On Nov 20, 10:14*am, Frogwatch wrote:
On Nov 20, 10:41*am, Joe wrote:
On Nov 19, 12:35*pm, Frogwatch wrote:
Someone here mentioned doing offshore oil work and I worked on drill
rigs in Wyoming when I was younger so thought it might be just what my
19 yr old son needs to get his head screwed on straight. *Make some
money, see what real work is, see how rough people can really be and
THEN go to college.
So, found him the ideal job, no experience needed, 20 days on 10 off,
they pay for room and board while on, reasonable pay, work on rear
deck of boats setting anchors for drill rigs. *They actually need
people. *Went home and told my son to go online and apply.
"NO WAY, I dont want to do that", he says. *"You just want to get rid
of me". *To which I say, "Yeah, and so what, it's good money and you
are hardly earning anything right now".
He resists saying he's taking classes at community college and does
earn some money but I say 6 hours a semester is BS. *I tell my wife
about this job and she sides with him saying "if he goes off on one of
those boats he'll lose his gf, you know how hard it was when you did
that stuff". *I think, being only 19, he needs to lose the gf so I am
going to apply more pressure.
RIPhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQoRpJsrwsU&NR=1&feature=fvwp
Joe
I spent several years being a drill stem tester and loved and hated
it. *Because I had a BS *in physics, the company had this weird idea
that I'd be great for all the truly f%$cked jobs so saw just about all
the crazy things that can happen. *After a week, I never let anyone
know I had ever been anywhere near a university, *It was dangerous,
hard and exciting and a I learned a lot about people AND earned money
for grad school. *It was a job meant for high school level people, not
for a techie type but it was something I will always be happy I did.
I saw well blow outs, I saw a rig destroyed when the company insisted
on pulling pipe full of mud filled with gas. *I saw pipe stands fall
on people on the rig floor, *wireline with 4000lbs tension broke 6'
from my head when I was dangling 90' off the rig floor in a sling
holding a 48' pipe wrench, pipe differentially stuck so bad it had to
be cut off, watched a hand fall thru the fingerboard from unexpected
H2S, my gas mask was my best friend, and on and on and.....GREAT
experience.- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
I'm not saying it is not the right step for your son. But if he were
not a big burly football player type it might be best to avoid the
anchor boats as a first gig offshore. I would have a hard time working
anchors not knowing and trusting the crew. If the boat is setting
semi anchors you are talking about 35 thousand lbs racing down the
deck, and things that get into the way do not exist.
I've never worked on a rig, been on a 100 of em, mostly
PR and crew
changes but never stayed long. We worked a H2S rig once and it's scary
stuff for the boats, as the gas is heavier than air. They even made
sure you had intact eardrums as it could seep in that way and kill
you. We made a point to stay up wind.
Joe