...plus 100 bux a day living allowance which is tax free....it adds up fast .....hope this helps tim..

Thanks for all the replies gang.

The School I spoke of, I guess was basically a 5 day training course this one company was offering.
I would really have to look in the US for an Oil job, as I am still not really allowed to work in Canada.
Still don;t have all the cash needed to get the rest of my papers thru.

I am not afraid of hard work, nor am I afraid of long hours. The thought of my wife and I being able to save up
some dough for a few years sure is a nice one. I am strongly considering this. I do of coarse still have to talk
to the wife about it. But I suspect she will not have a problem with moving. So long as it means a way to stop
being poor

I fully understand the dangers involved. Or at least I think I do. But it does not worry me. To be quite honest,
while I am VERY good at building, designing, and repairing computers/servers, I am tired of it. I am tired
of doing the work for no money mostly.

I know a few people here who work on the Oil Rigs, and they seem to do ok for themselves, they have nice homes
and nice cars. Heck I just want a home

So it is pretty easy to get a job huh?

Hmmmmmmm

Thanks,
Randy

It is a tough job. Long hours and horrid conditions. As stated above there are no "off" days, the rigs run 24/7/365. You dang near have to have eyes in the back of your head because unfortunatly you can do your job excellent but one mistake by either you or another can and will get you killed quickly. my best friends bro-in-law was killed a few years back when the guy controlling the tongs decided to show up higher than a kite one day and didn't quite get the tongs on correctly, it came off and crushed his skull. Another friend fell off the deck and fell 50 or so feet, broke both legs. Another lost most of his arm, ALL due to others mistakes. I personally left after about a year, made very good money but seen too many accidents and decided that I didn't want to become a statistic.

I've lived in oil country all my life and been blessed with never having to have taken a job in the oil patch. Probably 1/2 of my high school class IS in the oil patch, though, and most are making good money now. Hasn't always been like that, it's a cyclical thing. When Oil price is good, the rigs are running, when they're down, you're looking for work. Like Don, I've never heard of a "roughneck school". That's bizzare to me. Just like he said, show up, sign up, and go to work. The learning curve is steep and you best not make many mistakes if you want any friend on the rig because, as has been pointed out, mistakes tend to cost people at least body parts and often lives.

Roughneck is a broad term, there are lots of jobs roughnecks do and a whole lot more in the oil patch. They're drilling flat out right now around here but just as busy, if not more, is pulling units, acidizing, steaming, and every other job to rehabilitate old holes that were a few months ago not profitable to pump and are now well worth spending the money on. 24/7/365 is the norm BUT for Christmas and often Thanksgiving if the rig you're on should be lucky enough to be moving from one site to the next they try to give you those days off. If you happen to have the rig up and running, well, hope you like your turkey and dressing in the doghouse or crew shack and don't mind a little dirt added in for some minerals. Oh, and be sure to bring enough to share.....................

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by maryjane: EDIT: A roughneck school??? What the hell is that crap? Never heard of such.You don't need that. Show up at any drilling contractor's office and go to work.

Been following this and Im still waiting on cliffw's insight.....where you at???

------------------
Failing to prepare - Is preparing to fail....

