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CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

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CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby mattduke » Fri 02 Nov 2007, 21:02:25

Once again, CNN provides quality and timely information you can really use!

"That's the advice experts give people wanting to capitalize on the current shortage of highly trained oil industry workers - a shortage that's also expected to delay new oil projects and could drive crude prices even higher over the next few years."

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Re: CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby Bas » Fri 02 Nov 2007, 21:09:55

I shit oil, but only a barrel a month.
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Re: CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby sicophiliac » Fri 02 Nov 2007, 21:39:02

Id just at the chance for a career in the oil or energy industry in general. In my opinion these will be the most secure jobs to have in the coming years given that most other non essential job sectors will suffer due to the economic collapse. Where I am at in San Jose CA only real energy jobs are solar related which for the most part I am not qualified education wise to apply for. :cry:
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Re: CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby Tyler_JC » Fri 02 Nov 2007, 23:13:46

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('sicophiliac', 'I')d just at the chance for a career in the oil or energy industry in general. In my opinion these will be the most secure jobs to have in the coming years given that most other non essential job sectors will suffer due to the economic collapse. Where I am at in San Jose CA only real energy jobs are solar related which for the most part I am not qualified education wise to apply for. :cry:


Could you relocate?

Now is the time to move to where the jobs are.

Plus, the difference in cost of living between San Jose and (Texas? Canada?) would be dramatic.
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Re: CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby cube » Fri 02 Nov 2007, 23:43:38

I think it's best to do what you love rather then try to jump on board whatever mainstream media is saying what's HOT at the moment because seriously that seems to change every 5 years.

Remember 11 years ago IT companies were handing out $50,000 entry level jobs like it was free candy on Halloween...plus stock options.

5 years later if you became a real estate agent, you would of went laughing all the way to the bank making $20,000 commission on a home that sold in less then 1 week!

And now it seems that software engineers have gone out of style --> the sexiest thing to be these days is a petroleum engineer. But how long will that last?
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Re: CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby HEADER_RACK » Fri 02 Nov 2007, 23:47:33

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('sicophiliac', 'I')d just at the chance for a career in the oil or energy industry in general. In my opinion these will be the most secure jobs to have in the coming years given that most other non essential job sectors will suffer due to the economic collapse. Where I am at in San Jose CA only real energy jobs are solar related which for the most part I am not qualified education wise to apply for. :cry:


In my opinoin (someone that works in the oil field) I think things in the industry will be secure until there are shortages. Most offshore oil workers in the GOM do not have your everyday commute.On average you drive 4 to 5 hours one way to get from your home to the heliport or dock. Sometimes even further. If Someone is having shortages in their home town and are unable to FILL-UP to travel those distances to get to work, well they aren't going to bike it. Also there are HUGE amounts of trucking done in the industry. If the trucks can't roll, you can't get equip to the dock.Well..you can guess the problems after that in a domino effect expanding the problems. When shortages begin.

But thats just my opinoin.
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Re: CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby sicophiliac » Sat 03 Nov 2007, 00:14:25

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('sicophiliac', 'I')d just at the chance for a career in the oil or energy industry in general. In my opinion these will be the most secure jobs to have in the coming years given that most other non essential job sectors will suffer due to the economic collapse. Where I am at in San Jose CA only real energy jobs are solar related which for the most part I am not qualified education wise to apply for. :cry:


Could you relocate?

Now is the time to move to where the jobs are.

Plus, the difference in cost of living between San Jose and (Texas? Canada?) would be dramatic.


Well I definetely could relocate if need be, moving to another country might be a bit of a hassle but considering the economic mess the US will be facing (tanking dollar, housing market, debt debt debt ect ect) it might be worth considering. I would certainly prefer to stay in the US though simpley for convenience reasons. I was thinking about maybe the pacific northwest or something and maybe trying to get into some sort of biodiesel or biofuel job. The oilfields down in Bakersfield about 200 miles south of here which might offer job opportunities as it becomes more and more economical to force oil up from those tired old oil wells. We have a few good solar companies here like Sunpower and Nanosolar as well as an installer Akeena but again I would need to get myself through school and get a degree in chemistry or mechanical engineering to really stand a chance at a job. Maybe if I am lucky I could get an entry level position somewhere that could train me for some basic job skills and in the meantime get a degree and have a foot in the door already for a higher position. Anybody here have any advice when it comes to this?
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Re: CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby SD_Scott » Sat 03 Nov 2007, 01:03:29

I spent quite a few years in the oil industry as a controls engineer and I get several emails per day asking if I'm available. They certainly need people but it's not as good as working in manufacturing. Fact is it sux.
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Re: CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby sicophiliac » Sat 03 Nov 2007, 01:26:23

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SD_Scott', 'I') spent quite a few years in the oil industry as a controls engineer and I get several emails per day asking if I'm available. They certainly need people but it's not as good as working in manufacturing. Fact is it sux.


