Three years ago today my world got upended

"E90M3" (e90m3) 04/07/2019 at 09:33 • Filed to: None

4

37

On April 7, 2016 I went from being a Field Engineer II at Schlumberger to unemployed.

Since then a lot has changed, still got the M3 though. My time at Schlumberger taught me a lot about myself and getting laid off caused me to reevaluate my priorities in life; I’ve turned down three offers to return to the oilfield. Currently enjoying living in upstate SC with friends nearby and a pretty good job. 

Nibby > E90M3 04/07/2019 at 09:38

1

schlumbimmer

DipodomysDeserti > E90M3 04/07/2019 at 09:41

1

Never knew states like S.C. had an “upstate”. If anyone in AZ used that term, I’d think they were some asshole who moved here from NYC.

Ash78, voting early and often > DipodomysDeserti 04/07/2019 at 09:47

1

I love upstate AZ, Flagstaff is beautiful :D

SC calls theirs The Upstate sort of like how Californians call highways The *number*

And it’s very different from the other end of the state, which is the Low Country.

Tapas > E90M3 04/07/2019 at 09:47

1

I quit SLB in 2017. I've been doing better since then 

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > E90M3 04/07/2019 at 09:52

1

As we Australians say: Oils ain’t oils...

Nibby > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 04/07/2019 at 09:52

0

E90M3 > Tapas 04/07/2019 at 09:54

0

I wonder if there are any other SLB alumni on here. 

DipodomysDeserti > Ash78, voting early and often 04/07/2019 at 09:56

2

I feel that as more hipsters   start moving to northern Arizona, it will soon be called upstate Arizona, and Flagstaff will turn into the Scottsdale/Tempe of upstate Arizona. ASU will annex NAU, thus ushering in the end times.

And single people with no kids, advanced college degrees and high end german sports sedans will lament being laid off for years to come.

E90M3 will nuke this comment in 3, 2, 1...

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Nibby 04/07/2019 at 10:01

1

I await the kangaroo disembowels man YouTube with some trepidation...

E90M3 > DipodomysDeserti 04/07/2019 at 10:02

2

And single people with no kids, advanced college degrees and high end german sports sedans will lament being laid off for years to come.

Apart from the lamentation about being laid off, that is a shockingly accurate description of upstate SC.

WilliamsSW > E90M3 04/07/2019 at 10:08

3

Are you going to celebrate with a bottle of wine?

E90M3 > WilliamsSW 04/07/2019 at 10:13

1

No shit, there was a Schlumberger winery that offered a discount to SLB employees.

If I can find a Schlumberger wine today, I might just do that. 

WilliamsSW > E90M3 04/07/2019 at 10:18

1

A decent liquor store will carry it. I’m sure that Total Wine has it. IIRC, at least some of their wines are pretty expensive.

And I guess that answers my question - which was whether the winery and oil services company were related.

DutchieDC2R > E90M3 04/07/2019 at 10:20

2

I had a chance in getting employed here in Holland with Schlum. It was a graduate program with the promise of a fixed contract job. Less than a year later, we had the global financial crisis and pretty much the whole department that I would be working at got closed down. Glad I turned the opportunity down back then. 

E90M3 > WilliamsSW 04/07/2019 at 10:20

1

I don’t believe they’re directly related, but there was some relation, I can’t recall what it was though.

Sadly, total wine doesn’t have it:

I might go in regardless and see. 

E90M3 > DutchieDC2R 04/07/2019 at 10:22

1

Yeah, the oil crash in late 2014 really hurt us in south Texas. I knew the boom had to have a bust, I just thought that I would make it out of the field before that happened. We went from 15 24 hour frac crews in late 2014 to 3 when I got laid off. 

Snuze: Needs another Swede > E90M3 04/07/2019 at 10:38

1

Pro tip - learn to pronounce the name before you talk to their corporate recruiter.

But whatever, I've ended up much better off than if I'd worked at "Slum-burger".  And it sounds like you've managed to land on your feet, so thats good.  

My bird IS the word > E90M3 04/07/2019 at 10:42

0

So this is a story all about how, your life got flipped turned upside down?

E90M3 > Snuze: Needs another Swede 04/07/2019 at 11:19

2

I used to be able to tell how an interview was going to go based on whether or not they pronounced the name correctly. 

DipodomysDeserti > E90M3 04/07/2019 at 11:23

0

Just like oil itself, it sounds like a job in the oil sector is unsustainable.

My families print shop went under about two years ago. Equally as unsustainable, long term. Sorry for being a dick, it’s my way of coping. I’m currently pursuing a masters  degree in hydrology. If people can’t figure water out, we’re truly fucked.

Alfalfa > E90M3 04/07/2019 at 11:36

1

That makes sense, the name Schlumberger sounds like a fake company someone made up in a sitcom to lie to their parents about getting a job.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Ash78, voting early and often 04/07/2019 at 11:54

0

You are incorrect. The best part of California uses this pattern, the rest use the number without a qualifier or use the “eye number” system.

bmil128 > E90M3 04/07/2019 at 12:34

1

I’m ex HAL and one of my former BHP coworkers that lurks on the FP is ex SLB, not sure if he is on here also.

BTW Paal Kibsgaard is chauffeured around Houston in a SLB owned Maybach

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > E90M3 04/07/2019 at 14:28

1

Schlumberger sounds like a Jewish insult.

Glad it’s gone well since then, though. 

E90M3 > DipodomysDeserti 04/07/2019 at 14:48

1

Eh, I’m bitter about a few things; ironically, this is not one of them. 

E90M3 > bmil128 04/07/2019 at 14:52

0

I had an offer with HAL back in October 2017, turned it down because it wasn’t enough money and the relocation package sucked.

BHP? I spent a lot of time on a BHP location.

It doesn’t suck at the top.

WilliamsSW > E90M3 04/07/2019 at 15:30

1

They make a sparkling wine that might be a good celebration bottle.

Regardless, enjoy the day!

Craig Stampfli > E90M3 04/07/2019 at 18:13

1

About to hit 5 years for me after 22 years in the oilfield, I was looking after two countries (Aus & NZ) for a Canadian Service company that had to “re-structure” globally , and that pushed me to go full-time as a photographer. I miss some of the people and the regular pay check, however to be self employed and seeing growth every year sure is encouraging.

Brickman > E90M3 04/07/2019 at 19:05

0

That’s oil field jobs for ya. Good money, but don’t stay working there.

E90M3 > Brickman 04/07/2019 at 19:07

0

Agreed, unfortunately I learned that the hard way.

Tapas > E90M3 04/08/2019 at 04:07

0

Me too!

E90M3 > Tapas 04/08/2019 at 06:21

0

You happen to also work in the Eagle Ford? 

B/Xmrrmvr > E90M3 04/08/2019 at 09:20

0

Did you have to get a CDL as a Field Engineer?

E90M3 > B/Xmrrmvr 04/08/2019 at 09:23

1

That I did not, although I heard that some other companies made their FEs get CDLs. A company women for PXD told me that when she was at Baker Hughes during the 2008 crash, they made the FEs get CDLs. 

Tapas > E90M3 04/08/2019 at 15:35

0

No, I worked in Cameron before it was SLB and then in Singapore and India after it was SLB.

E90M3 > Tapas 04/08/2019 at 15:54

0

Ah that makes sense, I thought you were in Houston for some reason. 

Tapas > E90M3 04/09/2019 at 11:47

1

I was with Cameron in Houston, on Clay. So technically not SLB.