Field Engineer
Field Engineer
(OP)
I have a job offer from a large oil field service company (Halliburton, schlumberger, weatherford, etc) and I'm trying to decide if I want to take it or not. I'm graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering and the job offer is in cased hole wireline. I know the lifestyle can be rough but I also know there is the opportunity to make tons of cash. Anyone here work as a field engineer that can give me a first hand account? One of my main concerns is pigeonholing myself into this type of field technician work and not really utilizing my engineering skills. For those who have worked in the field and are now out what do you do? Are you still in the oil and gas industry or did you move to something different? Ideally my plan would be to work in the field for a couple of years, pay off my student loans, then move to a more stable engineering job that's more pertinate to my degree.





RE: Field Engineer
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.
The plural of anecdote is not "data"
RE: Field Engineer
RE: Field Engineer
From what I know now, some 30 years down the line, is that you very quickly become what you've done, not what you trained for or what you really want to do so my normal advice is, where possible, choose your initial work with care as it is not so easy to change after even 2 or 3 years. You get used to the lifestyle, the MONEY, the immeadiacy of field work, which can make design work not so exciting after the high presusre, high intensity, high immeadiate reward life of a service engineer.
GO in with your eyes wide open and if you have a life plan and can stick to it (pay off your debts and then get out), you could emerge after 4- 5 years or so with your debts paid off and an ability to initally take a lower paid / lower posiiton job whilst you learn the ropes in another industry such as pipelines, piping, pumps or some such alternative.
Difficult to give any stranger advise like this as we have no idea about your character, backgorund, family situation etc and different people in the same situation can turn out very differently.
If I had my time again would I do it - No, but maybe you can give it a go and see it from the inside. These companies have a history of a terrible attrition rate so will test you early on to see if you're going to make the grade. Try picking up a few books some of the old timers have written and see if you like what they did.
Good luck
My motto: Learn something new every day
Also: There's usually a good reason why everyone does it that way
RE: Field Engineer
Life as a Field Service Engineer on a wireline truck SUCKS. Ten or twelve hours before they're ready for you they call and you drop everything and head to the site. Sit around for 6-8 hours (or 24-48 hours if they ran into a problem) and then run the logs. The company man will not tolerate the rig sitting idle for a minute waiting on logging to start. Long days. Crappy food. Rotten living conditions. Horrible locations. Good pay. Great experience. If you can tolerate the negatives, the positives are worth a lot. There are legions of people who couldn't/wouldn't tolerate it and left the industry. I can't think of a single person I've known who was successful in that career path that was married at the end of 3 years. It is a life for an uncommitted single guy.
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.
The plural of anecdote is not "data"
RE: Field Engineer
RE: Field Engineer
The biggest difference I see is that a mine is often a longer-term thing. You log a well for a day or so and then go on to the next horrible location for a few days. The company you work for has zero concern for your comfort or wishes in either case.
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.
The plural of anecdote is not "data"
RE: Field Engineer
RE: Field Engineer
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.
The plural of anecdote is not "data"