Great jobs in Texas

Very interesting thread! I was in the oilfield from 7/06 to 12/07. I was a well surveyor for Scientific Drilling in the Houston and Midland districts, then I went to Halliburton in DFW as a trainee directional driller. Due to a family breakup, I quit at the end of 2007 and moved to Cali.
Several of my oilfield friends are hurting now, but we all thought this boom would last forever. I guess I got out at a good time!

Looks like the trucking aspect of it is way down too..

 

WEVE BEEN BUSTED!
Supposedly D.F.W. has worst unemployment in Texas now.

 

Not even close. The valley area has always had the highest unemployment in TX. The Barnett Shale has sure slowed down though. I have seen about 10 wells in Aledo/Willow Park area the past few months. Not like it was, but better than nothing. Friend of mine was driving tankers and thought he would go skateboarding. Now he is making about $800 a week vs the $1500 he used to. Tried to come on specialized with us, but no room for him now.

 

The Rife area of Colorado is a perfect example. Water haulers were making 20 an hour and all the hours they wanted (who cares about DOT) at one time there were easily 60 + listings for drivers on the Colorado Job Service web site for the Rifle area, now just one! Make the money while you can but once the drilling is done production work is scarce!

 

Yep-Just hauled some field housing units up to Rio Blanco canyon area N of Rifle. It seems to be going pretty good up there. Or was. Oilpatch is the same every where. Put some back for a rainy day. Down here 2nd or 3rd paycheck half of these dopes went out and bought $40,000 pickup with 72 month payments and then got laid off. I imagine you got a bunch of the same. But I was young and dumb too. Now just old and dumb.

 

Along with my co-workers, I was one of those "dopes", now learning to live on a lot less and honestly, quite a bit happier and for sure wiser..

 

I posted JOBS IN ND OIL PATCH, surprised it did not recieve the same attention as this posting ? bottom line after 6 - 9 mths down turn in drilling, companies have started to re plan for 2010, I left the UT / CO ( Vernal - Rifle ) area because the rockies are predominately Natrual Gas as is WY all thes areas have slowed significantly because of the very low price / abundant supply. However Oil has always been and will continue to be in demand due to its limited supply TX & ND are expanding again, I am a Hot Oiler / Winch Tractor opp, In winter I can gross $15k a month and around $6800 in summer, if you work for the smaller companies you can expect to work / bill 65 - 100 hrs per wk. You have to be willing to move and make the sacrifice in order to get a job in the oil / trucking ind'
1 advantage is that in ND Spanish language will not be an advantage,
but the winters are brutal.

 

I haul tanks up to Minot /Sidney area as well as Vernal and Wy. Vernal is in bad shape. Wy is slowing down. ND seems to be more steady as you state. Lot of these go to Indian Res land. Rifle people we delivered about 13 bldgs to said things were ok. Others here say no. They sure built some nice offices down in that canyon. And they have a sherriff there every time to make sure you have county road permit as well as state. Every one has to get there share. Also have to have escorts on county roads but none on any other including Loveland Pass. go figure.

 

I was kind of wondering about that too. There is always a up followed by a down in the oil business.

 

We just had a guy come to work for us about 4 months ago now that was working in the oilfield. I know he lives in North Ft. Worth and said that he had been out of work about 6 months before starting with us.

He did say that if it picks back up he would go back because of the money he made.

It seems to me that if you were able to lease or own a dump truck right now that would be the way to go around here in the DFW area. There is so much construction going on that it's redonkulous! <<--- not mis-typed it's my own terminology! (lol)
Anyway, I guess even with that you gotta figure it's gonna end sometime so get it while you can!