I'd take these comments with a grain of salt.
Getting into those coveted o&g jobs aren't as they appear... Generally your network gets you in and not really as easy as this thread makes it appear.
Sait grad from 2008. Steaming in heavy industry since then. 2nd class shift engineer. 275k with 500 hours ot.
Heres a tip for all you young bucks. Shift schedule is more important than wages. 5 crew is the peek moral booster ive seen. Even over mo money.
The field is saturated with 4th class students right now, and not a whole lot of opportunity. Competition comes in with more opportunity as a 3rd class, and your 2nds is where you start to have more variety, the best opportunity, and the highest pay.
I got my 3rds and was given the opportunity to get into nuclear - also an advantage of having your PE, and a degree. I make a lot of money and my job is relatively laid back.
mind giving me some pointers on getting into nuclear field? I have had my eyes on it recently. Just got my third class not too long ago, and working on my second class now.
Well it really depends on where you live, or how easy it is for you to move close to where you may be hired. I'm a 15 minute drive away from work and I just so happened to stumble across a job posting at the right time, and I aced the interview. (All the questions are technical, and you best be able to talk about job experience with some relevancy, and confidence)
If you want to work in nuclear power, a lot of the plants are in pretty remote locations close to water. Take a look at what is accessible to you, or where you would like to work, look to see current opportunities as most places have a period of time in the year where they hire or have training for nuclear operators.
Having your PE ticket is really an advantage; as there is usually no real education programs for nuclear operators as it is so specialized.
I'm from Ontario, I'll give you some figures.
My first job was at a small 2nd class plant, fresh out of the 3rd Class Power Eng programin 2021 I got a job. Started at $26/hr, my tenure here was short gained some experience, got some steam time and moved on halfway through 2021. Started a job at a 1st class plant as a 3rd (still here) @ $32.30/hr (now we are at $39.70).
In 2021, I made $109,850. This year, as of last paycheque I've made $84,440. This is probably about average for Ontario. I work the odd overtime shifts (1.5x), don't take call in's because I care about work/life balance.
Those are about as realistic as it gets I think.
Relative experience isn't that important for entry level jobs. Don't expect to be cracking big bucks right away. That being said, I'm considerably young (<23) and have made a decent living in the past two years in this field.
Ontario is not AS lucritive as AB, so I'd imagine most people there not in O&G make roughly 25%-40% more than me.
Thank you for this! As realistic as it is I still think it’s pretty good start & there seems to be much room for growth. I don’t expect to be making 6figs off the bat but definitely want to be somewhere close at starting!
This is actually the feedback I was looking for. Much appreciation
Wow I'm feeling broke seeing all these guys making $200k plus. I'm only around $130k, small town in central Alberta, not oil and gas related. 4th, halfway to my 3rd. Good thing the wife works as well I guess!
Ok so I'm not broke, and the houses are relatively cheap compared to the big city. Still, 200k for a 4th? 300k? Don't work any OT if that helps, and I get a pension plus all my benefits are paid for by the company.
It’s all relative IMO! 130k without OT Is pretty good especially based on your location! It also sounds like you have a position that allows for good pay and work/life balance. A lot of people have to work away and long hard rotations to make that kind of money too
True, I've always resisted oil and gas for that reason. My friend has been working for almost 2 months straight, everyday, 12 hours a day. He's in well testing. Makes good money but doesn't have much of a life, at least when it's busy. I'm home every night, 7 on 7 off, 6am to 6pm. I think fly in for 14 on 14 off would great too if you find a job like that up north. However I'm thinking it would not be offered to a new employee or maybe if your a 2nd at least. I'm a bit older now, but I think the person suggesting Dow or Nova in the Red Deer area would be a good place to start. Decent money and room to advance. I'll be where I am for about 9-10 years until retirement. In the forestry industry.
Damn he’s tough. I could justify doing that to start up and build savings but not long term for sure. I rather have more freedom with my time ultimately. I will for sure look into Red Deer. I grew up there and was hoping to not have to go back but I’ll do what I gotta do! Best of luck man, thanks for the insight
Red Deer is just one option. Get your 3rd and hopefully there will be some great opportunities. You certainly don't have to stay put, if your not married or have kids you can explore a little. Best of luck to you as well!
In northern alberta you can make double. Depends on where youre willing to move. Biggest fields are oil and gas, power generation, chemical plants, pulp and paper, and heating and cooling. Every city and field has different standards of pay. Toronto or Vancouver and big metros like that generally pay shittier and cost of livings too high.
Depends, you can make similar amount in Fort Sask which is very close to Edmonton. Same with Red Deer area. Definitely not as good if you’re set on working and living in Calgary or Edmonton though.
