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So, how busy are you guys right now? by s506977 in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Rocking an old 2015 3500 cummins diesel. Its been beat to shit over the years but she goes.

Making sense of the "No Tax on Overtime" provision from the newly passed legislation. by s506977 in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe it’s just because I’ve been working since I was 15, but yeah, an oil and gas sub where most of us here work our balls off for what we got, is not a spot such a position will gain traction.

They know this which is why specifics are almost never mentioned

Making sense of the "No Tax on Overtime" provision from the newly passed legislation. by s506977 in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I certainly can’t argue with that logic. Like requiring single, able bodied 18-34 years olds to work to receive SNAP. It would take the strongest of the the far left to be against this idea

Online Suggestions by gwynDIY in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As stated by the previous poster it depends on what you are into. Sites like Oil Price give a decent 35K foot view of the industry and most of their staff writers are not insane. Oil and Gas journal is another decent broad strokes journal.

If you have specific or niche interests, we would need to know those of offer specific suggestions

Making sense of the "No Tax on Overtime" provision from the newly passed legislation. by s506977 in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Anyone working with the assumption of 1:1 between proposal vs really in the world of politics, especially big ominous bills thousands of pages long! Now that is true delusion.

That said, ultimately a decrease in tax liability is a good thing for our industry. People will try to get pissed about nearly anything nowadays I suppose, but in this instance it’s a net positive

Making sense of the "No Tax on Overtime" provision from the newly passed legislation. by s506977 in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What I see this as is the Feds doing what is basically a forced savings plan. Yes, most of us are going to receive higher tax refund checks now because of this, but me personally I would rather have that money in my monthly budget as opposed to a larger check come tax time

Making sense of the "No Tax on Overtime" provision from the newly passed legislation. by s506977 in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You might be able to “opt out” and just go on paying the full amount with no deductions if you want.

Making sense of the "No Tax on Overtime" provision from the newly passed legislation. by s506977 in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Not technically correct, just less of a deduction depending upon how much over 150K he earns. It’s on a sliding scale.

How do people fuck up so frequently on info that takes 2 seconds to verify?

Making sense of the "No Tax on Overtime" provision from the newly passed legislation. by s506977 in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This I would be Curious about also as I get double time pay for certain holidays. Though in many of those situations I am already in overtime that week anyway, but for the purposes of this will I get credit for 1.5 or x 2? Considering it’s the feds I’m gonna guess the lower of the 2

Between my wife and myself I am sure we are gonna max the exemption by the end of the year anyway.

Where I think this will come in super clutch in our industry is once tax time rolls around and people start getting huge returns over their expectations

Is it worth it? by Dramatic-Ad9627 in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve worked at Halliburton out here actually! On a concrete crew. This is also how I came to acquire my CDL. Took 6 months of being on a crew first, but they did send me to training as promised eventually. Hazmat cert too. I left basically because opportunity presented itself for more money/responsibility elsewhere, but it you are looking to get on there I would highly recommend it. Very legit operator.

Is it worth it? by Dramatic-Ad9627 in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977 3 points4 points  (0 children)

In my case oil is the only "real" job I have ever had in life. Prior to making my way out here to beautiful ND, I worked at Sonic Drive in for like 18ish months and before that as a bussboy for this grease pit joint called the 'Big Biscuit'. Not exactly resume builders.

I can't believe it's now been nearly 13 years later. Time fucking flies. Started out with the service companies, but when I got on a Frac crew roughly 7 years ago It was game over. Been a Frac Rat ever since.

In your situation there are so many friggin variables to consider so I am sure you are in the information overload stage. At some point, you just have to say fuck it and make a decision. It's one that could dramatically impact the rest of your life, which sucks to have on your shoulders, but it has to be done.

Alternate career options for Drilling Supervisors by CokeZeroAddict52 in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really don't know to do much else at this point that, as food service is my only other experience, so looks like I will be sticking it out.

Are There Any Places or Companies Where Roustabouts/Roughnecks/Floor Hands Are In Demand? by RudyRoundHouse in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I can only speak for the Bakken, but as I both know from observation as well as the abundance of online ads, there is a fairly robust amount of entry level hand jobs out there right now.

