By Katie Yu
Rock Center
So you’ve seen our segment on the jobs boom in North Dakota and want to be a part of it, but where to start? Here are five key tips for those seeking new opportunities in Williston, N.D.
TIP ONE – WHERE TO FIND OIL JOBS IN ND
Jobs in the oil fields are among the best paying in the area and many are still available. Your first stop in Williston should be Job Service North Dakota. The department has a database that allows you to upload your resume and apply directly to employers such as Hess and Halliburton. The jobs on the site are often not listed anywhere else. While on the site, be sure to check out the oilfield guide. In addition to links to other helpful websites, you will find brief explanations about the different types of oil field jobs and a guide that defines oil industry terms and jargon. Once in town, you can also head to their office for paper applications as well as free use of computers to fill out electronic ones online: http://jobsnd.com/individuals/search-for-jobs
TIP TWO – YES, THERE’S A WORLD BEYOND OIL
Outside of the oil fields, the town of Williston is also expanding rapidly to accommodate all the newcomers flooding the area. Would you believe that there are restaurants in town that close early not for the lack of customers, but because they cannot find enough help to keep them in operation? Hospitals, hotels and schools also have positions they need to fill right away. Your best resource for jobs in town is the local circular called “The Shopper.” You can access it online here: http://www.theshopperinc.net/
TIP THREE – PLAN AHEAD FOR HOUSING
As some of the locals like to say, it’s easier to find a job than a bed. Trust us when we tell you housing will be an issue, especially as winter approaches. Give yourself at least a month or two to find a place to stay before hitting the road. Call ahead and book hotels or motels in the surrounding towns, as accommodations in Williston itself are mostly booked for the year. Be sure to also ask potential employers if they will offer housing or can give recommendations for housing. Most oil companies will place employees in a man camp – housing for mostly men – where you can rent a small room with a clean bed, Wi-Fi and three meals a day. When we were there, many folks were living in their RVs and campers. While this may work for most of the year, winter is coming and you will need real housing to keep you warm during North Dakota’s particularly brutal winters.
TIP FOUR – KEEP CHECKING IN
Most jobs in the oil fields operate on rotating shifts or on a seasonal basis. Find out ahead of time if the position you are applying for will require you to work on a fixed schedule of weekly shifts and for how long. Seasonal jobs also means that the position that is filled today may become available again in a few months, so keep checking back with the company of your choice.
TIP FIVE – IT’S NOT JUST IN WILLISTON
While we based our story out of Williston, N.D., there are jobs available throughout the Bakken oil field, which covers much of the northwestern part of the state. Use www.jobsnd.com as a first stop for opportunities in towns like Watford City, Kildeer, Dickinson, Bismarck, Stanley and Minot. Also, keep in mind that job openings in the oil-producing counties in North Dakota make up just one third of all openings in the state, which means two thirds of the state's more than 17,000 available jobs are in non-oil producing counties. To locate the best place for you, check out the Labor Market Information Center's "Area Profiles." Users can choose the area of North Dakota they are interested in and review employment, wage, demographic and employer information for the best fit.
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From the area and trust me when I tell you this is the tip of the iceberg... There is so much more to cover here. No housing, increasing crime and winter coming. Looks to me like a recipe for a major disaster. 40 below is nothing to mess with and try that living in your car in the Walmart parking lot...
Please people...this is the frozen north.....you can not live in the elements...it is like living in the North Pole...People must be prepared...To my understanding they are charging out landish prices...the Man camps are 100 dollars a night..and the camps are company owned..you must work for THAT company to live in their camp..3000 dollars a month....there are NO motels....there is NO housing..not in the winter..look into history...We are like the Gold Rush in Alaska...I just worry that people will get the wrong impression...you can not "hitchhike" to ND....and expect to survive her winters...
I am so upset that our state keeps showing up on national headline news for the place to go for work. Yes we have the oil jobs, but now we have no housing and for those who do have housing can't really afford to live anymore unless they are working for the oil. Our rent prices have gone from $425 three years ago to $1500 per month today. I laughed when the guy on TV said he had $12 to his name and hoped he would get a job tomorrow. I have $12 to my name and I work 3 different jobs!!! Because of the oil our population has gone way way up and so have our crime levels. This oil may be good for the economy for some, but it is making our once safe happy state a now terrible place to live.
