I am an oilfield worker, AMA.

How many times has the government hired you and your crew to mine into an asteroid to detonate a nuclear explosive to spilt said asteroid into two pieces to avoid it hitting earth saving mankind?

I cannot confirm or deny that.

How has the drop in oil prices affected you?

So far it hasn't, but I'm saving money like crazy because I'm sure it will in the next few months.

Friends in Alberta, Canada are starting to sweat right now because of this. Good on ya for saving. its an unpredictable market right now.

I say sweat Ironically because its like -40 up here.

Used to live in Fort Mac. I feel terrible for those guys. Living there is extremely expensive to the point where losing your job could bankrupt you.

On the other hand the wages are so insanely high if you don't find some way to blow your six figure salary you can buy a house for cash.

find some way to blow your six figure salary

sadly, this seems to be very easy to do for a lot of people that live in FM. hookers, blow, and lift kits add up.

Also, if you work in the oilfield you probably don't have a track record of being responsible.

Nah, you should be able to save more than enough. Some people there are just not very responsible with money. Considering they probably made 20-30k at max before hitting 6 figs up north, I imagine being fiscally conservative is not a common trait among riggers.

Anecdotally, I hear a lot of people go crazy with their money and buy blinged out trucks and skidoos.

Yeah, I bought 2 new cars the same day once I started making money. $90,000 in one day (with a loan of course). Not the best decision. Especially since I drive them maybe once a month.

I'm doing pretty good saving now though. I just don't spend $100 a day on steak, lobster, etc.

As a 21 year old who has no experience in the Oil Rig Industry.

1. How do I get started on the Rig as far as having experience?

2. How do I begin to apply for a job like this?

3. Is the hard work and shit you have to put up with worth the money you make?

4. How long have you been doing this and how much longer do you see your self doing this?

1. How do I get started on the Rig as far as having experience?

Right now, I wouldn't recommend it. Oil isn't going to get back to a price where workers will be in high demand for at least a year or two. Anyone who says otherwise is a fool who hasn't saved any money and is just hoping.

Whenever it does pick back up, just send out a fuckton of applications and network like crazy. I honestly wouldn't recommend a rig though. It's hard fucking work with pretty shit pay all things considered. Look into getting a CDL and getting on a coil tubing crew. Less work and a lot more opportunities. Or if you can find a good flowback company that pays well.

1. Is the hard work and shit you have to put up with worth the money you make?

I think so. The job isn't for everybody. I'm on call 24/7 and haven't had a single day off in about 3 months (except Christmas, but only because our customers didn't have anything going on). But my job is really easy most of the time. I sit in my truck watching movies, playing games, etc.

1. How long have you been doing this and how much longer do you see your self doing this?

I've been in flowback 2 years and I don't plan on leaving by choice anytime soon. Maybe start a small flowback company in a decade or so.

What is flowback?

After they frack a zone they flow back the fluids that were used and reuse it.

Ah thanks!

We also work with coil/pulling units to drill out all the plugs that frac put in. As they drill them out, I keep a constant flow rate of fluid out of the hole to make sure they don't get stuck. Also I catch the pieces of plugs in my equipment so it doesn't get to the pumps sending the water back in and fuck them up.

Here's a good crash course in how a frac works:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VY34PQUiwOQ

What about Recert? I know its not rig work but is there still a demand for those jobs?

I'm not sure what that is, do you have any more info about it?

As a 21 year old with no money. How do I get a paycheck like this one?

FTFY

Speaking of which, how much do you usually earn OP?

Salary of $40,000 a year and either $250 or $500 every shift on location. Just depends what I'm running. If it's a manifold it's $250 but I will get out of my truck maybe 1 time during my shift. If I'm also running a plugcatcher (catches the pieces of plug parts coming out of the hole) it's $500 and I have to actually work.

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My company doesn't offer scheduled days off, which isn't necessarily bad because it's just more money. But if you aren't from the area it's gonna burn you out.

it's $500 and I have to actually work.

Oh damn. Can't sit in that truck all the time huh? Bummer

Yeah, bullshit isn't it?

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Damn, I might suck a dick for a motorcycle.

How did you end up in this field of work?

I've lived in the area all my life. I was going to the community college for computer science and working part time in retail. I would see kids barely out of high school coming in and blowing 2-3 grand cash on TV's, computers, etc.

