Halliburton Cement Op Inquiry

Good morning all!

I ran across this site after trying to locate information for the NOE Halliburton location in Odessa.

Most of the threads were from 2014-2015. Lots of feedback and a ton of knowledge from orientation to actually working in the field for the first 3 months.

However I was trying to see if things have changed a bit since then. I recently was laid off from my job as a business analyst for the past 8 years in Dallas. It was totally unexpected and it kind of served as a wake up call to me. I’m recently engaged and we’re getting married this upcoming January. The layoff came at a very unexpected time being that we were just about finishing payments for our wedding and saving for a house.

The layoff occurred 2 months ago and thankfully I was offered a decent severance package. 2 weeks after that after talking with a friend that also works for Halliburton I decided to apply online at the Odessa/Midland location. They called me literally 3 days later and wanted me to drive from DALLAS to Odessa for an in person interview. The interview went well and I was hired on the spot.

I applied for Frac/Acid operator assistant trainee & cement operator assistant trainee.
Being that I have no oilfield experience my friend advised me to go this route. In my waiting period I obtained my Class A CDL permit with tanker endorsement. I tried going back to add triples & hazmat but they told me I had to get my official CDL first.

Halliburton is sending me to I’m driving school I’m assuming after NOE finishes. My background and medical cleared and i start NOE Wednesday.

I really wanted to get away from sitting behind a desk. The money was decent but I felt my life was passing me by. I hate being glued to a computer for 8-10 hours a day. It was very depressing. My fiancé and I sat down and discussed a plan for me to start something new and this would definitely help up go into our marriage just about debt free. She has a great job in the oil and gas field but on the accounting side.

So....a lot of the older post talked about NOE being 2 weeks long with 60 tests to complete. 8-10 hour days in a classroom setting watching videos and PowerPoint presentations and taking a test in between. And the the last 2-3 days spent out in the field at a mock rig up/down. Is this still the case in Odessa in 2018?

60 tests sounds a bit much but I’ve read their training is top notch. And the starting pay was a shocker but they have intervals in pay raises within the first year. I wish I would’ve gotten the CDL on my own after learning the Texas Workforce through Unemployment actually pays for your driving school here in Dallas. I was ready to get to work after I got my offer letter so there was no turning back at that point.

When I arrived in Midland I realized literally everyone was hiring. I called up many of the featured ad’s around town but all of them required a CDL. I reached out to a few friends that do contract work but all of them told me to go with Halliburton first.

Any advice on what to expect at NOE in a few days? And any other advice about being a cement operator out that way?

 

I actually applied to Schlumberger for their entry level positions but they never reached out for an interview. Halliburton did after a few days.

 

2 weeks on, 7 off. Yeah in the paperwork it said they would pay for the Driving school so I can get my CDL but if I quit before the 12 month period I would have to pay the $3500 back. I plan on being there for a while. Just needed to get my foot in the door and this was my only opportunity, or this was the only company out there that would give me a shot. My roommate from college works out there as well. Started out cement trainee 4 years ago. Went offshore and came back pushing tools. Sitting in a truck/trailer under the AC while everyone is outside drilling.

 

I’ll defintely keep this in mind. Thanks for the feedback!

 

I’m defintely looking forward to a change in pace. I’ve been at home for the past 2 months and my start date is literally days away. I’m rested and ready to tackle this new beginning. Luckily I stopped drinking and going to bars a while back so I’m good in that arena. My wedding is around the corner and I’m keeping my nose clean and looking to make the best out of this amazing opportunity. Thanks for the feedback brother!