Son going to the Bakken

[james03]

SSPX in Dickinson.  I'm driving there tomorrow for Mass.  A lot of work just north of Dickinson.  Probably the optimum place to base out of is Kildeere.

This is a desolate place in winter.  I wouldn't move here.

H., no age limit as long as you are in good shape.  They are short people and getting a job is easy.  If you are nuts and want to work labor in the field during winter, the pay gets bumped to $26/hr. plus overtime over 40.  I can't imagine doing that though.  It's bad enough being an engineer.  They take warm up breaks every 30 minutes in their trucks.

This looks like a good job for someone trying to save money and go to school.   Especially if you can go in with someone on the rent.

[Gardener]

Any IT positions?

[james03]

Try contacting DSI. 

http://www.ds-integration.com/  If they don't have anything, ask them who does networking in Dickinson/Killdeere.

But yes, there are a lot of networking jobs.  Mostly connecting control systems together.  Bone up on RS-485 networks, which aren't hard, and you'll be in high demand.  But they do a lot of ethernet, microwave, fiber, cell tower, and satellite stuff too.

And there's a lot of offices to maintain.

[Heinrich]

You would have to think so, G. Gotta maintain all that data and electronic infrastructure.

[james03]

Someone with a vanilla networking job can get a job.  You can really improve things if you learn how to set up SCADA networks.  Basically all it is is a data server that grabs data from all over the oil field and stuffs it into a database.  Then you make the pretty computer screens for the bosses to look at.  Trivial graphics.  Not hard to learn.  The main ones are ICONICS, WONDERWARE, and DELTA V.

If you can get some training, even online, on MODBUS and RS-485, that's a big plus.

Or you can keep doing the regular networking job in a larger town like Dickinson, Williston, or Minot.

[Gardener]

James,
I've copied your posts and will look up the information you have said to do. There are a few guys in my classes that might want to pursue it, even if I don't.

Thanks.

[Heinrich]

Related article to ND oil field work:

http://gazette.com/oil-field-families-high-wages-overtime-mean-home-front-disruption/article/1524782

[james03]

I work a 3 and 2, and love it.  The alternative is to work 5 days a week, come home tired, do chores on Saturday, and spend the day in the car on Sunday going to TLM.  The 3/2 has its downsides.  Tougher on my wife.  I also miss out on things at times.  But I love the 2 weeks off and so does she. 

I would not recommend a married man coming up here to work unskilled labor.  My son is doing it, and making good money, but he is 2 months out of High School with no family to worry about.  And he's only working 2 months to save for college.

If you were really hurting, then I guess you should consider it.  Take home pay is $1500/mo. after tax for unskilled labor, plus $75/day for lodging.  Unskilled labor in these brutal winters is tough though.

[Heinrich]

I work a 3 and 2, and love it.  The alternative is to work 5 days a week, come home tired, do chores on Saturday, and spend the day in the car on Sunday going to TLM.  The 3/2 has its downsides.  Tougher on my wife.  I also miss out on things at times.  But I love the 2 weeks off and so does she. 

I would not recommend a married man coming up here to work unskilled labor.  My son is doing it, and making good money, but he is 2 months out of High School with no family to worry about.  And he's only working 2 months to save for college.

If you were really hurting, then I guess you should consider it.  Take home pay is $1500/mo. after tax for unskilled labor, plus $75/day for lodging.  Unskilled labor in these brutal winters is tough though.

Grand Junction is a 7 hour drive from where I live and the Bakken is 12. That really has to be tough for the family profiled. How far is your family? By car hour.
I may have asked this already, but what is the demand for welders with certs? And what is the pay?

Unskilled labor in these brutal winters is tough though.

An acquaintance of mine whose husband and son work there told me that guys were dropping with frost bite last winter.

[james03]

The company flies me home, but it would be a two day trip back to Oklahoma.  Probably 17 hours.

Rig welders are making good money.  What I heard is $50/hr. for the rig, $65/hr pay, fuel charge, and per diem, say $75.  One dude on my son's crew passed $100K awhile ago.  He'll clear around $200K this year.

Demand is huge.  You can work 84 hr/wk if you want.

Last winter was brutal cold.  I almost lost a toe, but the feeling came back after a week and it never turned black or anything.

[Heinrich]

I know James03 started a fracking thread some time back, but it did not come up in a search. I will put this here and if the mods want to move it, it would align more with the topic of hydraulic fracking independent of a career in it. Which if green peacers had their way would be non existent.

As to the article, well, liberal and green puffers just aggravate me and are dangerous. "Tea Party of the Left": How dim witted.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_26180743/tea-party-left-wages-ferocious-battle-over-fracking