Originally Posted by booyagasha (Post 243258)

thanks for all the advice guys...its different hearing from guys already in the field..instrument tech is stilll on my mind because like others said ,it incorporates everything that i'm actually interested in....INSTRUMENT, ELECTRIC(DC MAINLY) and PTECH. all in one wop, and i already have a semester in. The **** part is the hour 15 drive everyday with the GAS increasing. It really does suck runnning around with NO REAL trade (painting/blasting/rigging) and at the end of the year, im still very dissatisfied.

IM TIRED OF BEING THE "weak mind, strong back" worker....im ready to be the "weak back, strong mind" worker lol..

again thanks everyone for their input, and this will probably not be the last of it....anybody know of companies hiring interns/apprentices still in school?Most prefer that i have at least my certification , which is still a year away.

Originally Posted by southern151 (Post 243260)

One of my best friends is an instrument tech in the refineries. Although work slowed last year, he never went without a job. He makes a good living and is in high demand.

I have another friend who is also the same and he's pushing $40/hr doing it!

You are right, strong back, weak mind sucks. Your back will give out long before your mind does.

Originally Posted by Matt D (Post 243265)

I agree with the guys above. I graduated in ITEC with my bachelors and there wasn't much out there for me, so I ended up landing an job as an operator. If I were you I would stick it out, there should be plenty of jobs for you out there.

Originally Posted by scott craft (Post 243272)

I would go the instrument tech route if I was you. The only advantage ptec offers is the ability to go straight from school to a plant job. With an instrument degree you won't get out of school and start making big money right off, but if you put in your time you can find something good. There's nothing wrong with going to school to be an electrician, but most plants have more instrument techs than electricians. Some places like where I'm at you do both crafts, but they want instrument techs that know some electrical instead of true electricians. Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by booyagasha (Post 243342)

thanks for the advice....i'll be sure to keep in mind. The issue with me going back to instrument tech schooll is it's 2 1/2 hr drive round trip plus, hours in school daily. that means no job, and the possibilty of .................(selling the just bought, BOAT):pissed:

Originally Posted by joshdomingue (Post 243374)

The problem rite now is the economy ....... people lost money and are not retiring!!!! I graduated in '08 with a PTEC degree and it took a while to get my foot in the door!!!! They say they are going to need PTEC graduates for the next 5 years, but they were saying that before i graduated too!!!

Originally Posted by booyagasha (Post 243377)

the ol' baby boomers talk huh?

Originally Posted by Shawn Braquet (Post 243379)

whats bad is sowela pumps there students up telling them they are going to make x amount of thousands a year with THEIR degree right out of the gates and the end result is they are just trying to sell you on their school and in the end they flood the market with graduates that can't find jobs

Originally Posted by Bluechip (Post 243245)

Booy, I don't have any dealings with the oilfield but I see all the crafts you described in the petro/chemical industry from New Orleans to Port Arthur.

Get you a trade son. Whether it is Instrumentation or Electrician you can go anywhere in the world and find a job plus you will have a skill that no one can take from you.

I see hundreds of kids every semester graduate with the Ptec degree only to find that very few immediately find a job. They encounter a tremendous amount of competition but there are always a few fortunate ones that land a job.

Quick example for an instrumentation tech. I helped an oil refinery in Texas find some instrument techs to hire permanently for the company not a contractor. They finally ended up hiring 2 workers over the age of 52.
Reason is they only had 3 apps for a $34/hour job because every one else is working with good jobs. I can assure you these companies are looking for someone they can invest their money in for the long haul not someone with 10 years left.

Endure the pain now and reap the rewards later. A skilled craftsman is becoming an increasingly valuable item in America.
Stay in a vo-tech school. These kids come out of ABC school with a few months of training (which I'm glad for them) but they are no where near the skill level of a vocational school graduate.

Originally Posted by Matt D (Post 243157)

Any of you guys ever been on special projects for a deepwater startup? Thinking about doing that also, but I would have to move to Houston for a couple of years.

Originally Posted by Ray (Post 243390)

Most of our operators have had on the job training in I&E work. Shell used to hire off the street and you had to work your way up.
Now they hire experienced and/or straight out of tech. schools thru an internship program. We get a lot of interns who want to work offshore, but end up not taking the work cause of the 14/14 schedule.
Shell has a Skill Based Pay system. You have to prove you can do more than one craft in order to move up. If you only do I&E work, you won't make more money. You have to be willing to cross train in other crafts.
It is a pain, but the pay is worth it, if you get hired on.
We get a lot of contract workers who get on thru the experienced hire process. But that is about once a year.
The internship hire process is done year round.
We will be hiring around 50 experienced hires and 40 thru tech schools this year, and about the same next year.
shell.com/us

Originally Posted by MossLake (Post 243235)

Similar but no where near the SAME. Us Tech's can do an operator's job (Prop our feet up and turn a block valve every now and again), but not gonna see an operator do a Tech's job. Right Goose and Yella? Get the tech degree and some Electrical classes and do any of your above mentioned jobs. ;)