Routes for a Mech. Eng

[seadog]

So I graduated a yearish ago (took time off for a bunch of trips) from Dal, Mech Eng, GPA of 4ish, and want a job that offers fly in/out roation so the chance for travel, and good money. No commitments like family, but I wouldnt mind spending a third of my time back home, plus like 2 consecutive weeks off would offer the chance for better trips than the same amount of time off on weekends... Naturally my mind jumps to oil and gas. I've tossed off a few resumes, have one interview in the works(SLB - these companies sure like to take thier time), but just wondering what my best route is to get the above?

Do Mech Engs have any routes of entry other than MWD/LWD? Do they ever enter via leasehand route? What the logical next step after? DD? I've heard SLB don't really respect the roation and you just end up in northern AB working 28 hours a day.

Whats Halliburton's recuriting scheme like? Fired off a resume to TX, they liked me, called me up, but they wanted nothing to do with me once they once they found out I didn't have US citizenship. They redirected it to AB which didn't really have any new grad general recruiting ads. I asked them about it and they just said apply to entry level in their general job postings as they came up of which theres maybe 2-3 at any one time. Surly they hire more than 10 new grads a year and have some sort of formal new grad program? They were pretty sketchy with the details.

Other than that is the smaller companies. How do they compare in all facets? Some ppl wrote in similar threads better money but how is that? You'd think smaller less known companies would have to charge less, so a smaller slice of the pie for you.

Thanks for any advice...

[BlackArcher101]

Are you going to want experience that applies to your Mech. Eng or do you want the cash and travel?

[seadog]

Cash and travel, although I would prefer not to be simply doing a job I coulda done before investing 5 years and X thousand dollars in school... Not to sound arrogant but I wouldn't mind at least *some* recognition for working my tail off and doing alright in school.

Realistically I did good in high school and engineering was just the thing ppl who did good went into. Whether I get my P.eng or anythign I really don't care. I just want a cool job, even if I'm over qualified thats fine, but I just hope that the whole engineering thing would give me a leg up.

[BananaFob]

Originally posted by seadog
Cash and travel, although I would prefer not to be simply doing a job I coulda done before investing 5 years and X thousand dollars in school... Not to sound arrogant but I wouldn't mind at least *some* recognition for working my tail off and doing alright in school.

Realistically I did good in high school and engineering was just the thing ppl who did good went into. Whether I get my P.eng or anythign I really don't care. I just want a cool job, even if I'm over qualified thats fine, but I just hope that the whole engineering thing would give me a leg up.

You might want to look at Worley Parsons/Colt Engineering in Calgary. I met with their HR manager yesterday and it seems like they are starting to send engineers to and from Australia.

[phreezee]

I have a friend in Mech Eng. and he says that there's not a lot in Calgary, more civil eng than anything... is that true?

[BlackArcher101]

Originally posted by phreezee
I have a friend in Mech Eng. and he says that there's not a lot in Calgary, move civil eng than anything... is that true?

No, there are opportunities still. It's just that Civies seem to be more sought after right now with the huge number of projects going on throughout Alberta.

[broken_legs]

Originally posted by seadog
So I graduated a yearish ago (took time off for a bunch of trips) from Dal, Mech Eng, GPA of 4ish, and want a job that offers fly in/out roation so the chance for travel, and good money. No commitments like family, but I wouldnt mind spending a third of my time back home, plus like 2 consecutive weeks off would offer the chance for better trips than the same amount of time off on weekends... Naturally my mind jumps to oil and gas. I've tossed off a few resumes, have one interview in the works(SLB - these companies sure like to take thier time), but just wondering what my best route is to get the above?

Do Mech Engs have any routes of entry other than MWD/LWD? Do they ever enter via leasehand route? What the logical next step after? DD? I've heard SLB don't really respect the roation and you just end up in northern AB working 28 hours a day.

Whats Halliburton's recuriting scheme like? Fired off a resume to TX, they liked me, called me up, but they wanted nothing to do with me once they once they found out I didn't have US citizenship. They redirected it to AB which didn't really have any new grad general recruiting ads. I asked them about it and they just said apply to entry level in their general job postings as they came up of which theres maybe 2-3 at any one time. Surly they hire more than 10 new grads a year and have some sort of formal new grad program? They were pretty sketchy with the details.

