3-1/12 Years in Alberta
Ah, April 30, 2016. As of this time of writing, this would officially be 35 months elapsed I have come to Alberta from Vancouver in my car in search for the wealth and new future in the oilfield.
Career-wise, it has been a wild ride. After learning multiple paths were dead ends and never resulted in the big money I dreamed of, I fought hard to try the next plan- and to this day, it still remains my goal. If it fucks up, then try something else:
In chronological order:
May 2013 – November 2013: Labourer. Too low barrier of entry; almost anyone can do it, and poor wages.
November 2013 – March 2014: Service rig roughneck. Good pay, but too inconsistent to be a reliable source of income.
March 2014 – August 2014: Labourer and rock truck driver. Same as above.
August 2014 – November 2014: Acquired Class 1 and moved to Hydrovacs and construction trucking. Ended because of seasonality. Started an Electrician Apprenticeship.
November 2014 – March 2015: Trucking for rig work. Ended because of seasonality and recession. Could not find work for electrician apprenticeship due partly to recession.
March 2015 – April 2015: Worked on a shutdown. Mostly a waste of time at a company that perhaps was more interested in making a family gathering.
May 2015 – November 2015: Returned to construction trucking, ended because of seasonality, and also in discovery that income was unusable for mortgage purposes unless 2 years elapsed and such income revealed on Tax Returns.
December 2015 – Present: Oilfield trucking in a plant. Income finally becomes consistent enough to use for mortgage, go work on Electrician Apprenticeship part-time, and leverage appropriately used for first home. Still looking for apprenticeship work.
I’ve officially bought my first home- a 2 bedroom condo just off Whyte Ave. in the Strathcona/university area, and move in June 1. After a 15-month battle to successfully acquiring a mortgage and defending my downpayment over that period of time from multiple people and misfortunes trying to take it away, it is finally over- for now. I acquired a good deal, obtaining the unit for $16,000 less for what it sold for back in 2013. This property will increase my monthly housing costs and put a strain on my budget, but I have achieved one of the beginning major milestones in life, and now to the next one.
I finished my 1st year electrician schooling a couple weeks ago, and now the next challenge is to find an employer to provide me the work experience to advance in my apprenticeship. The local economy looks bleak, but unlike other people, I do not allow myself to use it as an excuse to corrode my motivation. If anything, I inspire to only work even harder.
My fitness has slowed slightly, as I discontinued bulking during my work in camp, as forcing my body to build mass from the massive calorie surplus before bedtime proved to be a significant strain on my body. I was often exhausted during my day at work. Also financially, it is less of a strain to only work on my body half the month instead of the whole. I’ve been fluctuating in the 160lbs range. Taking it slower also slows fat gain and muscle loss, so the bulks and cuts are more precise as a result, though obviously progress is slowed. I switched from doing much of my heavy squats using machines to free-weight. Balancing 315lb+ squats proved initially to be a struggle, but with practice my body adjusted. Now semi-daily I embrace free-weight heavy squats, and the feeling of testosterone freely flowing throughout my body afterwards is incomparable. Ab workouts have intensified from previously mostly just planks and crunches, now to weighed crunches in different forms and heavy pulldowns. As a result, my abs have become significantly more powerful.
Every morning, to motivate myself, I remind myself of my purpose- to outclass my competition back home in every way possible- in strength, looks, intelligence, experience, and heart. Be better, faster, stronger- and something improved everyday. I realize while I bide my time here, my previous elite competitors are now graduating and on their way to climbing the social ladder. By the time they’ve had a moderate amount of experience under their belt, moving into their first home, and getting fit and looking good, my goal by then is to be in a Ferrari and look twice as good. When they get their first home, I will be on my 3rd, 4th, or 5th+. When they get their first luxury car, I will be in my Ferrari. When they are finally getting fit, I will be model material.
And if history speaks for itself in my academia and childhood days, if I do perish in another battle again against the academic and social elites from wealthy families, then at least knowing I gave it my all, I will do so with a smile.