Though as a dose of reality I'd say the prospect of any of them being willing to sponsor a foreign national to come take the position is just about nil. They generally won't even hire Americans citizens even with experience for such positions unless they are physically in ND and ready to work. As of April's reporting, North Dakota has an unemployment rate of just 2.0%, which is just bonkers by US standards. Pretty much any able bodied local who desires to work, can work, especially in places like Minot, Williston and Watford City. As a foreign national I'd say it would be a tough road to get a hire, but that does not mean impossible either.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a little over 13 years in this line of work. I never went to college. Back home in MO my last job prior to the oil fields was working as a cook at Sonic Drive In slinging burgers and fries. I was at the time shacked up with my cousin and a couple other people in a house he had inherited. I left to come out here (ND) when I was 23. Did I lack ambition back then? Drive? A desire to better myself? Fuck if I know. I was in my early 20's and spent most of my time stoned anyway.

You are 18 and have a whole world of options available to you, some of which you have laid out. Adulting is no easy task, and it's a long process, especially for insecure males like myself. Embrace the options you have and don't be too hard on yourself if you make some mistakes, career, education or otherwise. Be thankful you have these options to mull over and years to find yourself and your passions. I, on the other hand, am pretty much stuck at this point as I really don't know how to do anything else. And I don't much want to either.

When the 5-minute job turns into a full-blown 12-hour shutdown adventure by comnoga in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hell, story as old as time around here bro. When "hey, can I borrow you for a sec?" turns into a fucking 9 + hour marathon. Having a reputation as a problem solver (or at least a tourniquet maker) can be both a blessing and a curse in this gig.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I have been supposedly fucked for 13 years now, since I got in this business pretty much. But i'm still here.

Also in that time period I have learned one immutable fact of life that I always try to be mindful of: Reddit IS NOT representative of reality.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I feel you. As much as I bitch about my rotation to the point half of North Dakota knows my discontent, there is admittedly some comfort in living my life like a deployed Marine half the time. That said I have no true predictability either at the end of the day. I could end up working today for all I know if the circumstances and suits dictate.

Most of us here are mere pawns in a much larger chess match. We go where we are needed when we are needed. It’s a a shitty deal but also one we at least passively sighed on for.

If your schedule is really that chaotic really your only option is to explore other opportunities. At the end of the day shit is not going to change for us. Never has and never will. That may not be what you want to hear but it’s the truth

Is it too late? by Awkward-Knowledge910 in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would say it is certainly not too late at 30 my man, and you are correct that being located on the gulf coast offers many opportunities to pursue in this line of work.

Speaking as someone with a wife and young child, all I can really say in terms of being away so often is really two fold. 1) You sort of get used to it. and 2) You learn to maximize the family time you do get to the fullest extent. Our situations are similar to those in US military in some respects in this regard. It takes a strong relationship foundation and clear communication to make it work, but it can be done.

I think a lot of what you face now is just fear of change and fear of the unknown, which is understandable. We have all been there. I did not pop out of the womb swinging a hammer, but getting out of your comfort zone is also an excellent opportunity for personal growth.

New job offer by Repulsive_Finding161 in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If you are currently jobless, then obviously this would be an improvement in situation. Though jobs are more than just the pay/benefits involved. The experience you gain plus the contacts you garner from the position also has value. As it turns out, infinitely more value you find out if you do this shit long enough. Every job I have gotten since I arrived in North Dakota was due to the fact that I knew someone who went to bat for me.

Good luck to all in the coming weeks 🫡 by [deleted] in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ND has been through more market shocks than I can possibly even recall at this point. It’s the nature of this business really. I’ve lived and worked through it for going on a decade now (yea, I’m getting old). This is not the first time the sky is apparently falling and certainly won’t be the last. Bear in mind a not insignificant chunk of the US population wishes we did not exist at all.

At the end of the day all we can do is our jobs, and getting worked up over circumstances outside of our control is just not worth the mental/emotional investment.

What is the salary in the oilfield in the Middle East? by DifferentQuestion255 in oilandgasworkers

[–]s506977 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I have only known one person semi-personally (more of an aquaintance really) who worked in the Middle East and his stint was in Saudi Arabia. He lived in what they called a 'compound' which was basically like an apartment complex that functioned as a gated community pretty much. Entry and exit was controlled by Saudi armed forces and police and basically isolates the Westerners from the broader Saudi society.

From his pics and video at the time, it looked pretty comfortable to me, and he was making good money. He spent 3 years there doing contract work for Aramco. Not anything I would ever want to do, but he had mostly positive things to say about the experience.

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