And what about the environmental effects of the frac process? It's not just the economy . . .
There is much more to this story....If something looks to good to be true, it probably is. The cost of living has gone sky high in Williston. Housing costs are now outrageous. Even oil workers can't afford $1500-$2000 in rent for a one bedroom. I was in high school during the last oil boom and it was nothing compared to the mess this has brought to our community. Also, I have had a full time job for the last 24 years and another part time job for 12 years. This oil boom did not swoop in to save the poor lost prairie town. Jobs have been here all along.
There is much more to this story....If something looks to good to be true, it probably is. The cost of living has gone sky high in Williston. Housing costs are now outrageous. Even oil workers can't afford $1500-$2000 in rent for a one bedroom. I was in high school during the last oil boom and it was nothing compared to the mess this has brought to our community. Also, I have had a full time job for the last 24 years and another part time job for 12 years. This oil boom did not swoop in to save the poor lost prairie town. Jobs have been here all along.
What I liked about the piece was the optimism. Photography was nice as well. What I did not like was that it was very one sided. Winter is about to set in here. Any person that grew up here and has seen what the conditions are like will tell you honestly the cold and living conditions are at the very least brutal at times. You talked about the $80,000 starting wage for a CDL license. Our roads use to be safe. Now we have people who disobey our laws and drive recklessly. People are dying needlessly. It is hard to win against an 18 wheeler carrying a heavy load. We welcome you if you are a hard worker, keep your nose clean and respect our laws.
They also didn't mention that to make that $80,000 a year you have to have all the endorsements, like Hazmat, and have experience. You can't just show up and get a regular Class A and start raking in the bucks. Oh and they didn't mention that the guy making 80,000 a year is making most of that in OT because he's working 17 to 18 hours a day, six days a week.
This is a great town with the friendliest people ive ever met. The vast majority of the locals embrace the growth and have given our company such gracious hospitality and have gone out of their way to assist our every need. Of course some people will have negative experiences but the people of Williston should be treated with the utmost respect because they are showing such hospitality to the entire country.
The fortunate side of things are we have jobs, but the unfortunate side of things are the living spaces. Yes, you can make $80,000/year, but are you really making all that much when rent is $1500-$2400/month? And then there are the other living expenses that have risen as well. I have lived here all my life, and always considered us lucky to live in quiet ND, but things are a changing. Some are good, but some are not so good.
We now have the most expensive Wal-mart and Albertson's in the state. There is no competion here and nothing to keep those stores from raising prices through the roof. Wal-mart doesn't even try to keep their shelves stocked. Can't find something? Too bad. Better luck next time. It's great that there's work here, but at what cost?
Yes, I like to follow up on China's one child policy on line...where's the follow up on fracking's effect on the environment, or the unplanned development in Williston?
You did not give the complete story on the oil boom in ND. Fracking is very detrimental to the environment. You owe it to your viewers to give the entire story, not just the good parts. Of course, the oil companies will paint an entirely rosy picture and will hide the bad parts - the weather and the environment are only two.
Its a shame you only cover the good parts of the story, not the whole thing, the real story. Fracking is a terrible thing to be done to our environment. The oil companies will never admit it - its cheaper this way, and they have never given a damn about the environment unless they're forced to - witness the very real attempts by the paid for politicians to repeal all of the air and water quality regulations put into effect over 40 years. It is not only the oil companies that are doing this, but they do plenty.
A word to the wise: There is no such animal as "clean coal".
Just wanna ask...how easy or hard is it to get a job in ND? I've been outta work for 3 years now and after watching the story I'm ready to leave right now! I'm tired of these dead-end gigs here in NYC.
It is quite easy to get a job. But can you keep it? Can you work 12 to 18 hours a day in the raw elements? Can you find a place to live? Can you afford to move/live here? The work is here, but you have to be willing to work and work HARD.
I would agree with everyone that is stating about actually living in ND it is harsh. With the winter coming and it can and will last until May like this year, -40 degrees and thats not including the wind at times, living in your car isnt feasible. I have lived here almost all my life and it takes the right kind of person to even consider living here. Not saying one couldn't adapt but its hard. I would love to see a follow up piece on this come Jan or Feb but I would be scared to see still how some are living (in their cars, etc). Yes people there are all types of jobs here actually can probably get one the same day you get here but now is not the time to come to ND if you dont have housing in any way, call ahead to motels, apts, look at the local papers, do major research before you even think of coming here. If it continues like it should there will be a job waiting around spring then take the trip to see ND and what it has to offer.
