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Roughnecks

12K views 170 replies 25 participants last post by  psdguy08 
#1 ·
Hey guys
I have a few questions. I really want to become a roughneck after high school. One of my buddies is the driller on a natural gas rig down in Texas and he said he would try to get me on the rig after school. Could anyone of you guys that work on rigs give me come advise/info on how to get on a rig and what its like. This is a career i really want to get into. Thanks in advance.

Chris
 
#2 ·
Unless you like torture, GO TO COLLEGE! Yeah, you make good money, but you absolutely earn every cent of it on a rig. Take welding at a reputable school and do the pipeline/industrial welding thing if you wanna be in the oil/gas field, lots of $$$ to be made.
 
#76 ·
I graduated from OSU welding Engineering and now work pipeline...You travel alot (currently on a one year stint in Malaysia) but it's good money and pretty cool job when It comes down to it..
 
#3 ·
I don't mind the torture. :evil Is it hard to get a job in that field?
 
#5 ·
If you go to college you can be on the other end, I work with the petroleum engineers who decide what wells to drill. I work in The Williams Companies corporate office.
 
#9 ·
I halfway agree with you! i think he should work in the field for at least a year then go be an engineer. that way he has the real world experience of the oilfield that he can take into the classroom. I hate all the bookworm engineers that think everything should go the way there books say it should happen.
 
#6 ·
I'm looking at getting on with H&P here soon in April on a training rig out in North Dakota, then after 2 hitches head out on a different rig. I have 5 family members in the oil field, 4 on H&P and 1 on Nabors, so I'll make the 6th. I'm actually kinda looking forward to it, but only because of the money.

For reference in how hard the work is, my dad lost 10lbs a hitch till he leaned up.
 
#7 ·
Just so you know H&P does not have training rigs.. Nabors does. I currently work for H&P in north dakota. now as far as wanting to come to the oilfield right out of high school i wouldn't I would go to college then do summer interns with the rigs to decide which end of the field you wanna be in. I have been in the patch for almost 6 years have worked in 7 states lived in 5. i survived thru the boom falling in 09. the money is good but going to college and going cunsulting after college and making 1500+ a day sounds much better...
 
#30 ·
I know for a fact they are bringing one up, my dad will be training the motormans on the rig, Before that he was on Rig 255. When he came home to tell us about it he called it a training rig, and he's actually going down to Houston before they bring the rig up. He's home for another week, leaves for a one week hitch instead of the typical two, then comes home for a week and after that leaves for houston for two weeks then out on the new rig for two weeks without a break. Either way he's working to get me on a rig, so if it's a training rig it doesn't matter so long as I get hired.

About getting 1500 a day, isn't that a company hand (Correct term?) that gets that kinda money?
 
#8 ·
If you want a quick in on a rig come to the northeast, some companies are hiring company men right out of college :eek: You shouldn't have any trouble finding a job up here. If you wanna wait a little and be a little easier on your body go to college and get a Petroleum Engineering degree. You could still be in the patch and make even more money.
 
#15 ·
Upstream is where the money is at or midstream is close, that is the answer! Downstream you sell straight to customers and there is far less money in that! LOL
 
#13 ·
So what you all are saying is get some rig experience and then get a petroleum engineering degree? And then go back to working on the rig? I'm pretty set on wanting to work on a rig. I've liked the idea for a couple years now. Thanks for the input guys.
 
#18 ·
What is I went and became certified as a diesel tech? Would that help with finding a job on a rig?
 
#19 ·
i dont think so
 
#21 ·
Ok. What kind of schools should I look into?
 
#23 ·
Thanks bud!
 
#25 ·
Sweet. How long did you go to school for?
 
#27 ·
Ah ok. Could I come and get a tour of your work someday? Sorry to ask so many questions.
 
#28 ·
thats a possibility, but it would probably be better to tour the school, because there isn't much to see here, besides offices and maps, i'm in the corporate office, most of the engineering goes on in the fields, but the colleges usually would be the best place to tour, because they can show you and give you an idea of what you would be learning in the class. I would start contacting schools and applying there and get a campus tour.
 
#29 ·
#31 ·
Yes. The company rep gets that. My advise to the OP is. Go to school and get an education. No sense ruining you body and being exposed to hazards daily for roughneck pay. Or push pay for that matter. I worked my way up the ranks and now run the show on site. The oilfield is a fickle moody mistress. She doesn't like wife's or girlfiriends. And after some time, you end up marring her and divorce is not an option. The work and lifestyle gets in your blood. It becomes almost impossible to leave the industry. I have seen many men try, only to come back after a few years.

Im 34 and there is no way I could do anything else. Im under educated to make the money I make now somewhere else. And to damn rough around the edges to work in the white collar world. Stay in school.
 
#37 ·
You can also be a flowtester thats what i do. start out at about 45k a year. but you move up fast. i make over 80k a year and im only 21, and its half the work of a roughneck still dangerous as hell though.
 
#38 ·
Nice. Can you tell me more? How do you get into something like this?
 
#40 ·
Whats PETE? I still don't know what school i want to go to though.
 
#42 ·
I'm definatly going to look into that one. But the flow testing one sounds pretty good too.
 
#47 ·
I take the act in April an I'm a junior. I don't know my gpa off the top of my head. I'll have to check after school today.

Edit: my gpa Isnt too good due to a couple bad grades I have at the moment. I'm working on getting those back up. But it's a 2.4 right now.
 
#59 ·
Gotcha try to rock the crap outta that ACT and get that GPA up to at least a 3.0 if you want a good shot, you need like a 24-26 on the act to get into most PE schools.
 
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