4 essays, 200 words each.

[Strychnine]

That's the only thing that scares me. What happens if you're off? Death? I'm pretty good at math but everyone makes mistakes. Granted that's not my target job, but there is no guarantee I'll even be able to get my target job. Its just what I'm hoping to get. So I still think about these things.

Don't fuck about. If you want to be a drilling consultant you'd better know your shit. This is exactly why I said it ain't gonna happen without rig work on your resume. A screwup there is not written off with "everyone makes mistakes." Not your target job? You'd better know how to quickly work with pressure, temperature, density, flow, etc.

Just this week a wellhead accident killed three people in Upton County in the Permian - the three men were all from one family. One woman lost her husband, her father, and her grandfather in one moment.



Yeah, it was a workover job, but the shit is dangerous either way.

[Gasser64]

You say you're half way through. That's half way through school. That is not the same as half way down the road to getting a company man spot.

Think about this with me...

Less than 6 months ago there were 1900+ rigs operating in the US. Now there are 1192 or so and that will probably drop another 200 in the next few weeks. It's going to take time to burn up the surplus oil we have here in the US, which, as it pertains to this discussion, is both storage in tanks above ground, and also the 8000+ drilled but not completed/producing wells sitting out there. You're going to be in school for another two years getting that PE degree, which puts you graduating about the time the market might be back to "normal" (like consistent $80/bbl).

In two years you will be competing with 1000 rigs' worth of consultants. Companies will have the pick of the litter when the market comes back - there won't be any "settling" for a noob. To think you'll waltz into a consulting job without experience from the floor to tool pusher to the driller's chair is pretty naive given the state of things.



And I've got no problem with that. Nor do I have a problem with going overseas if I have to. If I have to roughneck and drill for a while, so be it. As I've said before, well digging is the only job you start at the top.

And honestly, tell us more about these two PE's that got hired out of school and put in a drilling consulting role, because I'm calling bullshit unless speng time working rigs also. No way you walk across a stage, get a piece of paper, and get to run a drill rig without experience.

And I've got no problem with that. Nor do I have a problem with going overseas if I have to. If I have to roughneck and drill for a while, so be it. As I've said before, well digging is the only job you start at the top.

I'll have to ask him more about the 2 PE's. They came out of the army, but they did have PE degrees, according to him. They weren't just flung in there and told to go for it, he had to train them for awhile. They do offer training for that job, that I know. He's said he's had to do it quite a few times. So much so that they wanted to promote him to... whatever the hell the boss is above the company men. He's been in the position for a very long time and from what I gather he makes the oil companies very happy. He didn't take the job offer because if he took it, he couldn't devote enough time to his ranch. Trying to get into cattle. He loves ranching and the ranching lifestyle.

But I would like to ask if you've ever pursued that job, yourself.

[Strychnine]

But I would like to ask if you've ever pursued that job, yourself.

Nope. Zero desire.

[Gasser64]

When it comes to settling for noobs, I've been amazed over the years at what they've taken. I know things have changed now, I'm just sayin. For awhile there they were hiring MEs who would take the job. That was a good while back though. I have no doubt that I'd have to drill for awhile though.

I do know that mudlogging kind of sucks. The pay is decent, but you live there. Or in a motel. At least the consultant gets to go home every two weeks.

But I am sensing something from your posts, as we've had a similar discussion before. So I would like to ask: At some point did they hire a noob with a degree that you have seen to be nothing but a noob with a degree? You seem to have seen it happen a time or two. Companies have been known to piss people off by putting people straight out of college in higher positions that people who have earned their place and have years of experience.

[dsrtuckteezy]

Don't fuck about. If you want to be a drilling consultant you'd better know your shit. This is exactly why I said it ain't gonna happen without rig work on your resume. A screwup there is not written off with "everyone makes mistakes." Not your target job? You'd better know how to quickly work with pressure, temperature, density, flow, etc.

Just this week a wellhead accident killed three people in Upton County in the Permian - the three men were all from one family. One woman lost her husband, her father, and her grandfather in one moment.



