Quote:
Originally Posted by Jdoughs
Yeah I don't think anyone is making 1k a day as a unskilled doofus, but it's not that uncommon for skilled tradesmen, not uncommon at all.
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$1k/day is pretty high for any tradesman who doesn't own his own business, but there are guys up there. $45/hour is not uncommon for a lot of journeymen trade workers in the patch. Some make a little more than that in the get into the right company up north. Electricians, heavy duty mechanics, and welders seem to have the big oilfield jobs. I know a lot of those guys who are just reaching journeyman level now at my age, and plenty of them are up above $40/hour. Most that aren't running their own businesses make in that $500/day area after taxes. Once you're up making $50-60/hour your paychecks are just getting eaten alive y taxes anyhow. Equipment operators earn in the same range, and don't require the schooling. they just gotta be a little lucky to work your way into a machine.
As with anything, the key to real success is to bust as for a few years, save, invest into your own business, and be your own boss. Me and my brother were looking at investing into a Power Tong truck when we were both working on the rigs. $40/k each and we would have been able to double shift the trucks and make upwards of $6k/day between us. A lot of younger guys in our area got rich doing exactly that. We were late to the party though and lucky we didn't invest in it. the next year the field dried up, and a lot of the guys who got in when we were planning on it wound up bankrupt when their brand new tong trucks weren't moving.