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I do the same every so often. Sometimes there's a good opportunity and sometimes my current job is the clear choice, but to fault a guy for looking just doesn't make sense.
Thanks for the compliments. I would never fault anybody for looking. Heck, that's really the only way to get ahead these days. Your employer typically never appreciates your personal growth as much as a new potential employer will. I once had to give a guy a raise from $26K/yr to $86K/yr because he had been with the company 10 years and the previous management had been taking advantage of him big time. He had grown by leaps and bounds during that 10 year period. And, he was worth far more than the guy who we were paying $140K but... the guy making $140K had made the right moves and had negotiated well at every turn.
How about this, the mention of looking but not wanting to move just struck the wrong chord with me. Often times, people have more to offer, are capable of taking bigger roles and are ready to take a new opportunity but, they geographically limit themselves because of family or convenience/familiarity. In all seriousness, I've known folks who wouldn't move to Colorado from Texas because they couldn't get as good deals at the supermarket as they did at HEB. As if they didn't have grocery stores with sales in Colorado.
I said nothing about not wanting to spend time at home with your nuclear family. Heck, family is what it's all about. Moving somewhere else doesn't mean that you're going to be working on an offshore oil platform and only see your kids every 30 days or something. In fact, from the OPs description, it sounds like he'll be driving a desk wherever he winds up which is a lot different than being on the job site running a concrete pour everyday.
Personally, I've changed jobs and moved a few times explicitly so that I could spend more time with my nuclear family. Those moves took me further away from my extended family but, hey, they have air travel. However, living away from extended family, it is you who has to make the effort because your extended family is never going to come visit you unless you happen to move to Orlando and they are already going to Disney World twice a year anyway.
My original post could also probably be an overreaction to some of what I've seen with recent grads who believe that working in Oil & Gas means continuous employment in a cubicle off the Katy Freeway. Long story but let's say that a recent grad is working in West Africa and his girlfriend was very disappointed because she expected he was going to just make megabucks and they could live happily ever after on the West Side of Houston. Who knew they even had oil in West Africa? I thought it was all in Houston j/k
And feel free to tell me that I'm old, my dad is even older, I don't know what I'm talking about, etc. but... I watched my dad have a great 30+ year career with Fluor and the majority of that was in Oil & Gas Construction which is EXACTLY what the OP said he does. I realize there's no Trans Alaska Pipeline being built today, I realize there's no Sadaf or Kemya Plants being built today and
Jubail II appears to be slow to takeoff. I also realize that the skill level of foreign Engineers has improved greatly and the world doesn't need as many Americans and even fewer overseas. But, the basic facts of O&G construction don't change. In my opinion, they are:
0. Oil and Gas is found everywhere and anywhere. Undisputed Fact. It's True. (my best President Trump impression)
1. You have to go where the work is. That might mean across town or across the world.
2. That work might not be geographically where you would like it to be. Heck, I'd love to run a Data Center in Malibu, California. AFAIK, the only one that meets my criteria is at Pepperdine University so... best of luck to me.
3. At some point, you will have to decide whether the continued well being of your nuclear family matters more to you than the feelings of your extended family. No matter where you live, they're going to complain that you don't visit enough.
4. At some point, you will have to decide if your personal career growth is worth the hassle of inconveniencing your nuclear family and your extended family. Susie is up for Varsity Cheerleader next year but, gigantic big company is offering $50K/yr more plus increased responsibility and exposure to the hot new developments in the field if you're willing to move to Timbuktu. You can bring home a wage and take care of your family but, are you making yourself more valuable to your current and prospective employers or, are you just phoning it in, and hoping you don't get laid off. If you're just phoning it in, you should probably start now - figuring out what you're going to do after you get laid off.
5. Would your nuclear family benefit from a re-location? Maybe 2 years in snow country would be nice. Maybe 3 years in West Africa would be life changing in a positive way. Who knows? Maybe your kids would learn how to speak French or something.
The best thing here is that since the OP is employed, there's no rush to decide. On the other hand, I've got a buddy of mine who has been out of work from his job on Smith Street for about 15 months now. He's now praying that he'll get an O&G job in Kentucky or Pennsylvania, or wherever else he can find an interview.