Other than that is the smaller companies. How do they compare in all facets? Some ppl wrote in similar threads better money but how is that? You'd think smaller less known companies would have to charge less, so a smaller slice of the pie for you.

Thanks for any advice...


in regards to the comments on MWD/LWD


First off forget completely that leasehand bit you mentioned, you didnt go to school for 4 years to do an entry level rig hand job

Im sure Sperry and Weatherford are hiring, and I know SLB is always hiring. Due to the nature of the business I doubt you'll get treated any differently at a different service company. A service company is a service company. THey get a call and send people to a job, if they don't do it fast and on little notice then they lose money. If work is slow they fire people or send them elsewhere in the world to work. I really doubt there is much difference in cultures between service companies. That being said I've only worked for one, but im in a good spot right and theres no reason for me to change. The only differences will be pay, benefits, working environment (clients) etc... IE i believe Haliburton does all the SagD stuff around Fort Mac. I think Weatherford has a lot of the lower tier shallow gas and oil around Sask. And SLB has 6 month long wells in the foothills.

If you want to work rotations you wont get sweet FA working for anyone unless you are working offshore. In places like the North Sea I believe people are forced to work 3 and 3 offshore. Also the same off East Coast of Canada, but there are no rigs there right now. Working offshore in the US you'll probably be worked like a dog. I've heard nasty stories from guys working on the Gulf Coast.

Most guys with rotations have either years of experience in O&G and can thus dictate when and how they will be working or they are working in extremely shitty or dangerous countries. NOt to say its impossible to get a rotation but you're chances are greatly reduced unless you have some sort of quality or experience that a company would pay to have you shipped around the world for.

I'll throw this little beauty out again

www.rigzone.com

lots of jobs are posted there overseas, some might have a rotation. Haliburton contacted me about working overseas on rotation first day i put a profile up but they were looking for experience I don't have quite yet.

You might also consider working wireline. Money is decent and some guys sleep in their own bed most nights (some guys) But again thats all dependant on which service company hires you and who and where their clients are.

Remember that once you get hired onto a company ina location, they arent going to invest money in trianing you if you are going to try and leave.

Becaues youre an engineer you can go International Mobile with SLB. They will fuck you over though.

Good Luck!


edit:

heres another niftly little website I found. My guess is you'd be making more money in Upstream then Downstream, but who wants to be a field monkey all their lives.

http://www.downstreamjobs.com/

^ first job posting is for a mech eng... but its in Houston
:dunno:

[seadog]

Thanks for all the advice. I guess I get confused from all the conflicting reports. Phreezee saying mech engineers aren't in demand, companies taking forever to get back or not wanting to take on less experienced people or having to deal with visa situations (in states), but alternitively Canada has record low unemployment, economy is booming, oil prices sky high etc... it confuses me.

Broken legs thanks for all the great info. A lot of companies are hiring, but I find its purly leasehand and the successors to that job. Not a lot seems to be for ppl with a formal education which baffles me because unlike SLB (which seems to have a general "apply-we're always hiring" attitude) I can't understand how a company with 25K+ ppl could be in a state of balance and NOT constantly recruiting ppl at all levels. Hell it seems McDonalds and Tim Horton's with less than 50 ppl are always hiring for just about all levels.

I read your past posts about interviewing and getting on with SLB with great interest - as well as about working temporarily in the states. Any chance you could either respond or PM me to let me know a few more details about how your whole career thus far took shape and what/how it happened?

Finally, can you elaborate a bit more about why most ppl say SLB sucks? I mean theres only so many ppl out there who have the technical background they want, they invst thousands of dollars training you, so wouldn't it make more sense to treat the guys they have better and have them stay then to estrange 95% of them and waste all that money? In a company with 80k ppl, like a pyrimid scheme pretty soon they'll run out of new grads to replace all those that have been fired/pissed off. Are you still with them?

[Audio_Rookie]

There pay is ridiculously low compared to everywhere else for the same positions. Good place to get trained and then move elsewhere.

