There are other fields that make lot more..... some you will not have a set schedule.... depends what you like.... My job I have...I love it....Been doing it 11 years and plan on doing it 22 more.....rigzone.com has all kind of things to look at....surf there and look

Thanks
 

Thanks W. I will check out that site. It sounds good. Thanks again Bo.

hey W and Ray and other offshore PROS'
 

need some advice...alright, i already have a semester down in instrument tech.
(problem is nearest instrument tech school that i was going to was in Laplace...and i stay in houma,...yeah i made that hour fifteen minute erryday...and it killed me ...with no job)

there's a ptec/production operator degree program in houma, i was thinking since they are somewhat similar( instrument tech and ptec) some if not all my classes will might/hope transfer.

or ....
an electrician degree also in houma, yet, if i go this route, it would more than likely start from scratch, a full 2 years....

so if you were in my predicament, with the options listed above, which would you choose? Im really digging DC ELECTRICITY especially interested in marine electrician. I've met instrument tech's offshore, with and without degrees, and also operators and also marine electricians, and i can say they roughly start and make about the same...although operator job would be alot less demanding, i hear the jobs are alot less abundant also(for production operator.)

im really looking for the long run. Where as instrument tech/operator--i would be primarily either be offshore/plant, electrician, i can actually leave the oilfield itself, and still have many other options available( residential, commercial, automotive, marine, boat, I&e , etc. i will be starting school again in june, so my decision is needed by next Friday(deadline for enrollment)

WHAT YA PROS GOT TO SAY?


PS..regardless of how interested i was at the beginning and how disinterested i was at the end of my first instrument tech semester---i made all A's and B's 3.3333......not bad for someone thats been outta school for a few years....hell i didnt even need to take re-medials... im trying to stream line this , as in taking 15-18 hrs a semester , maybe more.

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. ;)

With knowledge in electricity and instrument field you can look into Liner Controls.... You can also look into the field im in... Measurement of Gas and Oil specialize in these areas (rosemount,totalflows,scadapak,3095FC,Barton,LACT units,YZ sampling,composite sampling of oil&gas,oil turbines and LOTS OF PAPERWORK)

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.

If I were starting my own small business I'd rather have the strong electrical backround. Offshore, the electronics and instrumentation will serve you better. Study PLCs and smart relay logic. Ptech may get you into a MWD job offshore also.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

finish school you can get a bigger one.........no i would see if classes would transfer before i made any drastic decision

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!!!

the ol' baby boomers talk huh?

Exactly ....... and everyone of them are still in the plant !!!!!!

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

Agreed ....... i went from interviews and all to nothing before i graduated ......... the economy shat on everyones chances !!!

good point, can't take that away from you and they use that electricity stuff everywhere. I got my Instrument and Electrical from mcneese and also went through the IBEW (electrical union) apprenticeship and have now been working in the plant im at for 3 years now and love it. I did 3 years of commercial electrical working for my dad and I can say that the plant life is the ticket compared to commercial. Also most plants will hire operators with an instrument degree but won't hire an I&E tech with a process degree!

I have been on a TLP project team and a 3 well subsea project team.
The TLP was mostly in New Orleans. The Subsea project was both NOLA and Houston. Lotsa trips to both, with some to the Broussard area for pre-commissioning of pump skids. Good work, rewarding and picks your brain. You learn a lot on deepwater projects.