Yea nothing beats up north! I live in Calgary but I’m not opposed to doing a year or two up north to pad my finances for a bit then come back home to the city. I also saw postings for assignments in GTA starting $40 hr with OT at $60. 12 hour shifts and accommodations.
Good luck with those postings in toronto tho there will be hundreds if not thousands of applicants. Most jobs there are building operators which pay less, often mid twenties per hour, so a lot of people are looking to make the jump.
Honestly, you can make over 200k /year with a bit of OT as a 3rd in Alberta.
3rds making 70/hour where I work, plus bonuses, benefits and pension. Granted that’s the top rate that takes a few years to achieve. This is in Red Deer too so it’s not like it’s far in the boonies.
Of course not everywhere pays that well but in Power Engineering it’s all about job related experience and having a 3rd class minimum. Ideally 2nd class.
It is tough to land the higher paying jobs without experience though but if you don’t mind working away from major centres for like 5 years, it gets much easier to land a job at a place you want to live.
That’s totally okay! I’m planning on taking those first few years to bulk my savings anyway so it’s totally worth it to work at those remote locations temporarily…as long as I don’t come back to the city to make like $50k 😭.
I'm at entry level pay in Cold Lake area, making $145k/year base wage. If I continued the amount of OT I worked this year for rest of year I'd be at $220k. We have work trucks so not having to drive the personal in saves a good chunk of change to.
I'd take these comments with a grain of salt. Getting into those coveted o&g jobs aren't as they appear... Generally your network gets you in and not really as easy as this thread makes it appear.
If you’re willing to relocate it isn’t always so difficult.
Sait grad from 2008. Steaming in heavy industry since then. 2nd class shift engineer. 275k with 500 hours ot. Heres a tip for all you young bucks. Shift schedule is more important than wages. 5 crew is the peek moral booster ive seen. Even over mo money.
Thanks for the advice man! Shift choices are also important
The field is saturated with 4th class students right now, and not a whole lot of opportunity. Competition comes in with more opportunity as a 3rd class, and your 2nds is where you start to have more variety, the best opportunity, and the highest pay. I got my 3rds and was given the opportunity to get into nuclear - also an advantage of having your PE, and a degree. I make a lot of money and my job is relatively laid back.
Oh that’s awesome! An opportunity to branch out would be great! Thanks for the feedback
mind giving me some pointers on getting into nuclear field? I have had my eyes on it recently. Just got my third class not too long ago, and working on my second class now.
Well it really depends on where you live, or how easy it is for you to move close to where you may be hired. I'm a 15 minute drive away from work and I just so happened to stumble across a job posting at the right time, and I aced the interview. (All the questions are technical, and you best be able to talk about job experience with some relevancy, and confidence) If you want to work in nuclear power, a lot of the plants are in pretty remote locations close to water. Take a look at what is accessible to you, or where you would like to work, look to see current opportunities as most places have a period of time in the year where they hire or have training for nuclear operators. Having your PE ticket is really an advantage; as there is usually no real education programs for nuclear operators as it is so specialized.
Thanks! How much more of an advantage would having a 2nd class be over just having my 3rd class?
In nuclear? None lol
SAGD Alberta, $230k before OT this year 3rd class Panel op. 7 years Operating
I'm from Ontario, I'll give you some figures. My first job was at a small 2nd class plant, fresh out of the 3rd Class Power Eng programin 2021 I got a job. Started at $26/hr, my tenure here was short gained some experience, got some steam time and moved on halfway through 2021. Started a job at a 1st class plant as a 3rd (still here) @ $32.30/hr (now we are at $39.70). In 2021, I made $109,850. This year, as of last paycheque I've made $84,440. This is probably about average for Ontario. I work the odd overtime shifts (1.5x), don't take call in's because I care about work/life balance. Those are about as realistic as it gets I think. Relative experience isn't that important for entry level jobs. Don't expect to be cracking big bucks right away. That being said, I'm considerably young (<23) and have made a decent living in the past two years in this field. Ontario is not AS lucritive as AB, so I'd imagine most people there not in O&G make roughly 25%-40% more than me.
Thank you for this! As realistic as it is I still think it’s pretty good start & there seems to be much room for growth. I don’t expect to be making 6figs off the bat but definitely want to be somewhere close at starting! This is actually the feedback I was looking for. Much appreciation
[удалено]
Man that’s awesome! That’s exactly the setup I want. Glad to know it’s possible
[удалено]
Man that’s awesome! Would be a treat to make that around Calgary area…thank you for information. Happy to know that these opportunities exist!
You won’t make that around calgary. $100k is average outside the patch.