Manufacturing sector in general or manufacturing equipment or components for the oil and gas industry specifically? Last time I checked the manufacturing sector in general has been in a the hole for years now.. You should be grateful that you at least have secure work for the time being regardless of how much the job sucks.. its money today and money for the forseeable future. All I do right now is spray bugs.. talk about a job thats doomed once things get bad. Mostly its a luxury service we do, (monthly and bi-monthly) residential spraying for general pests. We are the first ones to get canned when money gets tight and since we are payed commission we feel each and every account that goes.
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Re: CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby mekrob » Sat 03 Nov 2007, 08:46:42

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')But thats just my opinoin.


No offense, but that makes no sense.

The oil industry is one of the best paid and most lucrative, not to mention most essential. So oil companies will know that if oil prices go up, they'll need to pay their employees more in order to get them to come to work. Why? Because if not then they can't get to work and the oil doesn't come out and thus no profits. The oil industry, even the little guys, have plenty of money from the high prices, which is more than enough to pay a few hundred or thousand more a year to the little guys if it means continued production. Mom and pop stores and SUV's will not be able to outbid XOM for gasoline.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'O')n average you drive 4 to 5 hours one way to get from your home to the heliport or dock.


My uncle has connections in the industry and was trying to get a job for me as a lowly rig worker last summer and he was saying we'd work 12 hr days. So if it's 4 hrs drive each way and probably another hr or two to get to the rig from the dock and back, do rig workers sleep at all? Or is it only on your vacation?

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')nybody here have any advice when it comes to this?


Internships and school is probably the best option. If you do them at the same time, then a Bachelor's will probably take 6 years, but the work will have a great effect on getting jobs. Geology, chemistry, mech. engineering, physics are all good options for the future, depending what route you want to take.
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Re: CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby HEADER_RACK » Sat 03 Nov 2007, 11:06:31

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mekrob', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')But thats just my opinoin.


No offense, but that makes no sense.

The oil industry is one of the best paid and most lucrative, not to mention most essential. So oil companies will know that if oil prices go up, they'll need to pay their employees more in order to get them to come to work. Why? Because if not then they can't get to work and the oil doesn't come out and thus no profits. The oil industry, even the little guys, have plenty of money from the high prices, which is more than enough to pay a few hundred or thousand more a year to the little guys if it means continued production. Mom and pop stores and SUV's will not be able to outbid XOM for gasoline.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'O')n average you drive 4 to 5 hours one way to get from your home to the heliport or dock.


My uncle has connections in the industry and was trying to get a job for me as a lowly rig worker last summer and he was saying we'd work 12 hr days. So if it's 4 hrs drive each way and probably another hr or two to get to the rig from the dock and back, do rig workers sleep at all? Or is it only on your vacation?


My apologies mekrob for not explaining things a little more.
When you go offshore. They don't fly you to a location everyday. You live on the rig or platform you're working on for 7 to 14 days. Then you come home for 7 to 14 days off. Then go do it again.

I never said they couldn't afford to buy gas. I said when shortages start to appear in their home towns they wouldn't be able to FILL-UP to go to work.If it is a shortage you can't get gas at any price they are OUT of it.

Let's say you live in Lafayette,LA. The rig your working on is flying out of Boothville,LA. You drive a little over 200 miles to get to the heliport, park your car and fly out to the rig. Drilling rigs move from location to location and while you were on your 14 days offshore the rig moved to another location. Now your crew changing out of port aransas,TX. Now the company will get a bus so you can get your car. Now you're traveling just over 700 miles to get back to boothville, to get your car and drive back the 200 miles to get home. To Aransas from Lafayette is about 500 miles. So your next crew change you will have a round trip commute just over 1000 miles.

When shortages start to show up in their home towns. I just can't see people traveling those distances.
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Re: CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby darren » Sat 03 Nov 2007, 14:06:27

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('HEADER_RACK', '
')
I never said they couldn't afford to buy gas. I said when shortages start to appear in their home towns they wouldn't be able to FILL-UP to go to work.If it is a shortage you can't get gas at any price they are OUT of it.


That's not how it's going to play out. Global oil production is not going to go from 85mbbl/day today to 0bbl/day tomorrow. It will decline gradually.

The ability of an oil worker to commute 1000mi in a month is not going to be a limiting factor. (lots of people do that now). There are buses, there is a whole infrastructure of passenger train travel that could be resurrected when gas hits $10/gallon.

Heck, your very, very highly paid oil workers could buy Smart cars, and do the whole 1000mi trip with a few gallons of diesel!
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Re: CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby HEADER_RACK » Sat 03 Nov 2007, 15:06:52

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')hat's not how it's going to play out. Global oil production is not going to go from 85mbbl/day today to 0bbl/day tomorrow. It will decline gradually.

I know it's not going to go from 85 to 0 in one day. Let's look at it this way. Pumping 85mil a day, need 88mil a day projected for next year.Even pumping 85 mil a day next year. That's a 3 mill a day deficit. Guess what. Someone's going to do WITHOUT. Look at the people in North Dakota, they are having shortages right now. Couple more years and shortages might be popping up everywhere.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he ability of an oil worker to commute 1000mi in a month is not going to be a limiting factor. (lots of people do that now).

