I'm reminded of something my husband says, "Sweetie, there's a theoretical amount of money that will make me do just about anything".


I wonder if I can set him up on a date with Robert Redford for a million bucks. Sure could use the cash.

 

Back to our regular scheduled programming.....

 

One of the largest oil booms in the country is in your backyard. If you need a job you can walk on and get one doing almost anything you can think of. Computers, mechanical, welding, electrician, rough neck, production, office work, truck driver, pipeline, heavy equipment. You name it, it is there.

I am in the drilling side now. I started when I was 39 on a work over rig which is the most demanding job I have ever done. Really, Really hard work. Drilling rigs are cake. You can start at about 70k walking on to a rig. All you need to do is show up, be dependable, work hard and be dependable. Did I mention being dependable? In 6 months to a year you can easily make over 120, no joke.

Not sure if this helps, but call Helmrich and Payne (H&P) One of the best drilling companies in the industry, in my opinion. You can also look at rigzone.com. Literally hundreds of jobs available today.

 

If I had to start from scratch and I mean completely start over, I think at this stage of my life, I would focus on simplicity.
Maybe, a check list to be used every morning when I wake up:

1) Horse? --> check
2) Saddle? --> check
3) Bed roll --> check
4) Coffee? --> check
5) Dog? --> check
Good to go.

 

Ive drilled in your back yard (Near pinedale) I wouldn't call it a "boom" every well had to be fraced get anything out of it. those are the most docile wells Ive ever seen.
as far as money, figure $30K/year base salary, $200/day day rate, $40/day per diem. depending on what you do, 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off to 5 weeks on, 5 weeks off. Yea, you can make a few dollar/year.

 

Ya not much going on over in Jonah anymore. Although BP is starting up again.

ND and Pennsylvania are booming. there is a new oilfield in Wyoming that is coming on line too. Problem is, there are no more rigs in the US. In PA they want you to live there, so you don't go away if things pick up closer to home. I have had many, many offers to work there, but I would have to sell my place here. Git-R-Done lives there already. He could walk on tomorrow with no experience.

In ND right now, you can walk onto a rig as a worm for $25 per hour. two week hitch. safety and down hole bonuses as well. H&P splits the shift, but pays the overtime. You can walk onto a rig and get 60-70k per year today. If you pick up a couple of extra shifts throughout the year you can break 75 to 80 net real easy.

 

right now is a great time to get into drilling. Walk on a worm at $25/hour work your tail off for 6 months, and learn absolutely every thing you can about every job on the rig. mud pump, generators, geology, what ever you can learn. Be safe, dont be dumb and in 6 months to a year, you will move up. A year as tool pusher, and talk to your company about going offshore or international.
The money is good, but you will have to work for it and you will see quite a few people on the rig who are doing a WHOLE lot less work than you.
I have a buddy that runs a frac truck for Haliburton. He may spend a few days on site and not do anything.

 

I've had 8 carrier changes so far and I'm thinking about another, and I'm 54. The first time is the hardest, especially if you have been at it for a long time. It gets easier after that. My excuse? I hate working for A holes.

 

Medical field is pretty secure with high demand these days, too, if that is at all interesting.

Surgical nurse or respiratory therapist or something might not be too bad.

 

You can always become a mortician unless your counting on repeat business.

 

repeat business means we're having a zombie outbreak or you didn't do something right the first time...

 

We actually have SOME industry starting here in the green energy fields. A few solar power and battery manufacturing and an occasional windmill. The governor has signed incentives to encourage more of that business to grow in this area.

 

The thing that would concern me about the windmill thing would be if a person could make it to retirement age still able to climb the 300' things several times a day in all sorts of weather.

Plus not staying in one area more than a year or two, and at some point the construction boom is going to taper off.

 

They've actually talked of manufacturing plants here, as opposed to having to ship some all the way from Europe.

 

The trouble with manufacturing in the US is they all wind up over seas. Those that hang around wind up assembling parts made in fill in the blank. A company I worked for went to France.