Yeah, it was a workover job, but the shit is dangerous either way.

Damn that is fucking sad. God be with that woman

[Denny]

I guarantee you that no one has been hired as a company man without rig site experience.

[racrguy]

I guarantee you that no one has been hired as a company man without rig site experience.

This, and lots of it. We have a case of Justin talking about shit he doesn't know a fucking thing about.

[Gasser64]

This, and lots of it. We have a case of Justin talking about shit he doesn't know a fucking thing about.

Said the pizza delivery man lol. You crack me up you retard. I guarantee you I know more about this than your lazy ass ever will. And not even by choice, I'm surrounded by it every day, most of my family and friends are in it, and I've been in it. Irony

[Ruffdaddy]

I'm not sure what yalls beef is, but I will say they're right in that you will not walk into a company man role...and there are a lot of them sitting around or working in other roles waiting to be a company man again. I talked to a Directional driller the other day that was a company man not too long ago.

I suspect it will be quite a while before we see anything close to what we did over the past 4 years before the crash if ever.

So just put that into you're planning...the market will be very saturated for quite some time.

[Ruffdaddy]

And if it's your passion...don't he afraid of it. But if you're in it for the money, just get and ME/CE/EE/SE degree and open your options.

PE degrees are massively limited, but you can make the same with any other proper engineering degree and less limitations

[Gasser64]

I'm not sure what yalls beef is, but I will say they're right in that you will not walk into a company man role...and there are a lot of them sitting around or working in other roles waiting to be a company man again. I talked to a Directional driller the other day that was a company man not too long ago.

I suspect it will be quite a while before we see anything close to what we did over the past 4 years before the crash if ever.

So just put that into you're planning...the market will be very saturated for quite some time.

If I ever gave the impression that I thought that, it wasn't my intention. I just said I've heard of it happening at other points in the timeline. I'm not that lucky, such things do not happen to me. I either earn it forcibly or I don't get it at all. Just the way my life works.

[Trip McNeely]

When I ran service for FMC in the Barnett in '06 I only encountered ONE young Company man, fresh out of college. The rest were old and worn, and half of them were nice. The other half were assholes no matter how nice you were to them. It was always nice to finish a job at 2am and have to wake him up to sign your ticket let me tell you.
At my current job (work for an E&P) There are several Engineering roles for people out of college and have never worked on a rig in their life, let alone set foot on one. Usually those are the Facilities and/or Midstream Engineers. The Production/Completions guys almost always have worked in some capacity in the field for a Frac crew or cementing crew. As far as the Drilling Engineers, I would say it's a split from ex-field guys to not.
That being said, there are opportunities for non field experienced Engineers, but it more than likely wont be in a field trailer as a consultant. Those guys have seen every scenario out there and that's why they're there in that role.

[Gasser64]

Same here, only ever saw one young one. Back in my roughnecking days, one of our company men was named Marty and he was "almost" fresh out of OU. We were drilling out near Cheyenne, OK. It was a hotbed of drilling activity. Anyway ol marty was 23, and it took him awhile to come around to ordering shit instead of making us work like dogs. His dad got him in, after he roughnecked for 6 months. I've seen a LOT of good ol boy network stuff in my time. I've almost come to believe that's the way the oilfield works. You either get really lucky, or you're in the good ol boy network. When it comes to the drilling rig side of things. I was never on any of the before or after stuff.

[Cooter]

Same here, only ever saw one young one. Back in my roughnecking days, one of our company men was named Marty and he was "almost" fresh out of OU. We were drilling out near Cheyenne, OK. It was a hotbed of drilling activity. Anyway ol marty was 23, and it took him awhile to come around to ordering shit instead of making us work like dogs. His dad got him in, after he roughnecked for 6 months. I've seen a LOT of good ol boy network stuff in my time. I've almost come to believe that's the way the oilfield works. You either get really lucky, or you're in the good ol boy network. When it comes to the drilling rig side of things. I was never on any of the before or after stuff.

when were you drilling out near Cheyenne, OK?

[matts5.0]

lol at being a company man with less than 5 years of rig experience.