Name: David
Career: Field Engineer
Company Field: Oilfield Services
Located In: Williston, North Dakota
Grew Up In: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Graduated From: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Majored In: Mechanical Engineering
Graduated In: 2012

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After College Lifestyles

 

Field Engineering Rapid City/West South Dakota Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

David is a Fracker in North Dakota. Fracking is the process of fracturing rock by a pressurized liquid. The life of a fracker may not be for everyone (long hours and consecutive work days away from home) but David shows a real passion for his profession. Plus, since his work is in oil, he makes bank!

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Life of a College Grad Field Engineer

I am the field engineer for a fracking crew in Williston, North Dakota. As a field engineer I am responsible for managing the logistics of transporting all the equipment from site to site, making sure the fracking fluids are mixed properly, mentoring new engineers, and helping train new equipment operators on the pumping equipment.

How To Get Into The Field

I studied mechanical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy Albany, New York, for my undergrad. I secured a job interview with my company (I now work at) during a career fair during my senior year at RPI. And after the interview process I was offered the job. The company that recruited me required little to no relevant experience. After I was hired, the company taught me everything I needed to know. After graduating, I packed my bags and moved to Williston, North Dakota!

What Do You Really Do?

As a field engineer, my job has long hours and hard work. During my 14-hour shifts, I go around the job site and order more chemicals and sand as needed. Each order requires me to fill out all the necessary paperwork to bill our clients. I also arrange transportation for the equipment operators as needed.

Pros/Cons of Your Job

The things I love about my job are that it's really hands on: I spend most of my time outside in the beautiful countryside (not stuck indoors behind a monitor). I also get to spend a lot of time with my crew, who are all good friends. Some frustrating things about the job are that the hours constantly change, and the hours are very long.

The Life of a College Grad In Williston, North Dakota

What's it Like to Live Here?

There are a lot of people up here in Williston because of the oil boom. This population is mostly categorized by a high number of of truckers and oilfield workers here. But people are very friendly here. North Dakota has beautiful expansive countryside with tons of things to do outdoors. There is a lot of history and meaning to the culture here.

Because North Dakota is obviously up North, the weather can go to both extremes. The weather in the winter gets incredibly cold: down to -50F! And in the summer, Williston gets up to 90F. The climate for North Dakota is pretty rainy in the summer, and snowy in the winter.

How Did I End Up Here?

I grew up in New Mexico (a very different climate than North Dakota). I went to school at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy Albany, New York. I moved to North Dakota because my company sent me here. Fracking is not really a job where you can choose your location!

My Set-Up

During my days on (usually 11 days in a row), my company pays for me to stay at a man camp, which is an extended stay hotel with a 24-hour cafeteria. In addition, I have an apartment that my company pays for, which I stay at during my 3 days off. It has 2 bedrooms, which I share with a fellow engineer as a roommate.

Closing Advice

There are a lot of job opportunities out there, and from places and industries you might not expect, all you have to do is look. My advice is to be flexible about where you want to live/work.

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