Bakken Jobs & Training

Energy independence, good paying jobs, secure lifestyle, The American Dream.

Is that too much to ask for? Seems like. I went looking for good paying oil field jobs and guess what I found staring back at me. TONS!

The more I looked the more I found. Some of the better paying jobs required skills I didn't have (I'm a geek not a truck driver or roustabout) or they required experience I didn't have. I had the college degree but didn't have the skills, training or connections. I worked my way into it though. That was back in 2001. I love the USA. I've seen the energy exploration industry from the inside out (and the outside in). I **LOVE** the people I've worked with over the years. They're hard working folk. Some are in it for the money. Some are in it because they know what they do makes a difference. And those are the people I think of most often when I think back on the projects I was a team member on.

So, I'm making this blog specifically for those of you trying to figure out, "How do I get into these good paying oil field jobs?"

1. Do you have skills? Training? You're going to need it. Because when you start applying for jobs in the oil patch you're going to be asked at interview time, "Why you." Get trained. And I don't mean going to college. Go to NExT, or an AAPG Short Course (or three), or PetroSkills or J.M. Campbell.
2. It also helps a lot to know someone. The best way to do that is to become a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists or the Society of Petroleum Engineers or the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. There are lots of local chapters for each of these organizations as well as local societies that specialize. Find one, get involved and in no time you'll have people willing to recommend you.
3. Use online tools such as LinkedIn and Indeed.
4. Read ALL of the trade magazines you can get your hands on. Most University Libraries and many local public libraries will have subscriptions to the magazines such as Oil & Gas Journal. Otherwise, you may find yourself paying for a lot of expensive subscriptions when there's no need to.
5. If you're unemployed and have training dollar available to you I'd highly recommend a one-two punch of joining one (or more) of the associations above and weaving in a highly specialized course or two from the PetroSkills catalog. Their training is awesome and delivered all over the world. You'll get to know others in your specific line of interest and network at the same time. The association courses are great too. They're just less frequent and usually have fewer attendees.
6. Finally, be open to the energy industry. It's not the boogey man it's been made out to be. Without oil, shale, natural gas and coal... we wouldn't have electricity, plastics or transportation. I highly recommend a book called "Thousand Barrels a Second" by Peter Tertzakian. I'd link to it but people might think I'm trying to make money off an affiliate link or something. So, just look that up. It's a fantastic book about the history of energy, the geopolitics of energy and the future of energy. Peter's a helluva neat guy. I met him once at a convention. He's even been on the Daily Show which was a hoot.

All this to say, the energy industry is fascinating, it's strategically more necessary today than the 1970's and will be more strategically necessary 25 years from now. It's a great place to make your career and I highly encourage you to find a way in the door. Even if you're not trained up yet. Get in there and make it happen.

In the next couple of days I'll link to colleges and job boards that are really well regarded in the oil patch. I'll also be posting some interested stuff regarding the Bakken. Just little factoids you wouldn't know unless you were in the industry.

EDIT: I failed to include another Bakken oriented solutions provider in Northern Industrial Training. My bad. Apologies to the fine folks at NIT.