Of course they are doing that now. We don't have shortages yet.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', ' ')There are buses, there is a whole infrastructure of passenger train travel that could be resurrected when gas hits $10/gallon.

This belongs in the should've,would've,could've category. Nothing will happen IMO. Even yourself said when it gets to $10 a gallon resurrect the rail system. Why not now? When gas is $10 a gallon it is way beyond to late to START doing things.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')eck, your very, very highly paid oil workers could buy Smart cars, and do the whole 1000mi trip with a few gallons of diesel!

Even the highly paid oil worker is a sheep. They are like every other American consumer in debt up to their ass. The economy is tanking the dollar is falling to all time lows but hey let's all go out and buy new cars. Don't see that happening either.
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Re: CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby Hawkcreek » Sat 03 Nov 2007, 15:08:36

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Re: CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby jbeckton » Sat 03 Nov 2007, 15:17:53

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('sicophiliac', 'M')aybe if I am lucky I could get an entry level position somewhere that could train me for some basic job skills and in the meantime get a degree and have a foot in the door already for a higher position. Anybody here have any advice when it comes to this?


I am an engineer at a coal power plant, it's kinda hard for the basic plant workers to go to school because they work rotating shifts. But it's not like they are working for peanuts as plant workers. $20-35$/hr with union benifits, and OT is often available becasue the industry is short on workers with many people near retirement.

If you are able to get a degree in mechanical engineering, you can work in nearly any industry.
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Re: CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby HEADER_RACK » Sat 03 Nov 2007, 15:21:08

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Hawkcreek', 'I') commute 5000 miles a month for my job in the oilfield - one flight every 2 weeks. The cost of the ticket is minor compared to the compensation package.
And they are handing out raises like crazy to almost everyone, just trying to keep them happy.
Good jobs are available in the oilfield, but mainly to already skilled workers.

Damn it man..but you do have a commute. I used to work with a guy that flew back and forth from the gulf to New York but he was working a 28 and 28 schedule.
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Re: CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby mekrob » Sat 03 Nov 2007, 16:33:34

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'G')ood jobs are available in the oilfield, but mainly to already skilled workers.


I've heard that the average pay for the lowly oil rig workers is round $60-80 k a year, working 12 hrs/day 10-14 days per shift followed by subsequent break of equal length. That translates into about $25-30/hr. Sounds like a pretty good job even for the bottom of the barrel guys.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')I never said they couldn't afford to buy gas. I said when shortages start to appear in their home towns they wouldn't be able to FILL-UP to go to work.If it is a shortage you can't get gas at any price they are OUT of it.


That's only if there are restrictions put on place to cap the price of oil and/or gas. If not, then the rig workers and engineers will have much more disposable cash in order to get to work and can bid up the price of gasoline or coerce their neighbors into trading a few gallons for some much needed green. And if not, then even fewer people will be getting oil as oil production decreases due to lack of labour.

Of course, if there are shortages that affect engineers, rig workers, etc, then maybe we'll just live on the rig and save plenty on rent and gas. :P Or maybe the oil companies will buy up some gasoline and use it to pay their employees (partially). I doubt the largest industry in the world is going to have a hard time getting it's hands on the products it makes.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')omeone's going to do WITHOUT.


Yes, and it's not going to be the energy industry. It will be the concessionists at the movie stand, or maids, or dentists, or grandmas, etc.
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Re: CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby Hawkcreek » Sat 03 Nov 2007, 17:34:52

--
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Re: CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby sicophiliac » Sat 03 Nov 2007, 17:42:20

Well I guess I better get my ass back in school then huh.
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Re: CNN: Wanted, Oil Workers

Unread postby SD_Scott » Sat 03 Nov 2007, 20:39:16

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('sicophiliac', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SD_Scott', 'I') spent quite a few years in the oil industry as a controls engineer and I get several emails per day asking if I'm available. They certainly need people but it's not as good as working in manufacturing. Fact is it sux.


Manufacturing sector in general or manufacturing equipment or components for the oil and gas industry specifically? Last time I checked the manufacturing sector in general has been in a the hole for years now.. You should be grateful that you at least have secure work for the time being regardless of how much the job sucks.. its money today and money for the forseeable future. All I do right now is spray bugs.. talk about a job thats doomed once things get bad. Mostly its a luxury service we do, (monthly and bi-monthly) residential spraying for general pests. We are the first ones to get canned when money gets tight and since we are payed commission we feel each and every account that goes.


I have worked in automotive (tier 1), medical device (test, injectable and implantable devices), home appliance, and various other areas. most of the work was at engineering companies known as custom machine builders. Most projects were 1 of a kind machines ranging in cost from 1 million to 5 million.

The oil company projects were quite a big larger budgets 10 million and up.

I got a sweet gig now though. Work from home and all gas is paid. This can't last. Too good.

Overall the mfg sector has been really good to me. Oil too.
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