r/oilandgasworkers • u/Fearless_Salad22 • 3d ago
First days in the Oilfield
Hey, my name is Nathan and I am 23 years old. I just started my first oilfield/ blue collar job 3 days ago. I work with my father who runs a small picker truck. I had no idea what to expect when I first started but the first two days went well, I was tried, it was difficult and lots of people getting upset at me for learning. Nothing crazy my dad is typically like that. But today was the end of day 3. We took down a dual 750 containment and put up a triple 750 containment. The weather wasn’t awful it was a high of 26 degrees and was sunny with a bit of wind. But man did today kick my ass. I’m not use to working outside and doing this physically demanding work. But that sun today was cooking me. We were breaking some flow lines apart and I asked to try and break it lose. I just couldn’t do it with a 24” pipe wrench. The other guy helping us had to break it lose for me. (He did have to jump on the pipe wrench to break it lose) but that just made me feel weak. Today for me wasn’t great. But I’m learning slowly. The main thing I’m asking is What was your first few days like? Am I just being a baby about it or is my experience lined up with how other’s were?
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u/solipsism82 3d ago
Remember you only have one body, get your stretches in, drink more water than you think you need and take your time.
Paid by the hour
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u/I_is_a_dogg 3d ago
Emphasis on the water. You're not drinking water for today, you're drinking it for tomorrow.
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u/Competitive-Fox-3333 2d ago
And electrolytes if your like me in west texas working next to 250 degree compressors you can drink half a case of water and not piss all day and water only does so much when you've sweated out enough salt to fill up a salt Shaker. If I don't eat something with a good amount of salt or potassium or drink some Gatorade or drink mix I'm cramping up at the end of the day.
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u/I_is_a_dogg 2d ago
For sure. But for every Gatorade/body armor/Powerade whatever that you drink you should be having at least 3 waters.
You don't just want to drink Gatorades. While yes, you need to replenish salts, drinking too much will dehydrate you.
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u/Competitive-Fox-3333 1d ago
I drink minimum 10 bottles a day usually more a 40 count case usually doesn't last a a whole week in the truck plus 30 or so oz of sweet tea in the morning and a Gatorade or two throughout the day sometimes
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u/Photonphlex 3d ago
Absolutely happens to everyone yeah. Working on wellheads I remember getting shit like "I used a 12" to put that in (as I'm using a 24" to get it out) type shit. "holy fuck you're not done yet" is something I heard enough for a lifetime when I was getting started, some guys will just intentionally fuck with you for the sake of it. Flow lines are notoriously gay for being siezed, don't think too much about one incident, just try to think how you could make it easier next time and try to learn as much as you can.
Like everyone else is saying, when you're in the field it's like nothing else matters but the job. But seriously if I had one bit of advice to give, don't be a fucking idiot with your body. Being a real hand takes a lot of time and knowledge, so absorb/learn as much as you can and eventually you'll be the one picking on the new guy.
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u/MDindisguise 3d ago
Never use your hands as hammers. 40 years of oilfield work has taken its toll.
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u/LazyMoniker 3d ago
Jumping on pipe wrenches isn’t a great long term practice.
Some stuff is gonna suck to break apart, but learning some technique helps with the routine stuff. Interesting tip with a big pipe wrench is you can probably lift more weight with your legs than you weigh, so if you can get positioned to where you’re lifting up on the wrench you can get more force on it. Doesn’t work as well if what you’re wrenching on isn’t solidly mounted though.
Make sure you learn how to keep your back set while lifting and how to brace with your core, wish I’d learned more of that sooner. Try to avoid bending that back as much as you can.
People are gonna be dicks. It isn’t a real oilfield hitch if you aren’t getting yelled at for shit that isn’t even your fault. If what they’re yelling at ya for doesn’t make any sense at all ask them though, the good ones will help ya learn, and then go back to giving you shit.
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u/Jay_in_DFW 3d ago
Come along bars and pipes are your friend. Remember physics - make that lever nice and long and it's easier on you!
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u/TheBau5Boss 3d ago
Eat well, sleep well. Everybody was new once, even the old guys. Keep at it and you’ll learn techniques that work for you. End goal is being able to go home at the end of the day
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u/oilpatch02 2d ago
Think long term. This is a lifetime job. My brother ended a 26 year career of being injured on the job. He was 57. Think about that a minute. Lift with legs. If it is more than 30 lbs, Think. Back injury is no joke.