I said fuck this and contacted some family friends and started working as a machinist. Then I worked as a mechanic and now I'm here. I don't plan on leaving.

If you had stuck with being a programmer, do you think you would be making more money than you do now while having the same level of job satisfaction?

No way, I love my job. I get paid to either watch tv/play games or workout by setting up iron and swinging a sledgehammer. I can't imagine a better job.

I don't know man. Sure you don't want to dick around in a cubicle bored out of your mind with me doing J2EE programming for some bullshit app that will never make it to the customers hands? It's a solid 8-4:30 with 20 vacation days a year. Rarely work Overtime.

You just have to not put a gun in your mouth out of depression and bordem for 30 years and you're set for life.

The gray walls and fluorescent lighting isn't so bad

I'm depressed just thinking about that.

Probably not, it is hard to beat the oil field wages if you are smart with your finances. The bad stigma that goes along with it mostly comes from the workers that spend 90% of their paycheck as a soon as they get it.

Definitely been guilty of that. I bought 2 brand new cars the same day back in March. Spent around $90,000 (not including interest). Worst part is I have only put 3,500 miles on my car since I got it because I work so much.

Wanna buy a challenger?

Is there no work as a machinist in the oil industry? I'm currently taking Machining in college

There absolutely is. I just hate being in a shop and that company was only paying me $13/hr which is a pittance around here.

How often do you yell "I drink your milkshake!!!"? Or any other equally amazing There Will Be Blood quotes.

Nobody I know has seen it actually. I ended up watching it a few months ago and it was pretty good. I couldn't remember a quote for the life of me though.

My Dad is from Odessa, and my grandfather worked in the oil fields from the 1940's to the 1980's (with a brief away period during WWII) I am pretty familiar with that area.

My Questions:

Did you move to the area for work? or were you already out there when the Frac boom started?

Do you live in one of the mobile home parks that they are throwing up out there? if so what is that like?

I was recently out there to see my grandparents and I bought an energy drink from a gas station, it was about 40 cents more than it typically costs in the Dallas area., what is the cost of living like in terms of say restaurant food and groceries?

Thanks for doing an AMA!

Did you move to the area for work? or were you already out there when the Frac boom started?

Born and raised here. Always said I would leave this place when I was an adult, but I don't plan on it as long as I'm making money.

Do you live in one of the mobile home parks that they are throwing up out there? if so what is that like?

Fuuuuuuuck no. I feel bad for the people living in them. Paying $500 a month just for a spot to put a tent or camper. And there ARE people in "tents", but they are more like a couple of tarps thrown up. It's crazy to me that people live in them.

I was recently out there to see my grandparents and I bought an energy drink from a gas station, it was about 40 cents more than it typically costs in the Dallas area., what is the cost of living like in terms of say restaurant food and groceries?

Man, I couldn't give an accurate answer. I don't really pay attention to what I pay for things here and haven't been out of town in years.

Hey I'm in the Mid/Ode area too! Glad to see that something is AMA worthy from the Permian Basin haha. Staying out of this wind?

Fuck no, I'm out in Monahans. We had some "ice pellets" the meteorologists have been talking about.

1. Would you let an oil company frack on your land?
2. Any concern with environmental issues or is it just another job?
3. Is it as noisy and annoying as people say?
4. Have you ever witnessed local water supply contamination?
5. Do you think the industry understates the dangers while environmentalists overstate it or is the current debate an accurate depiction of reality?

Good questions!

1. Would you let an oil company frack on your land?

The problem I would have wouldn't be fracking. It would be the drilling because nasty shit comes out of wells like H2S (sometimes, not on every well or in every location). If I had my house within a mile of the well, FUCK no. But like I said, that's just because of the hazards of the location. Deadly gases, fires, etc. If my family wouldn't be in danger I wouldn't give a fuck.

For the record, I speak out against drilling near homes. There are too many hazards to be risking people's safety who didn't sign up for it. Again, that's because of the shit coming out of the well and not what's going in.

1. Any concern with environmental issues or is it just another job?

Not at all. It's a way to provide for my family. And from all I've learned, electric cars end up being HORRIBLE for the earth because of the pollution caused by mining the rare metals. But I could just be ignorant.

1. Is it as noisy and annoying as people say?

To work on, it's not bad. If I lived next to it I would be pissed.

