Life in the Alaskan Oilfield
Stay tuned for a quick tidbit of info on my work experiances, as well as, tools to land a bad ass job with 6 months off a year all while having the possibility to rake in $80K.
Firstly, what is "the slope"?
The Alaskan oilfield goes by many names: Prudhoe Bay, Deadhorse, The Slope (Although, it's completely flat)
It's 558square miles of oil rigs, hairy men and loads of opportunity. Deadhorse is the town, and I say this loosely as it's very much anything but a town, that is the gateway to the 3 major lease companies Hilcorp, Exxon and ConocoPhillips. These companies are renting land from Alaska in order to suck-up that liquid black gold below.
As you can see in the picture above, the oil is lifted to land from deep down below, sent down the Trans-Alaska pipeline all the way to Valdez where it is again moved or stored. (A lot more happens in between, but you get the point) Aside from a random tourist, no one is in Prudhoe Bay for reasons other than work. There are no homes, hair salons, malls, etc..
That bright red line is the Arctic Circle. Where winters hover at -40 and the sun refuses to shine over half the year.
Prudhoe Bay isn't just at that line, it's another 250 miles North!
Polar bears and arctic fox are no stranger to the area. Bring your camera and a warm coat for the sights; In the mean time, lets find more out about working there.
What types of jobs are available?
The short answer: SO MANY!
Even though it isn't a normal town setting the same jobs are needed throughout the area... for the most part. Very generic run down would be:
General laborer
Crane op.
Heavy Equipment op.
Welders
Engineers
Commercial Divers
Baristas
Housekeepers
Admins
Office managers
Bookkeepers
Expediters
Riggers
Environmentalist
Emergency responders (Fire fighters, EMT, Police Officers)
Medics/Doctors
Heavy + light duty Mechanics
CDL drivers
Industrial Painters
Inspection workers
Safety
Store clerks
Janitors
Stick-pickers
ETC. ETC. ETC.
Seriously, the list goes on and on.
No matter your age or skill level there is something that would suit you and your abilities.
That means college/no college. Certifications/no certifications. Tall. Short. Male. Female.
It doesn't matter. Let's get you out there to make some big money.
Okay, but how long do I have to stay there away from my friends and family? What's camp life like?
Short answer: Only for 2-4 weeks at a time while getting 2-4 weeks off - rotating camp life in my opinion is GREAT!
This is hands down my favorite part of the job! Could you imagine being flown to work, getting FREE housing, FREE delicious food and having your bed made for you every two weeks? AND on top of that you're being paid incredibly well doing so?
The way it works; Companies pay for your travel from Anchorage, AK to Prudhoe Bay and back. While on the slope your company will provide housing and food. The housing is hotel style and everyone refers to them as camps. Depending on your job + camp you MIGHT have to share a room, but thats unlikely as most camps are single status rooms or they stagger day workers with night workers.
Nearly all camps come with a free gym, sauna and free 24hour food/snack room.
PROS:
Potential for education credits and advancements
Free food
High paying positions/ high income (90hr/week+ paychecks)
Only working half the year
Free flights/air miles
Free housing while at work
Free Gym
Rec room with ping pong, pool or video game consoles
Although you're away from your family for two weeks, when you're off work you can choose to be home 100% of the time with them or pick a new travel destination every two weeks.
CONS:
Extended time away from home and family
Winter temperatures are extremely low
Summer time there are a lot of mosquitoes
12 hour+ work days/7 days a week
Limited medical access
Very unlikely, but could have to share a room with a coworker
Hypothetically speaking, if you get there and say, "thanks, but this isn't for me," (I never witnessed this happen, but....) they'll fly you back to Anchorage no hurt feelings.
I heard from my mom's-BFF's-second-cousin-twice-removed that the oil field is dangerous. What about that?
Short answer: YOU make it safe or YOU don't.
No one likes to think of themselves as the problem, so think more so, you're the solution. It's the exact same thing as driving a car; If you're driving down the road going the speed limit, occationally looking in the mirrors, keeping your phone out of sight and being defensive (not aggressive) you're most likely going to get where you're going safely.
Now, if you're stereo is screaming, you're texting and driving, plus have been putting off getting your brakes fixed, you're probably not going to see the little old lady stopped for a kitten in the street & won't be able to stop in time leaving you to smash into the back end of her boat of an Oldsmobile.
There are procedures, rules, and regulations in place to protect you and everyone around you. Follow them, make sure your buddy follows them and you're safe. You're moneyed up. AND in the Alaskan oilfield, unlike others, they’ve been known to offer rewards for stopping an unsafe job. Actual CASH DOLLARS!