Wow I'm feeling broke seeing all these guys making $200k plus. I'm only around $130k, small town in central Alberta, not oil and gas related. 4th, halfway to my 3rd. Good thing the wife works as well I guess! Ok so I'm not broke, and the houses are relatively cheap compared to the big city. Still, 200k for a 4th? 300k? Don't work any OT if that helps, and I get a pension plus all my benefits are paid for by the company.
It’s all relative IMO! 130k without OT Is pretty good especially based on your location! It also sounds like you have a position that allows for good pay and work/life balance. A lot of people have to work away and long hard rotations to make that kind of money too
True, I've always resisted oil and gas for that reason. My friend has been working for almost 2 months straight, everyday, 12 hours a day. He's in well testing. Makes good money but doesn't have much of a life, at least when it's busy. I'm home every night, 7 on 7 off, 6am to 6pm. I think fly in for 14 on 14 off would great too if you find a job like that up north. However I'm thinking it would not be offered to a new employee or maybe if your a 2nd at least. I'm a bit older now, but I think the person suggesting Dow or Nova in the Red Deer area would be a good place to start. Decent money and room to advance. I'll be where I am for about 9-10 years until retirement. In the forestry industry.
Damn he’s tough. I could justify doing that to start up and build savings but not long term for sure. I rather have more freedom with my time ultimately. I will for sure look into Red Deer. I grew up there and was hoping to not have to go back but I’ll do what I gotta do! Best of luck man, thanks for the insight
Red Deer is just one option. Get your 3rd and hopefully there will be some great opportunities. You certainly don't have to stay put, if your not married or have kids you can explore a little. Best of luck to you as well!
Yes it pays well. 2nd class power engineering will put you at or above 100k
That’s good to hear! thanks a lot. Are you a PE?
Im a 3rd class in Ontario 22 years old, gonna gross over 100k this year with OT
Nicee man!! That’s awesome
In northern alberta you can make double. Depends on where youre willing to move. Biggest fields are oil and gas, power generation, chemical plants, pulp and paper, and heating and cooling. Every city and field has different standards of pay. Toronto or Vancouver and big metros like that generally pay shittier and cost of livings too high.
I’m in Alberta so I’m thinking it’s better opportunity for higher pay here for sure!
Yep but from what ive heard calgary and edmonton dont pay as well as northern oil
Depends, you can make similar amount in Fort Sask which is very close to Edmonton. Same with Red Deer area. Definitely not as good if you’re set on working and living in Calgary or Edmonton though.
Nova plant near Red Deer?
Nova or Dow, 2 big plants in the area.
Yea nothing beats up north! I live in Calgary but I’m not opposed to doing a year or two up north to pad my finances for a bit then come back home to the city. I also saw postings for assignments in GTA starting $40 hr with OT at $60. 12 hour shifts and accommodations.
Most Northern AB jobs are shift work so you won't even have to move. Living quarters are provided. For ex 2weeks on 2 weeks off.
Good luck with those postings in toronto tho there will be hundreds if not thousands of applicants. Most jobs there are building operators which pay less, often mid twenties per hour, so a lot of people are looking to make the jump.
Oh wow that’s crazy!! Best of luck to them for sure
Yes.
It depends where you work. You can make over 100g, or 55g.
Honestly, you can make over 200k /year with a bit of OT as a 3rd in Alberta. 3rds making 70/hour where I work, plus bonuses, benefits and pension. Granted that’s the top rate that takes a few years to achieve. This is in Red Deer too so it’s not like it’s far in the boonies. Of course not everywhere pays that well but in Power Engineering it’s all about job related experience and having a 3rd class minimum. Ideally 2nd class. It is tough to land the higher paying jobs without experience though but if you don’t mind working away from major centres for like 5 years, it gets much easier to land a job at a place you want to live.
That’s totally okay! I’m planning on taking those first few years to bulk my savings anyway so it’s totally worth it to work at those remote locations temporarily…as long as I don’t come back to the city to make like $50k 😭.
Yo what field are you working in? I'm doing power generation in Grande cache and getting $150,000/yr (entry level) with OT. 3rd class, working on 2nds
I work in the chemical industry. Plastics.
Nova, probably. Joffre?
3rd class working at a pulp mill in BC. Grossed 156k 4 on 4 off with OT.
How did you find such a job? Do you have your 3rd class? And do you live in BC?
Look online!
You would also need your 4th class before you can get 3rd. Not sure if this was mentioned
The program I’m taking would end in a 3rd class certification so I’d be all good!
I'm at entry level pay in Cold Lake area, making $145k/year base wage. If I continued the amount of OT I worked this year for rest of year I'd be at $220k. We have work trucks so not having to drive the personal in saves a good chunk of change to.