1. Have you ever witnessed local water supply contamination?

No, it's actually extremely rare and almost NEVER caused by frac. It would be damn near impossible to contaminate ground water due to fracking. You would have to have an incredibly inept wireline crew that set off the guns WAY too fucking earlier. I've only heard of one case which was in Canada. I read the report and it was a fucking shit show. I've never heard of such pure stupidity.

1. Do you think the industry understates the dangers while environmentalists overstate it or is the current debate an accurate depiction of reality?

The biggest problem is people who claim to be environmentalists that are just disgustingly ignorant and misinformed. The amount of times I have heard people quote "Gaslands" is appalling. That show was a fucking shit show. I don't have the time to list all the outright lies and misinformation they spread, but anyone curious can read here:

http://energyindepth.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Debunking-GasLand.pdf

But that goes the other way too. There are proponents of the oil industry that are woefully ignorant and just spout off nonsense.

I think both sides have legitimate points and concerns. Can the oilfield cause massive disasters? Absolutely, we've seen it happen multiple times. But that's not because the technology is flawed, it's human error. And those human errors should be pointed out and we should learn how to avoid them in the future.

How accurate is this scene? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXefMpB25N4

As far as the fluid coming out like that, I've never seen it. That's not typical.

Most guys will help anyone out if they need something (food, clothes, money, etc.) unless you are a cunt. If you act like a jackass someone is going to spank that ass. I've threatened to hit people with valve bars on multiple occasions.

Have you witnessed any accidents?

Nothing too major. I've seen coil tubing break open a couple of times and ran like hell. Luckily it didn't snap clean through or it would be ugly. I've seen people lifting equipment that weighed many thousands of pounds with a shitty strap that ended up snapping and came 4 feet away from smashing straight onto someone. Had a 15 foot chain fall from 50 feet and miss me by a foot. Minor shit.

Seen minor injuries like broken bones, wounds needing stitches, etc. I did work with a few guys missing fingers. One said the doctor took clippers to the ragged bone that was left after he lost his thumb and that you could hear the "snip snip snip" of him cutting the bone.

Had a 15 foot chain fall from 50 feet and miss me by a foot. Minor shit.

TIL One man's minor shit is another mans soiled pants...

Eh, google "oilfield injuries" and click images.

As a Safety Manager for a natural gas company, those "minor shit" descriptions had me cringing. I understand there is a need to "get shit done to get money" mentality, but I hope those incidents didn't just get swept under the rug.

but I hope those incidents didn't just get swept under the rug

Lol

What sort of day to day impact are you seeing (if any) as oil prices have fallen so dramatically over recent months?

Smaller companies are laying people off, but so far there is still work. Companies don't want to stop yet because if oil miraculously goes back up in the next few months they want to hit the ground running.

How accurate am I on your setting and how this AmA came about?

You're sitting in your pickup, getting your power for your laptop from a light plant, stealing your Internet from the company man trailer. You haven't been out of your pickup to do anything other than piss and get a lunch from the caterer. You become tired of browsing gonewild and decide the world needs to see through the eyes of a flowback hand. Plus it'll help the last 3 hours of the shift go by. Amirite?

Eh, kinda. Chilling in my truck using my company iphone with unlimited internet (which I use to hotspot and play computer games) only getting out to shit on the ground in the 20 degree weather because I have a stomach virus and no portapotties. And it's all about /r/redheads bro. Got bored of playing madden on my ipad and figured I would do an AMA to make the next few hours go by. Little did I know it would get so big.

Hey OP, first off, love the username.

I work in the midstream side of petroleum with a background in the downstream side.

1. What would you say the safety culture of your work is? Is it heavily stressed (with lots of pre-job paperwork, work permits, safety meetings, etc.) or is it more relaxed?
2. What is the frequency of activists at your sites? Do you ever see any?
3. Once a well has been drilled, is it continuously frac'd or does the oil flow for a while before they have to rig up and frac again?

1. What would you say the safety culture of your work is? Is it heavily stressed (with lots of pre-job paperwork, work permits, safety meetings, etc.) or is it more relaxed?

It depends who you are working for. Oxy will shit a brick if you have a beard, don't wear PPE, and they always have safety meetings.

Smaller companies don't tend to care as much.

My current company man has a beard, doesn't wear FR's, doesn't wear a hardhat, and doesn't wear safety glasses.

1. What is the frequency of activists at your sites? Do you ever see any?

Damn, I wish. They actually show up to locations? That's pretty ballsy.

