High paying jobs

[No Worries]

I saw that Digital Globe in Colorado will be hiring 505 for new jobs. The average salary is $95,520/year: http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_23456048/digital-globe-gets-tax-incentives-505-new-jobs?IADID=Search-www.denverpost.com-www.denverpost.com

[azoomm]

Average. That means out of 500 jobs most will be 25,000-40,000 with a few execs much higher. That isn't unusual.

ENSCO is hiring 22,000 in the next five years. Starting wages are ~$70,000. But, finding skilled deep water off shore people is difficult so they pay more.

[fatbuckRTO]

All the jobs in west Texas are high paying jobs, relative to the rest of the country. At least for now, while the oil industry is booming. Unfortunately, realty / rental costs are insane.

Also, it's west Texas...

[Cutty72]

All the jobs in west Texas are high paying jobs, relative to the rest of the country. At least for now, while the oil industry is booming. Unfortunately, realty / rental costs are insane.

Also, it's west Texas...

Same for western ND. Used to be a hunters paradise, now... it's just full of rig workers.
Funny how many left this past winter though, when they found out what a real winter was :lol:

[Homeslice]

Unfortunately, realty / rental costs are insane.


Insane compared to the US average, or just insane compared to west Texas?

Quite sure rent isn't $1600/mo for a 1-bed apt like it is here in the Bay Area.

[Rangerscott]

Insane compared to the US average, or just insane compared to west Texas?

Quite sure rent isn't $1600/mo for a 1-bed apt like it is here in the Bay Area.

It's pretty shitty. You can make a killing but hotels and renters are screwing people up the ass hard on $$$. My father goes out west for business and his company ended up leasing out an apartment because one night at a hotel was reaching over $300. Just a plain jane holiday inn and what not. There are people renting out their main homes for big bucks and buying some nice houses here.

Mcdonalds and such in odessa are having to pay simple employees $14/hr just to get someone to work there and they have pickup vans because they've been having to hire people without vehicles and high schoolers.


News has been saying it might happen here. I hope not. I need my grocery bills or whatever going sky high because of greedy ass companies.

[fatbuckRTO]

Insane compared to the US average, or just insane compared to west Texas?

Quite sure rent isn't $1600/mo for a 1-bed apt like it is here in the Bay Area.

So certain are you?

I would not be surprised at a $1600 1-bedroom rental. Quite a few people are living out of rented storage sheds. I know a couple people who are paying in the $1200 - $1400 range, but they had their apartments before the housing issue really took off.

Hotels are being built and the oil companies immediately come in and reserve every room in the building for their workers. They've bought quite a few houses for temp worker housing too.

[fatbuckRTO]

http://www.apartmentfinder.com/Texas/Midland-Apartments

Some of the 1-bedrooms are as "low" as $800. Quite a few in the $1500 - 1600 range, and highest I saw was $2000.

Those prices are assuming availability, which is nonexistent.

[Papa_Complex]

Insane compared to the US average, or just insane compared to west Texas?

Quite sure rent isn't $1600/mo for a 1-bed apt like it is here in the Bay Area.

Well there's insane, and then there's psychotic with narcissistic tendencies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3c2vLFJZCs

[EpyonXero]

Same for western ND. Used to be a hunters paradise, now... it's just full of rig workers.
Funny how many left this past winter though, when they found out what a real winter was :lol:

Ive read some articles about booming oil towns where there is a huge shortage of women. Strippers are making a killing.

[Cutty72]

Insane compared to the US average, or just insane compared to west Texas?

Quite sure rent isn't $1600/mo for a 1-bed apt like it is here in the Bay Area.

From what I've heard, if you can get a 1 bed for 1600/month in western ND, snatch it up as that's a deal.

Ive read some articles about booming oil towns where there is a huge shortage of women. Strippers are making a killing.

Haven't heard anything recently, but it hit the news awhile ago that dancers were making over 3k a night just dancing! (who knows what they made in other activities)
I know there were a lot of girls from Vegas and other southern locals coming up to get a piece of the pie.

[Homeslice]

Well they're being ripped off then, unless they are making $150K+ or something.
I just checked SF again, and the $1,600 I mentioned is really just the suburbs. In SF itself, $1,600 would only get you a studio in a questionable neighborhood. For a decent high rise 1-bedroom, add on another grand. But hey at least it's cheaper than Manhattan.

[fatbuckRTO]

Well they're being ripped off then, unless they are making $150K+ or something.
:shrug: Supply and demand. There is no housing available, so whenever something becomes available the price is sky-high.

It's the trade-off. I'm told people in other places around the country have trouble finding jobs, and when they do the employers set the terms. Here, if you don't like what an employer is offering, you go down the street. Or, sometimes literally, the office down the hall.

[Amorok]

Possibility I might be looking for a job in the near future. I definitely don't want to move to North Dakota, but if that's where the work is...

[Homeslice]

These are rig workers? What kind of experience do they look for? Is there some sort of oil rig academy, lol? Kind of curious how that works.

[fatbuckRTO]

These are rig workers? What kind of experience do they look for? Is there some sort of oil rig academy, lol? Kind of curious how that works.

Actually it's everyone in town. Roughnecks are some of the highest demand and highest paying jobs, of course, but drilling is a step in a multi-step process. My company focuses almost entirely on CO2 processing, which is used to flood oil and gas fields to increase production. But just that one facet of the industry keeps us overworked. Every engineering firm, oil company, doctor's office, restaurant, everyone is paying higher than the national average and still can't keep the positions staffed.

As far as roughnecking goes, they take almost anyone who's willing to do the work. Everyone starts at the bottom, as a floorhand, and you learn on the job. But even the floorhands are making pretty damn good money. You just have to be willing to work your ass off, in dangerous conditions, in heat, cold, rain, snow, wind, etc. The rig doesn't stop for anyone; if you can't make it in one day they find a replacement, and you might lose your spot in the crew for good. Most of those guys are on call even during their off hours, too.

[Papa_Complex]

Actually it's everyone in town. Roughnecks are some of the highest demand and highest paying jobs, of course, but drilling is a step in a multi-step process. My company focuses almost entirely on CO2 processing, which is used to flood oil and gas fields to increase production. But just that one facet of the industry keeps us overworked. Every engineering firm, oil company, doctor's office, restaurant, everyone is paying higher than the national average and still can't keep the positions staffed.

As far as roughnecking goes, they take almost anyone who's willing to do the work. Everyone starts at the bottom, as a floorhand, and you learn on the job. But even the floorhands are making pretty damn good money. You just have to be willing to work your ass off, in dangerous conditions, in heat, cold, rain, snow, wind, etc. The rig doesn't stop for anyone; if you can't make it in one day they find a replacement, and you might lose your spot in the crew for good. Most of those guys are on call even during their off hours, too.

Same thing happened in Alberta. Problem is that with the high salaries come high costs of living. I wonder how things will go after the flooding?