How I Became A Roughneck
I first became aware of the oilfield when I was 22 years old living in Daytona Beach, 2007. I was wasting my life away drinking and partying almost everyday. Making about $200 a week, although I did get some thrills out of living on the beach, chasing girls around and drinking. It was a dead end and most times miserable existence.
One day I was sitting around with my buddies drinking and watching TV. A show came on it was called “Black Gold” on TruTv. I was mesmerized, among the things that caught my attention was the 2 weeks of work and the 2 weeks off. The starting pay was beyond what I thought I could ever make at the time. And of course the Wild West style environment portrayed. (though I didn’t know it at the time but a huge over embellishment, but not entirely.)
I resolved that I was going to go for this thing, hell I needed to make some move for my life I didn’t want to be a loser forever. I asked myself;
- Where do I go?
- How do I get there?
- Who’s hiring?
- What do I need to know to get my foot in the door?
Among other things…. So the next week when Black Gold came on I had a pen and paper ready, I was taking down notes. At the end of the work tour the rig hands went to Hooters, when the girl came to bring the guys food out I saw on the back of her shirt “Odessa, Texas“.
That was the core of what I was looking for that episode, “where do I go?”. So the next day I called the chamber of commerce of Odessa and confirmed that there was indeed an oil boom going on and that I could get a job entry level if I were to come out. The chamber of commerce of Odessa sent me info listing all the drilling companies in Odessa, and a map of the city. I called the drilling companies asking about getting work. I was told to come into the office and put my name on the hire list! I told them I was in Florida, asked if they could just put my name on the list and that I would come out. I was told that’s not how it worked.
Next time my drinking buddies came around I told them I was going to Texas to work on a drilling rig. They all laughed their asses off at me, they asked me who I knew out there and where I would stay. I told them I didn’t know anyone out there and that I’d just stay in the salvation army, whatever I’d figure it out but that I was going to do it. They all laughed and made jokes about how I was going to be a homeless person out there.
A few weeks later I got on a Greyhound bus with $80 in my wallet. After a layover in Atlanta for a day because of a hurricane. (luckily had an aunt I’d not seen for a decade, she gave me a few hundred also which I didn’t expect.) I eventually made my way to Odessa, Tx at 1:30 AM. When I got off the bus I stopped at an IHOP, told the waitress my story about my trip and my desire to get a job on a drilling rig. She told me to come by every night and she’d give me a free meal until I got a job. After leaving there I walked to Walmart and I bought a 10 speed bike and a prepaid phone, then I got a hotel room. The next day I rode that bike all over Odessa to all the drilling companies I could get too. All dead ends!
After a few days of dead ends I ran out of money. So I did indeed have to stay at the salvation army, they had some pretty good food at the nearby church every morning believe it or not. You could give blood there for $50 so I did that a few days in. About a week in I met 2 people that really helped me out allot. I was in a local bar having a beer and I told my story to a guy there and he was inspired at my determination and faith, he offered to take me driving around the next day to go to other rig companies that I couldn’t get to on the bike. One place he took me too was yep, Black Gold’s Big Dog Drilling. I met the other guy who was a music minister at a church. The minister was also inspired by my faith and determination. He gave me some work to do around the church and was a help to me later in the story.
After approx 10 days exhausting all my efforts to get hired on a drilling rig I was at a cheap motel anxious and turning doubtful. I remember the feeling and thinking that I had made a really silly mistake; that’s when my prepaid phone rang. The guy on the other line’s name was Cody, a driller for of course Big Dog Drilling! He asked me if I would like to work as a “Lead Tong Hand”. I told him that “I had no experience in the oil field and didn’t think I could lead anything.” He laughed, I explained how I’d come with only faith and determination from Florida determined to get in the oil and gas industry. So he said he had to give me a shot
So I went to the safety training the next day. From Odessa to Big Dog is about halfway to Midland, a few hour walk. (Bike got stolen) The guys on my crew all car pool together. Cody told me that they leave at 4:30 in the morning a few days from then. The problem with that having run out of money again I had to stay at the Salvation Army until the work hitch started. The Salvation Army had a non negotiable rule that you have to be in by a certain time and are not permitted to leave until 6 AM. I told the music minister about this and he let me stay in the church the evening I needed too.