1. Once a well has been drilled, is it continuously frac'd or does the oil flow for a while before they have to rig up and frac again?

I was bullshitting with an engineer yesterday, and I actually asked him that. It really depends what kind of well it is. Shale wells have a habit of dying out after a year or two. If they think they can get enough returns to make it profitable they will frac it again. If not, they just plug the bitch.

What's your favorite type of cake?

Man, I had a red velvet cheesecake a few years ago that was ridiculously good. The prep time for it is like 12 hours though so I haven't tried to make it.

Hey thanks for doing this AMA!

Is the money worth it?

Absolutely. I get paid to fuck around in my truck or workout with a sledgehammer. It doesn't get much better.

Don't get me wrong, there are shitty parts. For instance, there aren't any shitters on this location. "Ice pellets" are falling from the sky, it's below 30 degrees, and I have the shits. I have to just go find a nice spot and squat.

How many hours do you actually work in a month? Housing provided or how much do you pay for housing?

It varies. Probably about 300 a month on average.

There are companies that provide housing for their employees, mine even does for some crews from Louisiana, but I pay for mine. It's not as bad as oniontits said, he is talking out of his ass all over this thread. I pay $1,050 for a 3 bedroom 2 bath house with a 500 sq foot shop in the back (and I bought the house about 2 years ago so the market was still strong).

Apartments are stupid expensive though. $950+ a month for a 1 bedroom in an ok complex. The "luxury" apartments are going for $1,500+ a month for a one room.

Two quick questions for you buddy:

How'd you get started working at the oilfield?

What are the standard requirements for landing/maintaining a job like that?

How'd you get started working at the oilfield?

Just knowing the right people to get the first job, then networking with coworkers after that.

What are the standard requirements for landing/maintaining a job like that?

Don't fail a drug test and be available at all times. No leaving town unless yiu specifically put in a request for that, AND it got approved.

There's really no training you need to get the job, they teach you everything.

Felons preferred.

wowowow, felons PREFERRED?

for real? why?

Tax reasons. I'm not sure how it works, but most companies get tax breaks (or something similar) if they hire ex-cons. Most places just won't do it because they have too much to lose, but there isn't too much damage they can do in the oilfield crime wise.

Well, besides theft. And that shit runs rampant.

Fill out an application in that 2nd grade level writing you never overcame and dont' smoke, drink or toke, and no bad breath, also be in tip top shape healthwise.

If you aren't smoking, drinking, or dipping this may not be for you.

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Depends on your level of experience and competence. Some companies if there are two wells or three wells on one pad you get a double or a triple bonus which could be over a grand a day.

Yeah, BTI had people making $30,000+ a month for a while. Fuckers.

$250 every 12 hour shift if I'm running a manifold, $500 per 12 if it's a manifold and plug catcher.

What kind of car do you drive?

Challenger.

What special kind of specialized training did you need to do your job? What is the most difficult/complex part of your job?

As far as getting hired, I didn't need any training. Once I was hired I watched a couple videos about h2s and general safety, then it was out to the field. Most of the oilfield is hands on learning.

Have you ever felt that project managers or others have tried to put you in unsafe situations? Any close calls for you that stick out in your mind? I was working at a calgary drilling company doing cost control and learned a lot about how hard the work is

They usually don't do or say anything that could even make it seem they would support unsafe work. Because companies will fire the shit out of anyone putting people's health in jeopardy.

Because that's money in the bank for anyone injured. I know a guy that lost part of a finger (to the first knuckle) and he got $100,000.

How deep does your field bore? When you're done drilling do you set up automated pumps like these? You see them everywhere in the Southwest and Texas.

It varies. I've been on wells that are only 4000' deep and on wells that went to 29,000'.

As far as the pump, they will usually either have a pump jack, or there will be a submersible pump at the bottom of the hole. If it's the submersible pump, the only thing you will see will be a couple of electrical boxes in most cases.

Have you ever seen the show Black Gold, and if so, where are its inaccuracies?

I haven't. I worked with someone who knew them though and my understanding is the show is largely horseshit. A lot of staged scenarios and such.

What are the biggest challenges you have encountered as an oilfield worker? Is it a monotonous job? Do you like it? Thanks for doing this AMA!

It doesn't really get monotonous just becUse we don't stay in a location longer than a week usually. So we get somewhat of a change of scenery.

I love my job. I can't think of a job I would enjoy more.