I applied for a couple positions for Halliburton and I hear they are great to work for. Can anyone give me any feedback on the entry level procurement specialist or MWD I positions? Any knowledge about either position would be helpful. I know they are completely different than each other but I heard MWD is a good foot in the door. TIA

I am currently an MWD for Halliburton. I got my degree in PETE so its not really what I was looking for but it is a job so thats good. Basically all you do is take surveys for directional drillers and logs while drilling. Really easy job for good pay. The only drawback is some jobs can last a very long time (I've been on a job for 24 days as of today and it probably won't be done until next week.) Also, when you do get time off, it usually last for at most 1 week.

So would you consider it a foot in the door type of job for oil and gas industry? I was told after 6 months you can transfer and don't have to be away like that. (granted there is something available)

So would you consider it a foot in the door type of job for oil and gas industry? I was told after 6 months you can transfer and don't have to be away like that. (granted there is something available)

Yeah I would consider it a foot in the door. Obviously you are out in the field so that is always good experience and you see the day to day operations of drilling a lateral well but for the most part you learn about being a better MWD. What is your degree in?

My degree is in agribusiness and a minor in economics.

Yeah, thats good. I think if you are looking to get in the O&G industry, working for a service company is going to be the best place to start. Halliburton has great benefits and being an MWD will probably get you the most exposure since you are out in the field so long. If you don't mind the field, I think it is a good start.

Thank you for the feedback, hopefully I will hear something back because my job now sucks. Plus I've always wanted to be in oil and gas.

Hi Stolo - not questioning your intentions, but have often seen on this board and others the blanket statement 'want to be in O&G.'

I work in the biz side of the industry, and unless your on the upstream side- i see no real differences other than biz process to other big companies in industry today. Most large co's (O&G included) have remarkedly similar IT systems, cost control regs/positions and workflows in place as per their horizontal in their respective market industry (production, distribution, etc.).

Are you looking to stay in the field, or do you say O&G for the same (assumption here) reason of hoping to makes cash $ as things are good here currently?

[This message has been edited by NYAG08 (edited 11/3/2011 12:57a).]

[This message has been edited by NYAG08 (edited 11/3/2011 12:59a).]

Can you reside in SoTexas and still work for these companies or is a move to Houston required?

You can live damn near anywhere if you are working in the field.

As far as HAL, good benefits, heavy workload, average pay compared to the industry, lot of places to go and things to learn, more stable than most of its competitors during down cycles. What else do you want to know?

Are there any ways to increase chance of getting at least an interview?

How do I get my foot in the door with HAL? I've applied for several positions that I am good at, like sales or customer service, which is the area I am currently in but different industry.

[This message has been edited by NicAg03 (edited 11/17/2011 12:08p).]

The usual response concerning pay and the big service companies is that the pay is just "average" for the industry or compared to competitors. Is it the small independents paying better I assume?

OP, MWD is a great way to get into the business. Personally, I feel there are better options, but none that pay what MWD would.

Dad, what are these other ways you speak of?
And does anyone know how I can make sure my application doesn't get overlooked.

Answering some questions...

Sales for an oilfield service company is not really the same as sales for another company. You have to know our service to sell the service in most cases. There is a long list of current employees in the field that want to get into a sales or BD role with us so the odds of coming from outside the industry directly into a sales role is probably less than 5%.

The smaller companies blow the big boys out of the water when it comes to pay. Not nearly the same overhead but when the market turns those guys are usually the first ones to close up shop.

Like you said, MWD and procurement specialist are two completely different lifestyles and jobs. Are you just looking for a job or what? I can put you in touch with the two recruiters but you need to know what you want to do and why you want to do it. I have been burned on here before by guys that 'wanted to do MWD' that lasted 3-4 months.

KT,
What are the usual reason guys don't make it in MWD?

Long hours, usually no set schedule, can get monotonous at times, usually working in the middle of nowhere, a lot of time away from friends and family. You get paid well for a reason and it isn't because the job is rocket science.

KT,
Right now I have a job that I really can't stand and looking for something else. I would perfer something more in the procurement or an analytical role, but I could see an MWD role as a way to learn more about the industry from the service perspective. I was hoping that an MWD would be a good foot in door job then try to transfer to an office role after a year. Not sure if that really makes sense but any help/advice is greatful.

