Rig Pigs
Why does a rig pig, otherwise known as an oil rig worker, earn as much as—or even more than—a nurse? In fact, the average pay for an oil rig worker in 2011 was just under $100,000, with “drilling consultants” earning over $235,000.
Even at the lower end, with the most inexperienced and least trained rig workers, the average wage was over $65,000. Even “roustabouts,” who perform general maintenance and physical labor with minimal training, make over $34,000—equivalent to the median wage for all American workers (1).
What Gives?
These statistics often surprise—and sometimes even anger—young job seekers, who feel that the data is unjustified. Nurses are far more important, they argue. Well, if you’re sick, they certainly are. But what about when you want to fill up your car to get to work? Oil field workers play an important role in that cycle.
The point isn’t to single out oil rig workers, nor to denigrate the nursing profession, but simply to use them as examples. The point is to demonstrate that both professions are important, even if they seem far apart in terms of “professionalism.”
Blue Chip vs. Blue Collar
A renewed interest is taking place in the trades, and a new respect is emerging for manual or blue-collar workers. Skilled trades may have lacked prestige in the past, perhaps because too many high school shop students emerged from cars filled with Led Zeppelin and smoke. However, after decades of being sold on the idea of higher education—with all its expense—only to have its promises of lucrative employment repeatedly disappointed, career seekers are looking once again at the trades.
We’ll dive deeper into this topic in another article, but a micro-study of nursing and oil rigging can be pretty enlightening.
Nursing
Becoming a nurse requires strength, compassion, and a nerve for confronting illness, the human body, and human emotions. To become a nurse—or a Certified Nurses Aid (CNA)—and progress to advanced nursing levels, such as a Registered Nurse (RN), requires one to six years of education, including coursework, nursing clinicals, and testing, followed by regular continuing education to maintain a license.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008, nurses earned between $40,000 and over $90,000 for the highest-trained and most experienced.
Job Requirements
An oil rig worker performs routine physical labor and maintenance on oil rigs and pipelines, both on and offshore. They work long hours, often away from family for extended periods. The work is dangerous, and they work in all conditions—from hot summers to freezing winter nights when temperatures can drop below -40°C.
Add to that the fact that their life expectancy and career longevity resemble those of a professional football player, who retires to trade on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, and you begin to see what oil rig workers, in this example, give up.
But it gets even worse. “Oil Rig Worker” was voted fourth in the top ten worst jobs in America by Career Cast (2). How often do we scoff at “worst” jobs and ignore the fact that pay can sometimes directly correlate with how bad the task is considered to be? Granted, sometimes achieving “worst” status is due to low pay, but often a lack of volunteers raises the stakes.
Besides, like commercial fishing on television or a stint in the merchant marine, some people enjoy the lifestyle and freedom offered by this gig-type work, compared to the routine of other professions. It’s an adventure. It’s dangerous. It makes one feel alive. But more importantly, it’s a crucial task in our society—and someone has to take those risks. They should be compensated accordingly.
Roughneck
In fact, according to a blogger known as “Roughneck”:
“In Norway, you are viewed as very lucky if you get work on an oil rig. Salaries start at $100,000 a year! Then, with bonuses and overtime, it easily adds up to $150,000 a year. You work two weeks on and four weeks off. But in the U.S., you work more, earn less, and the equipment and security aren’t as good.”
When asked about how to get started, Roughneck replied:
“You don’t need much for brains, just be safe. Go to Nisku, Alberta in October, then get first aid and H2S courses—about three days. Apply at Ensign or Encore. That’s it; you’re in… worst job in the world, but great money.”
Many seem willing to endure the long days and extreme weather in exchange for the rewards. On the blog quoted above, most comments were from people trying to find out how to become an oil rigger (3).
Feeling Wanted
The reality is that the world needs laborers. Without them, we wouldn’t have gas for our cars, lumber for our homes, or many other products created by the risks and hardships they endure.
For a long time, we’ve viewed careers as a hierarchy, with the educated workforce ranked highest, followed by skilled trades, and then those who simply “labor.” As the career promises of higher education continue to disappoint many, and skilled trades evolve with new technologies and the do-it-yourself industry, the labor market starts to look a little better!
Employment and income are no longer taken for granted, thanks to the Great Recession. Perhaps we are starting to recognize that courage, endurance, and mindfulness of job safety are not only skills in themselves but perhaps natural gifts that many of us were born without. Thanks to the free market, the pay has preceded our general appreciation of these individuals.
Notes:
(1) https://money.cnn.com/2012/05/10/news/economy/oil_workers/index.htm
