Halliburton Internship

I ran across a blog today written by a Halliburton Intern I thought would be useful to share with you: http://halhr.blogspot.com/. It's author (thanks Eric!) provides valuable information and photos about the work that's performed at Halliburton. He also discusses turnover rates in the industry and plans to study how to minimize it, particularly in light of the pending mass retirements of Baby Boomers forecasted.

Allow me to step up onto my soapbox. There are a variety of reasons for high turnover. Many times it's attributable to lack of clear objectives and goals about the job. Sometimes, applicants may become so enthralled by the high pay, they may lose focus that they actually have to work for it. In an effort to recruit employees, sometimes companies focus only on the attractive aspects of the job. Other times communication (or lack thereof) is the culprit, particularly in this day and age when we have many different cultures and generations (Baby Boomers, GenX, GenY, Millennials) with different communication techniques, life priorities, and/or work ethics, working along side one another.

With respect to entry level field jobs in oil & gas, I want to communicate that they pay very well (salaries in this industry generally pay about 35% more than average salaries in other industries). Why, you ask? Because it's hard work! Although some rig crews can get on a flex-schedule (such as two weeks on, two weeks off), they're working at least 12-hours shifts (or more) every day for those two weeks, in extreme weather, lifting heavy loads, in the middle of nowhere. It really is much more difficult than it sounds.

If you cannot withstand starting your day punctually before the sun rises, like 3:00 am, traveling to a well pad that's hundreds (or thousands--perhaps overseas) of miles away from your family, a city, or the nearest 7-11 convenience store; living in temporary housing with your crew, getting dirty, hearing profanity, getting yelled at (or fired) for making mistakes that jeopardizes safety, effectively communicating and getting along with others, and lifting hundreds of pounds consistently for weeks on end, in a drug-free environment, then I'm sorry to inform you that these jobs are definitely not for you, so please don't contribute to the turnover rate.

However, if you are certain you have the brawn, brains, thick-skin, drive, stamina, and desire to learn, you're a hot commodity in this industry, will be well compensated, and could move up the career ladder quickly, perhaps up to a tool pusher who makes around $95,000 / year. If you're real good, the E&P companies that employ the contractor you're working for could also recruit you to become a "company man".

If you're unsure whether this oilfield work is for you, consider trying it on a temporary basis. Several employment agencies offer temp positions in oilfield work. They include SOS Staffing, Aerotek, and Weststaff, among many others, and often post their positions in ConnectingColorado.

I hope this helps to clarify some of the objectives for those of you considering embarking on these occupations.

Photo courtesy of Jerry Brown