I will tell you right now it won't happen after a year. If you go into it with the mindset of 30-36 months in the field you will be a little more realistic. The problem a lot of people have is they assume it is an 18 month gig to 'get their foot in the door' and after talking to guys that have been in the field for three years they lose hope and quit.

KT_Ag08,

Say if a student graduated with pete degree and went in as a cased hole wireline field engineer, would this work experience not benefit an individual later in their career if they are wanting to do production engineering? I almost feel that the work is so specified, plus not even in production enhancement service line.

Cased hole is fairly specific. Are you logging or perforating? Even if you are logging it probably isn't the same type of services an open-hole crew would run. If you are currently running a CH crew I would look into cross training for OH.

Or you could try to cross over into frac. Only problem there is it is a different skill set and outside of the cement engineers that work with frac crews frequently, a lot of the mud, MWD, or Wireline guys have to start back at the bottom of the totem pole.

Kt,
Thank you for your advice. 30-36 months doesn't sound ideal but it can be doable. Do you think that would be a good route to take to try to get into procurement or analysis role or do you have another suggestion. I graduated in 2010 so I need something entry level and I don't have oil and gas experience.

Field to procurement is not really the best fit. Most of the entry level hires for procurement come from the current college recruiting cycles. If you give me the requisition number I can see what is going on with the position.

[This message has been edited by KT_Ag08 (edited 11/23/2011 4:43p).]

Kt,
The req number is 00198915. Thank you again for the help.

I work in Halliburton Technology. I write firmware for the MWD/LWD tools.

I really like Halliburton. Someone earlier said "great benefits, avg pay" which is probably fair for someone coming in from school. It's worth saying though that Halliburton has the cash to make sure that they keep their best people and I never had an issue with my salary and my benefits are better than anyone I know.

Field jobs are a good way to get your foot in the door. We have a couple guys who took that path who are in our group. Now, in my group, do I consider 2 years in the field as valuable as 2 years of engr experience? No. But for project managers and testers field experience is great.

I said in another thread that we have several open spots for CE and EE coops that can start in the Spring (like in a couple months). If anyone is interested, feel free to email me at [email removed].

[This message has been edited by brybry (edited 11/30/2011 9:22a).]

KT_Ag08 - anyway I can contact you? Applied to few entry field jobs online but no recruiting contacts for these positions.

Which positions?

What is a rough estimate of starting pay in MWD?

KT could better tell you but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised at 100k+ by year 2. I'm not aware of how Hal pays during the training period but I don't reckon it's terrible.

Hello KT,

I actually interviewed a few weeks ago, but haven't heard back, I'm assuming I wasn't selected.

I have emailed both people I had contact with, but no response.

What's the usual response time??

TIA!

I always thought an engineering or technical education background was pretty vital in getting into MWD?

Cal - I think that we hired someone for the international benefits position. She started today if it is the same position you interviewed for. I will ask the person you were in touch with if that is the case.

MWD first year make about $105k. Second year is about $130 assuming utilization of ~70%.

Engineering or technical is preferred at HAL if you don't have any prior field experience.

I'm an MWD. Been doing it for a little over a year in a half. If you're looking to learn about drilling operations, and make some really good money really early on in your career then it's a great place to start. You can advance really fast in the field and be making well into the 130's in your 2nd year, but like it has been said before it comes at a price. If you're in a relationship you should definitely talk it over with them because it's hell on relationships and your social life.

The work itself is incredibly easy, and I really boring 90% of the time. People say MWD stands for "Movie Watchin' Dudes," and I would have to agree.

With the boom in drilling on US land every directional company is looking to expand aggressively, and if you only plan to do it for 3 years or less I don't think you need to worry about job security. So I would go with a smaller company with better pay IMO.

Good luck hope this helped.

KT_Ag08 - Entry Level Engineer - Cased Hole
Requisition: 00199638

Entry Level Technology Services Technician
Requisition: 00198182

Entry Level Engineer - Cased Hole
Requisition: 00198955

Applied to few others that are in progress. Some jobs already been rejected for. Looking for entry/trainee field engineer position in such as MWD, etc. I am open to all locations and opportunities including cold climates, northern/western USA and canada. Degree in engineering, understand the demands of the job, and ready to start some where. No experience in the field.






[This message has been edited by valverde1 (edited 11/28/2011 9:44p).]