From Florida to North Dakota...Crazy...or a Great Move?

[Nodak7mm]

Originally Posted by atrone10011

So if your waiting on the government or some OBAMA plan to bail you out keep waiting or just put
on your boots and gloves and do it the old fashion way and work for it

A

Awesome, you even sound like a Dakotan now..... I like the way you think!!

Rod

[Greg_IA]

Originally Posted by atrone10011

Had some time on my hands haven't been on in awhile so I thought I would write
an up date.

we have been in Minot for 20 months now and going though our 2nd winter -25 with windchill at-35 as I
write this we made it though last year so this year don't seem as bad.
I worked worked construction the first 8 months then on to well head tech but as it turned out that just wasn't for me had a hard time working with the younger guys they just don't like to work.
So I got a C D L witch is a golden ticket up here and now I drive taking frac sand out to the well sites.
And that is one big adventure you just never know what you are going to get in to.
Some of the sites are in remote locations and the roads are so rough that you think your truck will fall apart driving at 15 mph i' actually setting on site now been here 20 hours as the well is frozen and down
and that's the good part as you get payed the whole time your setting .
Ok enough about me the wife got a job in sales and is making an absolute killing every one has money and they are buying everything she is making moor than I am so if your looking for a job in sales
this is the place to be.
YES its cold and yes it expansive to rent but it is getting cheaper as moor homes and apartments
get built yes there is still a lot of work and yes the lines at wall mart are long and it can bee picked clean of everything at times.
We came up broke and up to our ass in debt but now we have things payed off and money in the bank
so the American dream is still alive in North Dakota we are living proof of it.
Our son came up 4 months ago and with no skills and no real experience and got a oil field related job
in one week he was in the right place at the right time so don't give up hope and don't let anybody
tell you it can't bee done
So if your waiting on the government or some OBAMA plan to bail you out keep waiting or just put
on your boots and gloves and do it the old fashion way and work for it


A

WOW.... what a life story. Glad it worked out for the two of you. To go from Florida to North Dakota and thrive, in spite of the extreme weather differences.

[DNYGRL]

There are 2 types of Floridians. Damn tough and damn lazy! You know which one are here.

[saintmj nyc]

Originally Posted by atrone10011

Had some time on my hands haven't been on in awhile so I thought I would write
an up date.

we have been in Minot for 20 months now and going though our 2nd winter -25 with windchill at-35 as I
write this we made it though last year so this year don't seem as bad.
I worked worked construction the first 8 months then on to well head tech but as it turned out that just wasn't for me had a hard time working with the younger guys they just don't like to work.
So I got a C D L witch is a golden ticket up here and now I drive taking frac sand out to the well sites.
And that is one big adventure you just never know what you are going to get in to.
Some of the sites are in remote locations and the roads are so rough that you think your truck will fall apart driving at 15 mph i' actually setting on site now been here 20 hours as the well is frozen and down
and that's the good part as you get payed the whole time your setting .
Ok enough about me the wife got a job in sales and is making an absolute killing every one has money and they are buying everything she is making moor than I am so if your looking for a job in sales
this is the place to be.
YES its cold and yes it expansive to rent but it is getting cheaper as moor homes and apartments
get built yes there is still a lot of work and yes the lines at wall mart are long and it can bee picked clean of everything at times.
We came up broke and up to our ass in debt but now we have things payed off and money in the bank
so the American dream is still alive in North Dakota we are living proof of it.

A

NICEEEEEE !!!! So happy for you guys !!

Told myself to save some money before I get there , but I'm DEF coming - with - a CDL

[saintmj nyc]

Originally Posted by Hatehumidity

To the OP's K&A Trones, you guys are inspirational and all getout cool. I am in Florida as well,on the east coast for a long while.
I did secure a job with a major oil company headquartered in Texas. I had my choice to work in TX(no- high heat,less money $15 hr),ND(yes,more money$21hr,cooler)PA(no-less money$14-15 hr,less work). I declined all except ND. In Jan 2012 I went to orientation in Bismarck and it moved to Dickinson in the west.The people that accepted an offer in PA, all were let go for lack of work. Finished 12 day orientation and sent down to Colorado for CDL(they paid)school with maybe 15 others. Passed and sent back up to Dickinson to start work. I was working for maybe two weeks(not driving yet) doing some yard work and finally got out to a wellsite. The winter basically went away and due to some permafrost rules 60 of us were relocated to TX(where I did not want to go because of the heat), and NM. I spent awhile 3-4 months hating the heat and not liking the Texas Oilfield workes as much as in ND.Lot nicer people in ND oil fields. We worked 12 hr's in ND and in TX we worked until we were finished up to three total days and drove our trucks to another location or back to the yard no matter how long we were working that day,so some days we were so sleepy driving our trucks. They furnished us with water,cold until the ice ran out than it was hot water. The supervisors would not go into town to get more ice,those days sucked bad in 108 degree heat. Anywhoo the Texas oil people are old school,meaning they do it there ways which is not always proper with regulations to get the job done.ND did things the right way at least for the company I worked for. I resigned when I was in Texas due the fact the they let the greenhats(less than six months experience) work the pipe truck(with crane)without supervision nearly causing some serious injuries to our crew. Some of the supervising crew would go to sleep while we were working,most of the personnel work rules say that you can have a low percentage 10-15% of greenhats working in relation to the experienced whitehats,but that was not the case in Texas, they made sure the rule was followed in various hiding ways if a inspector or company man came out inspecting for a company like shell or apache. I never felt it was like that in the newer oil fields of ND. So I resigned because I wanted to live a wee bit longer,and they refused to send me back up to ND because however old I am(50) I ran with the young guys well and the district where I was wanted me to stay another 3-4 months. Some other that were shipped down a few months after me were sent back for some lazy reason here or there.Hr refused to send me back as I was supposed to back to ND on a schedule proclaiming I had to stay a year before I could relocate back to ND. I was refused any further frac training due to the fact I was from ND and was only temporary to those in Texas,so I did most drudge work,learning nothing. I am looking to get back to ND as soon as I can save up enough for the complete move,unless I find a company willing to relocate me with travel and housing in ND like my old company did for me. Well that is my story,and here I sit in this nasty state again sweating. Jim

Holy MOLY
THIS is why I'm going to NoDak !!
Hope things go your way dude