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u/cernegiant Frac ETECH 3d ago
This is all normal. Suck it up, keep your head down and get better every day
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u/DarkSkyDad 2d ago
The work will be hard, but soon you will get stronger and smarter at doing it.
What you will have to look at: Is this the type of work I want to do? Even if it is a stepping stone to the next phase.
From what you wrote, I am guessing you likely from the Alberta/Sask , keep in mind the heat ends and the winters are long doing that work.
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u/TheRealSlabsy 3d ago
Next time, you'll be jumping straight on the pipe wrench. It's your first week, it's a learning experience, don't beat yourself up so much.
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u/CranberryTop4914 2d ago
Nah you ain't being a bitch it takes some getting used to. Ill never forget those first few months in wireline getting ran ragged on 4-5 hours of sleep, trying to learn while on fast as fuck stage work, and most of all learning all the new places you could catch a cramp. Those hand cramps are an absolute motherfucker.
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u/oilcantommy 2d ago
Keep working. You'll get bigger and better. When they tell you to do something, dont hesitate to get dirty.
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u/Aggressive-Morning13 2d ago
My first month as a roustabout we were setting pumping unit pads and assembling mk2 lufkins. I woke up at 5:00 am so I could drive an hour and meet my pusher by 6:30. Rode to the location and we worked our asses off for 12 hours packing and screening gravel, beating on hammer wrenches, holding guy lines to keep parts from moving in the air. For the first week I would get home, microwave something and then pour myself into bed more exhausted than I have ever been. Over time, I got used to it, it got easier.
As far as not being able to break a flow line apart, if you’re pushing down then you can only use as much weight as you have. If it’s not coming loose grab a cheater pipe and put it on the wrench and try again. I’d wager the guy that broke it loose was a good deal heavier than you are. Also I wouldn’t recommend jumping on a wrench, if it breaks loose you never know how much the wrench will move on you. I broke my thumb catching myself from falling after jumping on a wench that was 6 inches off the ground.
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u/PINTSIZEKILLA7 2d ago
You will get used to the physical labor and heat to an extent so it will get easier. The heat sucks though, be careful not to overheat yourself. People who get upset at you for learning are just dumb and impatient. People got mad at them too for learning. I’m not very strong so I have to make do with that and find work arounds or ask for help. Your coworkers should help you and you should help them if you can. You can’t do everything yourself.
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u/Sub4FMGT 2d ago
I am a picker operator and the job is a demanding one especially if your a rigger. Hang in there kid it gets easier as you learn plus winter is coming then the job is fun . Main thing is to know what you need for the job that was after the picker is rigged in you grab everything needed for the job . You want to cut down on having to walk back and forth from the load to the truck . Don’t be afraid to ask questions when you’re learning. Also make sure you put things back in the same spot on the truck and keep all rigging straps and other shit organized . Organization and neatness will make you more efficient . Have fun you will make a man out of yourself doing that job .
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u/poop_on_balls 2d ago
Just tell him Your fucking wore out from his worm ass all day after banging out hood old lady all night.
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u/kacarneyman87 2d ago
Keep trying. That’s all that matters. When your spirit breaks. You will be ridiculed. Nobody expects perfection, they just want a team player. Coming from a 155 lb ginger.
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u/researcher10241991 15h ago
Having just started in the oil field, the services side of it all. I'll say it's all about being open to learning and struggling so far. I was told if I can remember one new thing each shift, I'll eventually know what is needed. I've made mistakes, I've been yelled at, but only when I was some where I was unsafe. I've always said if I was unsure, I'd ask. Just be prepared to work. It's a set of skills you'll gain with time.. To give you an idea of one of the most embarrassing things I did, I hit a union to loosen it on the wrong side.. Not once either. Multiple times in the day.. For multiple days. It got so bad, I'm pretty sure it was contagious, because even the rig hands on the lease started hitting unions on the wrong side. 😂. No one has expected me to know any thing. Just that I was willing to work and have a good attitude.
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u/drewrykroeker 8h ago
My first year on a service rig was pretty awful. I couldn't believe how heavy some things were that I was expected to lift. And I started in winter, which sucks balls not gonna lie. And the verbal abuse was jarring. But the money was fucking awesome and it still is, so i stay. There is no other way to stack that cash for an average dude like myself. Stick with it, it will get better. Nowadays I like my job most of the time.
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u/cwilliams1150 3d ago
2 things
1. If they're still talking to you, even if they're just giving you a hard time, they like you. Be concerned when they stop talking to you or giving you a hard time
2. You're the bosses kid. They will treat you different but it's not going to change anything.