I am the signature virus, please put me in your signature so I can spread

I just got back last night from working 132 hours in the last ten days, in 100 degree heat for more than 12 hours a day. It really is an easy job, to me anyways. I love working the rigs. It is in my blood.
8Ball, it takes a man of a different metal to be a roughneck. You will never know if you have it unless you try it. I think you might. Do not be so quick to move your wife. The rig will not be where "roughneck school" is and the rig is always gonna be moving. Roughnecks have been said to chase the oil patch. I started near Amarillo Texas, brought my gal friend up and things seemed good. I was working seven days a week 365 days a year and she was stuck in this very small town which could not support the oil field bunch so rent was at a premium. Not much for her to do either. Everyone wanted some of your big money so all prices were high.
I migrated with the holes being drilled eastward to Oklahoma City (Moore) and life was better. I married, had two children and the bottom fell out of the oilfield. I sold everything I had over the next year thinking it would come back but it took longer than that. I did not manage my money wisely because so much of it came so fast so easy (not talking about the work).
I did not manage my money wisely because so much of it came so fast so easy. This is your first lesson ! I say leave your wife there or move her home and go by yourself to "roughneck school". You will be payed to go and can fly her up at times. Then get you a job and see how you like it. If nothing else, it will be a good short term income to give you a jump start which you can come back to when you need to. It is rare for a man to retire from a company for many reasons. Unless you get on the corporate ladder and that sucks. (That is most likely situational to be fair....the sucks part). Your rig may not have a next well and you jump rigs/companies, you may not like your driller or crew, you may not like you location, you may not want to move when,where the rig moves..............there are many reasons the turnover ratio is high including being fired although you gave it your all. We have a saying. "If you cain't do it, you cain't stay". This is likely relaxed now due to the high demand for warm bodies...a shortage of hands. When work dries up, those with little experience will be gone....along with the ones with experience that do not work. You will need a well rounded work experience to get you through the dry times, along with the wisdom of lesson number one.
Ok, you got your first job. Here is what it is like. You are part of a five man crew (could be four). You are gonna get yelled at a lot. For one, it is a loud environment. More likely it will be you are holding up progress because you do not know what to do next. One has to stop what he is doing to teach you, that is two men down. Time is big money in the oil field. Inaction can get your pipe stuck in the hole or allow the well to blow out. Niether one pretty.
Each man on the crew has an area of responcibility with all areas overlapping. You need to have good chemistry with your crew because you are dependent on each other. Mainly for safety. Another man can be as likely to get you hurt, or worse, as you will be. Each man has to be trusted to do his job right, on time, the first time, for safety and ease in the task. A different "hand" (employee) affects the rhythm of the crew. You are likely to spend as much time with your crew as your family, another reason why you need good chemistry with your crew.
You need to have good chemistry with your crew because you are dependent on each other ! Lesson number two. Of course, just breaking out, you will have to take what you get. Keep your eye out for a crew you like. You will get a chance to get on it.
Now you have some experience. You will know if it is for you or not. You will know if you like working in a blinding snowstorm at 3:00 AM, your hands and toes freezing while handling freezing metal with wet gloves. Or like I just did, 10 days straight, 100 degrees, over 12 hours a day. You will know if you like getting filthy dirty, often walking in mud, slick mud, while most likely packing tools, supplies, 100 lb sacks of drilling mud additive. 48 and 60 inch pipe wrenches are not light. Neither is a twenty pound sledge hammer. You will get used to using them at odd angles and balances with poor footing and maybe while hanging in the air. The drilling floor (land rig) is 30 feet high or better, shorter for smaller rigs. You will be up and down these steps all shift long, again often packing. The steps themselves would wear many out. You will know if you like being pressured to work a double shift because the relief crew is shorthanded. With this experience, you can decide where you want to work and what schedule you want to work. The schedule can vary. The most common in my patch are : Land based - week on, week off. Offshore - two weeks, two weeks. Overseas - 28 days, 28 days. All 12 hour shifts. The best being one week on, one week off. Anything more is too long to be gone from home at a time. Land based is best, you can go places/do things on your off hours. Offshore seems like prison to me. You work to live, you do not live to work. That is lesson three.
With lessons number one and three, see if you can find a large patch and move somewhere you like in the middle of it. I am almost in between three different patches. This plus my schedule allows me to have a stable home life and not chase the patch.
I consider myself self employed and work for who I want, where I want, when I want. As with the work and the off time, you can work the iron or let the iron work you.
A lot has been said about safety. The oilfields have never been safer. I think the most dangerous thing I face are paper cuts. From filling out safety bullsh!t paper work My opinion is the insurance companies are mandating it. We have to fill out a pretask safety analysis of every step of the task, any hazard we just might encounter, and list steps to counter it. If the task does not go according to the analysis, it is to be ammended. I do not know how we get anything done The safety Personal Protection Equipment is cumbersome and in some cases creates hazards also to be dealt with. Do not get me wrong. I am glad it is not always "sh!t n git" and that they are taking time for safety but some safety guidelines seem to over ride common sense at times. That and I have never seen a safety program worked as designed. They basically are paying it lip service.

quote Originally posted by maryjane: I'm one of the few that worked that long--in those times--that still has all my fingers and toes.

