Working in Alberta

what about the cost to ones soul? how does that factor in?

Do you have a car? Shop at a supermarket? Heat your house in the winter? Own a computer/phone/tv/clothes or any sort of consumer goods whatsoever? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you can't be too critical of the oil [HTML_REMOVED] gas industry as you are part of the problem. I'm sure it's been discussed here before, but nearly everything we do depends on oil in one way or another, it's a fact of modern life.

Of course we should be doing all we can to reduce our dependence on oil, and invest in and promote renewable and sustainable energy alternatives, but until we figure out how to provide 100% of the entire world's energy and transportation needs from other sources we are going to need people to work in the oil business to extract these resources.

^CAUTION: you just brought common sense to nbr.

^CAUTION: you just brought common sense to nbr.

Irrelevant.

my kid did a coop in fort mac and he sez since sooner or later you will have to do time in fort mac make it your 4 month coop because for [HTML_REMOVED] 6 months (sycrude anyway)they will give you accomadation and try to do your time in summer

I went to peace river country and worked for a smaller contractor(30 pieces). The wages at other companies (nodes, etc) didn't seem great. low 30's at best after being there a few years. I had trouble getting paid by company and them getting hours right. And after enough screwing around parted ways at break up. I'd still be interested in a good equipment operator job someplace that pays well, but I've always had trouble finding one.

OP is a great write-up. You should e-mail that to all the school dristricts.

Circus rigs are way more dangerous than drilling rigs

QFT

dude if you are calling me a hippie thats pretty fucking funny.

i see tho that your soul has a dollar value.

Maybe not a hippie, but other things come to mind. The OP took the time to write a pretty awesome description for those that were interested (like me). Nice of you to attempt to turn it into a debate about the choices people make in regards to making a living.

I guess you prefer we all work for $10-15/hr for one of the thousands of corporations within our own province that are selectively raping our economy. It is done in a much more subversive fashion that's for sure.

Sell your soul to work 40/hrs a week at Home Depot for 30k/yr or sell it for a job that pays enough to live and support a family? You can't even use the old "shoulda went to college" lecture nowadays.

Seems that it isn't easy to make a living in 2012….?

Circus rigs are way more dangerous than drilling rigs

QFT

Out of curiosity, why do you guys say this?

The oil sands is hyped up to be the promise land with a massive pay cheque.

Factor in the location, the shift work, and the dangers on the job and it's not really that great.

Is being able to brag about your 100k a year really worth all that?

How many guys say "oh I am just going to do this for a year or two to bank some cash" then move on to do something they actually enjoy? Or get stuck there and really end up hating it, but stuck there? It was mentioned a couple times you can kiss a family life good bye. Is that worth the money? Are you really going to be further ahead in banking that cash then starting into that long term job two years later? Perhaps if you are starting your own business and it's seed capital maybe.

I had a wicked job in the auto industry back in Ontario ticking ever so close to that coveted 100k. I traded the job for a lifestyle I found more appealing. I'd suggest to anyone that thinks a huge pay cheque is going to bring them some great happiness do some soul searching and really think about it.

Out of curiosity, why do you guys say this?

I, too, am curious. I'm privy to industry wide safety stats, more deaths occur on drilling rigs than service rigs.

The oil sands is hyped up to be the promise land with a massive pay cheque.

Factor in the location, the shift work, and the dangers on the job and it's not really that great.

Is being able to brag about your 100k a year really worth all that?

How many guys say "oh I am just going to do this for a year or two to bank some cash" then move on to do something they actually enjoy? Or get stuck there and really end up hating it, but stuck there? It was mentioned a couple times you can kiss a family life good bye. Is that worth the money? Are you really going to be further ahead in banking that cash then starting into that long term job two years later? Perhaps if you are starting your own business and it's seed capital maybe.

I had a wicked job in the auto industry back in Ontario ticking ever so close to that coveted 100k. I traded the job for a lifestyle I found more appealing. I'd suggest to anyone that thinks a huge pay cheque is going to bring them some great happiness do some soul searching and really think about it.

Some of us actually like or love our careers. There are technical challenges that are very rewarding (see landing a 6" wide 1' long drill bit inside a 1 cubic meter area 5.7 km below the earths surface), business challenges and constantly changing market conditions to keep managers and sales professionals ticking, enough investment opportunities to satisfy any investment banker or executive, and good old fashioned hard labor/team work to keep the laborers who want to labor coming back.

The point of this is to remove some of the stigma's that you're pointing out. No, you won't be able to go skiing every day out of your back door - and you're right, there are sacrifices to being able to do that. Especially considering that the bulk of the population of the country wants to retire to where you guys live, as well as a large portion of Asian immigrants.

Not everybody views a small town lifestyle, increased income, and a fast paced career as a down fall. This post is meant for those people. This thread isn't intended as a debate, rather a tool for people who are interested in coming to Alberta to work (and hopefully live).

Just remember: making more money, living in a smaller community, and increasing your interest in your working life aren't shitty things to do. But for f#ck sakes, don't come here to work if all you're going to do is complain about how shitty this province is and endlessly point out that you can't see the ocean - we have our own beauty here.

Not all workers in Fort Mac are shift workers. I work Mon- Fri like most of Canada and make relatively good money. I could work shift work but like to have a life.Fort Mac has changed my career for the better, way better. When I started in Fort Mac I was a Journeyman parts person and within 2 years with hard work I was an Account Manager for a major client, would never get that opportunity anywhere else. This place is great for moving your career path forward. I will gain as much experience I can and then transfer out but not anytime soon. I came with a 5 year plan but have now no immediate plans to leave. I like it here and there is almost everything here that one needs, except mountains. Most people that bitch and whine about this place either live in camp or would bitch and whine wherever they live.

I though Fort Macmurray was full of divorced BC forest industry workers that needed a way to make their along payments?