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.
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