4 essays, 200 words each.

[Denny]

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

[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.

[Strychnine]

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

Nope. Zero desire.

[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]

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]

pressure drop equations.

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.

[Strychnine]

My goal would be one of those live-on-site consultants to an oil company. Known to some as the "company man". I'm halfway through, I stopped to make some money and get out of debt because it was crushing me. By the time I'm out of debt, I estimate that it will be fall of this year and I will start school again.

My father inlaw hired two PE's straight out of college somewhat recently. As consultants. Its my hope that in the future, that can be me. The well known oilfield good ol boy network, I guess. Although I will say that Conoco/Phillips hired him with little previous experience in that particular job, so who can say if the good ol boy is really necessary.

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 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.

[Ruffdaddy]

Wireline?! I knew you weren't all there.

Haha...I've got a good friend out in west Texas perfing for halliburton. I wouldn't say hes not all there but he can be pretty hot headed and enjoys to partake sometimes.

Its the hands on the monkey board you gotta look out for.

[Denny]

I'm a mechanical design engineer for down hole tools and equipment. Right now I work on MWD/LWD tools, at halliburton I did wireline. I also did a lot of Project management there...and I can honestly say that group was less efficient than govt PMs...

I love technology and design, as well as coming home every day...otherwise I'd be choo chooing in the field.

Wireline?! I knew you weren't all there.

[Ruffdaddy]

Curious, do you use Solidworks a lot in your designs? I'm thinking of going ahead and learning that program.

Solid works for 3D modeling, ANSYS for FEA. Hand calculations for a lot of pressure drop equations.

Proengineer/CREO for 3D at home, and a slew of CAM packages for CNC at tech shop.

Solid works is spectacularly easy. Design engineering of new products...not so much at first.

[Gasser64]

I'm a mechanical design engineer for down hole tools and equipment. Right now I work on MWD/LWD tools, at halliburton I did wireline. I also did a lot of Project management there...and I can honestly say that group was less efficient than govt PMs...

I love technology and design, as well as coming home every day...otherwise I'd be choo chooing in the field.

Curious, do you use Solidworks a lot in your designs? I'm thinking of going ahead and learning that program.

[Ruffdaddy]

I'm a mechanical design engineer for down hole tools and equipment. Right now I work on MWD/LWD tools, at halliburton I did wireline. I also did a lot of Project management there...and I can honestly say that group was less efficient than govt PMs...

I love technology and design, as well as coming home every day...otherwise I'd be choo chooing in the field.

[Gasser64]

LMAO! That's sure not what a company man does.

Not all the time, no. Many times yes. He'll engage in it because he enjoys it. He says sitting in his trailer gets boring. From everything he's said about the job, there is a lot of what most people would call down time, for him. Where he would just be sitting there watching TV. I'm the same, I just can't sit there and be bored for that long. Granted I've never worked that job, so I really wouldn't know the particulars. Just going off of what one of them said.

[Denny]

My goal would be one of those live-on-site consultants to an oil company. Known to some as the "company man". I'm halfway through, I stopped to make some money and get out of debt because it was crushing me. By the time I'm out of debt, I estimate that it will be fall of this year and I will start school again.

My father inlaw hired two PE's straight out of college somewhat recently. As consultants. Its my hope that in the future, that can be me. The well known oilfield good ol boy network, I guess. Although I will say that Conoco/Phillips hired him with little previous experience in that particular job, so who can say if the good ol boy is really necessary.

What do you two do specifically? It sounds to me like you're more on the design side of things.

But I like the industrial atmosphere. I like the lonely places that you find yourself when you're out on location. I like the sense of urgency when there is a problem or a big problem. I like working with all of those machines and trying to find a way to make them work better. Or fixing them. I feel like it would be a job I'd enjoy.

LMAO! That's sure not what a company man does.