January 26, 2020|Life in the Oilfield
© January 26th, 2020, American Directional Driller®
Are you headed to your first tour on the drilling rig as a Directional Driller or Measurement While Drilling – Field Engineer? Get ready for a culture shock! I’m telling you right now that your life will never be the same. Don’t worry though because you’ll make lifelong friendships with complete strangers from all over the world.
The road to success can be long – take it anyway!
The rig will feel like a home and your coworkers will become family. When you hit a rough patch in life, you are more likely to get a helping hand from the oilfield brotherhood than a true family member. There is simply no other way to describe the outcome of living and working in a 24-hour, 365-day/year work environment.
Your new employer is likely a major international oilfield service company with a reputable name and long history like Halliburton, Schlumberger, Baker Hughes, Scientific Drilling, or Weatherford. These companies recruit heavily from the military and university STEM degree programs to fill job requisitions in field operations like Directional Drilling.
There are hundreds more small oilfield service companies who deserve recognition for prioritizing highly-skilled talent. In your forthcoming oilfield career, it’s important to realize that you will one day switch employers. Make lasting friendships across company boundaries so you can catch a life-preserver at a critical time.
If you have a family, it is best to move close to where your work will be concentrated in the Permian Basin, Eagle Ford Shale, Bakken Shale, Marcellus Shale, Kern River, Niobrara, etc. Most oilfield families prefer to live in the country. If your family desires a more urban setting, here is an abbreviated list of cities to consider:
- Texas: Metropolitan Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Midland/Odessa, San Antonio, Amarillo, Lubbock, Austin
- Colorado: Metropolitan Denver, Grand Junction, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs
- Louisiana: Metropolitan New Orleans, Lafayette
- California: Metropolitan Los Angeles, Bakersfield
- Oklahoma: Metropolitan Oklahoma City, Tulsa
- Pennsylvania: Metropolitan Pittsburgh
- North Dakota: Williston, Minot, Dickinson
- West Virginia: Morgantown
- Alaska: Anchorage
- Arkansas: Feyetteville
- New Mexico: Albuquerque, Farmington
- Wyoming: Casper, Sheridan, Rock Springs, Cheyenne
- Montana: Billings, Glendive, or Sidney
- Utah: Salt Lake City, Vernal
New hires without children or a spouse should consider sharing housing near the base camp that schedules rig assignments. If you are a free-bird, live in nice hotels instead of renting a downtown apartment in the city. Odds are high that you won’t have many days off to go home until the next downturn or until you take a lower-paying job at the main office.
Some DD’s take a fun vacation during every rig move: Las Vegas, back country camping, Caribbean cruises, ski trips, or international destinations. Why not skip the downtown apartment and instead go for frequent last-minute vacations? This is an especially good move if you anticipate an international assignment.
Because the good times don’t last forever, you’ll need to save as much money as you can. Wise elders have endured many boom and bust cycles without spending frivolously. Those best positioned for the long haul have a second career to fall back upon such as a family farm. An increasing number of young oilfield workers are focusing on debt repayment and maximizing their 401k contributions.
© January 26th, 2020, American Directional Driller®
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