Same here Don. Because of common sense.
By the way, "roughneck school". Nabors Drilling, right 8Ball ?
It's a safety thing that Nabors did in Houston at one time when hands were in short supply. They had a working rig on a predrilled hole. They would mass hire the inexperienced, class room them a little and give them some hands on experience of connections, tripping pipe and what not without the pressure of a well timeline. Then they would stick them on a rig as a trainee/extra hand doing grunt work untill they could "be a hand".
Oh yeah, the term "worm" has all but disappeared. Politically incorrect ya know Also all but disappeared are cat heads and spinning chains. No one knows how to use them anymore. Spinning tongs rarely work right when you need them. Ever trip 18,000 foot of pipe with chain tongs ?

[This message has been edited by cliffw (edited 09-01-2005).]

Speaking as someone who is not the least bit interested in working the rigs, I gotta say this is a great thread. Thanks guys!

That school is just 15 miles away from me. It's in Rock Springs, WY. I've never worked in the oil fields, but it is very hard work. 12-16 hour days usually for 3 weeks straight, then one week off. You only get paid so much money because of the OT, they don't pay real good otherwise. That's for Haliburton....But I don't believe any of them are too different from each other. I went to school with a guy working for Schlumberger and he had been there for 3 years and was only making $12 an hour.

The people that work the rigs, have always been a different breed.

I am lucky to count them among my friends.

Its a hard, hard life. But they have character above and beyond others.

Good luck with your ventures in the patch................

8Ball, iced_theater, please post info on these roughneck schools. I have been getting PMs requesting info.

Thanks everyone for responding.
The School Iced_tea mentioned sounds like the right place.

cliffw that was very very informative indeed. I have no doubts that even with my small stature,
I CAN do the job. I have worn many differant hats in my fairly short life. I have always been about
doing whatever I have to do, to survive.

But do I WANT to do the job, well I do not know. But I am strongly thinking about it. The chance to
be able to afford a home for my family, is a rather driving factor. Much much much more thought will
go into this, afterall it is a HUGE choice. I mean if I go do it, and it does not work out I will have given
up my job I have now, that I have had for 2 or so years. Steady work that somehow manages to pay most
of the bills.

I thank you all for the info, it is a lot to think about.

Randy

quote Originally posted by cliffw: Oh yeah, the term "worm" has all but disappeared. Politically incorrect ya know Also all but disappeared are cat heads and spinning chains. No one knows how to use them anymore. Spinning tongs rarely work right when you need them. Ever trip 18,000 foot of pipe with chain tongs ?

Nope-not sure I ever worked a hole that shallow. Sounds like an Anadarko surface hole or Tuscaloosa Trend water well job. What was that on--a daylight double?
Tripped out a 26.5K' hole with chain tongs pulling a wet string and black magic tho.
Had to break the kelly loose once while standing on the 1st derrick girder too-on a stuck pipe job. Set up a block and swivel to pull the breakout tongs.

Damdest thing I ever had part of involved a bit that fell in the hole. We had just finished drilling about 2000' of surface hole and had just tripped out. Drilling surface of course, you just start off with drive pipe about 18" diameter. The pusher was looking at an old rock bit, with a bad cone and threw it over to the junk box. It bounced off and went straight down the hole. We looked down the drive pipe, and with a flashlight, we could see it had twisted & somehow hung up at a weld joint about 30' down. Driller was a hardcharger, and a little guy, so we pulled the rotary bushings, tied the fast line to his ankles, lifted him up and lowered him head first down the surface pipe and when we hauled him up, he had that old bit in his hands.

Iron men buddy--Iron men.

[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 09-03-2005).]