Paycuts and Oilfield Family

Coping with Alberta’s Oilfield Downturn: Paycuts, Long Hours, and a Depressed Outlook

Life being home more lately with less rapid growth is taking a bit to get used to. I’ve taken a $2000-3000/month pay-cut. Now to be fair, before that, my business indirectly cost me another relationship. Some projects I worked 16-28 hours straight. Then I’d take a short nap, and continue. But now, I’ve been able to do many things I have not done before, and feel less alone. I often become annoyed at my phone blowing up in the early AM from people working out in the field. Sometimes I question whether I am actually their Dad.

I’ve been working from the coast of northern BC to just outside Kindersley, Saskatchewan. I was on the road to the gym at 3am to the gym in Abbsotford, BC before my chemical cleaning shift of 6:30am-7:30pm in Rosedale, BC)

I’m happy to have somebody to talk to. Sometimes these field workers just call/message me to say hello. It feels like a family after a while, especially when you got none in this province. I was at first puzzled at why one 👩 Operator was spilling to me her sorrows even as of yesterday, and kept looking at me whenever I walked into a room. Turns out I’m not the only one.

Dollar wise, it’ll take a while to get used to not having the aggressive growth I had before. Investment capital is hard to come by these days. The public’s fear (banks) will make you fight ever more bitterly for it. This is true especially if you see life and a job beyond just paychecks. General society, banks, and government don’t like to see somebody doing something different. I wrote a little book on this subject at one point. Nevertheless eventually I’ll be playing catch-up.