Go ahead and tell your moms-__-__-twice-removed she's wrong... I'm sure you've always wanted to say it.
P.S. All PPE (personal protective equipment) is provided to you by your employer. That's more FREE.
What if I'm currently/wanting to attend college? How do I move up with limited knowledge/education?
Short answer: WIFI or summer work + ASK what the company can teach you!!!
All the camps I've been to (10+) have provided WIFI + there is cell service almost everywhere in Prudhoe. I've had multiple coworkers taking online college classes working towards their degrees while being on the slope. They'd do their classes after work, coupled with down time during the day, making it a breeze.
Plus, Most companies offer college/trade school credits. Want money for college, crane school, rigging classes? Ask the company if they cover what you're interested in. Seriously, these companies are looking for driven employees and view knowledge as power. Get it???
Knowledgable employees = Powerful company
The more you know the farther you can go in the company. Want a raise? They hand them out like hot cakes to those who show they want to be there and want to learn.
FREE training = More money in your pocket
*Taste Breaker* Take a second to breathe and enjoy
This is a sundog caused by water crystals in the air reflecting light back towards the sun. They're normally seen around -20 when the air has a frosty bite.
P.S. Sundogs are my favorite natural phenomena
Quick recap before moving onto tips & tricks to land the job + what companies are in Prudhoe Bay
1. No matter your skill level/education there is opportunity to make great money
2. A rotating work schedule means loads of OVERTIME $$$ while only working 1/2 the year
3. FREE housing, FREE food, FREE gym + extra perks outside of the work place
4. Education and training advancements. Knowledgable employees = powerful company
5. If you want a safe workplace CREATE IT.
This is sounding GREAT to me, but how do I get up there?
Short answer: Apply like crazy and talk safety
Sounds simple enough, right? Heres why you apply over and over and over again... These companies will go on mass-hires on-boarding 40-120 people all at the same time. Hundreds of resumes come flying in all at the same time, and rumor has it that when they select one applicant they delete the rest of the resumes and start over.
It's a rumor, but after experiencing the hiring process myself, I’d believe it to be true. On the off chance it's not true, you're showing the company that you're extremely interested in the position which makes them more likely to contact you.
Talk safety. Talk safety. Talk safety.
Do I need to say it one more time? Talk about SAFELY using tools, SAFELY driving, SAFELY doing etc. (whatever applies to the position you're inquiring about) These companies want to know that you're going to part take in their safety culture before they even bother contacting you. I mean, would you want to hire someone who's him-ho about safety?
Injured employees = loss of work time = costing the company money
Help getting hired:
1. Read through the job listing looking for key words to include in your resume and cover letter like :
Safety
Communication
Leadership
Time management
These four words will come up in your interview, in every HSE meeting and will be posted around camp. Highly suggested you learn to utilize them.
2. Just said it, but I'll say it again because it's so important; USE THE WORDS SAFE, SAFETY & SAFELY
3. If you have rotational work experience talk about it. If you don't have rotational experience talk about how you believe you’ll benefit from it.
4. Mirror the job requirements in your resume and cover letter. Even if your current skills don't 100% match the requirements speak highly of your skills that do, and then briefly speak on how you're capable of learning/mastering other said skills
5. The biggest one: Act like you already have the job. If you type the resume and cover letter weakly, like you don't REALLY want it, the resume and cover letter will scream that.
Believe in yourself. Speak highly of yourself. If you’re taking the time to fill out an application do it to the best of your ability.
P.S. There’s no harm is asking for help or googling how to write a strong resume. Why go for it and just half ass it? Make a bad ass resume, a solid cover letter that you can change and tweak for multiple job applications, and go into it with your head up high.
TIME FOR THE COMPANIES
Here are a few big, well known companies that are a great start:
HillCorp
Exxon
ConocoPhillips
Doyon
NANA
WorleyParsons
AFC
ASRC
PEAK
Arctic Catering
Kakivik
CCI
WOODS group
Schlumberger
ICE services
Cruz Construction
Baker Hughes
PENCO
ACS
Halliburton
North Slope Borough
Remote Alaska Solutions
+ Many many more
When in doubt use a search engine
My favorite is Indeed.com - Search Prudhoe Bay, Alaska or Deadhorse, AK and they type of job you might be interested in
Additional slope companies and contact can be found at https://www.alaskapipelinejobinfo.com/alaska-north-slope-jobs-resources.html
Or on their FB account: Alaska Pipeline Job Info
Feel free to reach out with additional questions or comments.
Best of luck,
Morgan