[broken_legs]

Originally posted by seadog
Thanks for all the advice. I guess I get confused from all the conflicting reports. Phreezee saying mech engineers aren't in demand, companies taking forever to get back or not wanting to take on less experienced people or having to deal with visa situations (in states), but alternitively Canada has record low unemployment, economy is booming, oil prices sky high etc... it confuses me.

Broken legs thanks for all the great info. A lot of companies are hiring, but I find its purly leasehand and the successors to that job. Not a lot seems to be for ppl with a formal education which baffles me because unlike SLB (which seems to have a general "apply-we're always hiring" attitude) I can't understand how a company with 25K+ ppl could be in a state of balance and NOT constantly recruiting ppl at all levels. Hell it seems McDonalds and Tim Horton's with less than 50 ppl are always hiring for just about all levels.

I read your past posts about interviewing and getting on with SLB with great interest - as well as about working temporarily in the states. Any chance you could either respond or PM me to let me know a few more details about how your whole career thus far took shape and what/how it happened?

Finally, can you elaborate a bit more about why most ppl say SLB sucks? I mean theres only so many ppl out there who have the technical background they want, they invst thousands of dollars training you, so wouldn't it make more sense to treat the guys they have better and have them stay then to estrange 95% of them and waste all that money? In a company with 80k ppl, like a pyrimid scheme pretty soon they'll run out of new grads to replace all those that have been fired/pissed off. Are you still with them?

Here I am propping up SLB again.... but i actually like my job MOST* of the time.

Seriously you need to drop this leasehand business. It seems that you don't really have a good understanding of the different jobs available out there to you. Theres lots of opportunities to do a million other things than work on a rig. Drilling is just a tiny part of the O&G industry.

I would do some more research on what kind of jobs you can get via an Oil Company/ Oil Field Service Company / Drilling rig Operator before you start applying for jobs. If you don't know what you're applying for you're probably going to get a crappy job or end up doing something like leasehand and wasting your credentials.

What can I do after MWD? If i follow through with this career choice I can move into some silly office job, get management experience or follow a technical path or stay in the field and become a DD, or well placement engineer.
That experience will give me the opp to do a lot thing within an oil company or even within SLB working through IPM.

As far as SLB sucking the top 5 oil field service companies in the world put together don't make up the market cap of SLB. Its because SLB is number one. We charge the most money, supposedly have the best services and industry practices etc... SLB hires and fires people all the time and really is at the mercy of the oil and gas industry. Just like any other service company. Just read the bit I wrote about service companies being at the mercy of their clients. You can't hire 150 engineers and pay them all top dollar and rotate 50 guys in at a time. It doesnt make sense business wise. Whos going to pay their salaries between rig moves and if things slow down? The only companies that pull rotations are the ones with constant continuous work - IE we rotate guys out on some of our foothills rigs that are there for months at a time, or you might see something similar if a company has a long term contract to do work like SPerry does with their SagD. Our clients and their needs change all the time, its impossible to rotate everyone and plan that, its the nature of the business. Personally I have NEVER had a problem getting time off when I wanted it - EVER. Try giving your manager more then a days notice when you want to take 3 weeks off....

And the bit about the pay sucking... Yeah it sucks at the start, and its true other companies start you at way more, but its easy to get promoted and move up in pay if you're not a moron. In the end I'll be making more with SLB, at least in my segment, then I would be working for another service company... Unless I was a consultant - But thats a different story altogether.


Even though things are slow in Canada the rest of the world is still going nuts. Just know theres opportunities everywhere if you look in the right places.

[seadog]

Again, thanks for all the great info. What did you mean about them fucking me over if I go IM though?

I know pretty well most of the jobs, knew that I was way overqualified for leasehand, but was just throwing something from left field on the off chance some engineers went that way. What I meant in the last post and when I brought it up initially was off the top of my head take a look at:

Precision:

http://jobs.workopolis.com/jobshome/db/precisionden.featured_joblist?pi_employer=376764

or TrailBlazer (Savanna Energy)

http://www.savannaenergy.com/careers/index.asp

Their hiring pages. They were both recommended in various past posts, but they only seem to be looking for leasehands and their subsequent counterparts. My point was a bunch of huge companies seem to have the attitude of "we're always hiring" but not it comes to MWD. They may have a page trying to recruit uni grads, but no means to apply.