Again I do think that a follow up story would be great and maybe this time talk to ones who have been here before the boom, motel workers who see the rooms filled every night, police and even social services as I know the need for foster care has gone up, and maybe ask the mayor if anything more than our local walmart (who also would be a good one to talk to as they always are running out of everything in stock) is coming to town as our town grows. We have seen stories of our once quiet, great to raise a family, everyone knows everyone town now hearing about strippers making 2-3k a night and it makes alot of us sick to hear that. My husband and I moved away for a couple years to only move back in 2004 to start and raise our family around our family, now to only think that maybe it is time to move out of here. I would rather drive the busiest freeway at rush hour than to drive around here.
OH and if you are still thinking of coming here, make sure you have a 4x4 to drive in. AGAIN WINTERS ARE ROUGH HERE IN OIL COUNTRY!
If you have a clean record, both driving and criminal and are willing to bust your butt everday of the week...you can get a job. You also have to be able to pass a drug test and Worksteps. Before they will hire you, you have to be able to pass the physical and prove you can repeatedly lift up to 600 lbs. Be prepared to pay as much to live here, in a town of 23,000 with one Walmart and no other real activities, as you do in NYC. Some apartments here are renting for $3000 a month now. Prices for food have gone through the roof. I went to buy porkchops the other day and they were $30 a pack. Also, and I know most people who live here feel this way, we will welcome new people here, just don't come if you plan to use our town as a cesspool. If you want to drink and party and then leave when the work moves, please don't come. If you want to build a life and a home here, be part of our community...welcome. Our crime rate and traffic accidents have gone through the roof. This summer there were three shootings outside of a local bar...that kind of thing never used to happen here.
I live near here, too. I think this story is one-sided. You didn't talk to locals, who are priced out of rental homes entirely, or managers of McDonalds, KMart/Walmart, or local hospitals who can't compete with oil companies' salaries. We see few families moving here, no permanent growth. In a few years it will be done. The oil folks will leave and those of us who had hoped to remain here will be left with a worn infra-structure, and a collapsed economy just like 30 years ago. And then there's the concerns about what fracking might do to the environment.
On one of the episodes a couple of local yokels were talked to... but of course they aren't going to say anything discouraging about williston it's not to THEIR benefit. How about talking to a common native that doesn't have any repercussions for saying what they really feel about Williston?
And what happens to all those folks when the price of oil drops and they stiop drilling?
Not if, but when!
Been there done that here in Wyoming, and it isn't pretty!
The same thing that happened in West Texas in the 1980's, Suicide will be a likely choice for the crooked bankers.
The overwhelming tone of the comments are saying the same thing. The story that was presented tonight was extremely selective in what was presented and represented. Are there jobs here in ND. The simple answer is yes. However, one cannot expect just to drive/hitchhike/fly into the area and expect to find things easy pickings. The limited housing was only eluded to and actually quite misrepresented; yes the mentioned people are living in their cars, but the piece had a cavalier attitude towards it. The harsh reality is there a hundreds of people living in cars, tents, pop up trailers and sure this was fine for mild weather but that is now gone. We will have snow this week. Water and public showers are being shut down and winterized.
I am disgusted to have to first do a walk through in the Walmart bathroom to make sure there isn't a half naked person 'bathing' in the sink before I can take my child into use the restroom. The cost of housing has risen beyond belief with many of the long time local tenants being forced out of their rented homes due to greedy landlords. (There is a special place in hell for these people for throwing people out on the streets just to line their pocketbooks with more money.) Rent for a studio apartment is going for $1200 a month, one bedroom is $1800, two bedroom is $2200 and a three bedroom is $2600 and nothing is more than 800 sq ft on average. So yes you can make $80K a year but remember that is gross not net... after taxes is more like $60K and your rent for a year is $30K... food prices have gone exactly the same as rent prices. A 10oz can of Campbells Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup that used to cost .99 is now $1.89. You go to the store and half the time there is nothing on the shelves because the stores cannot keep up.
We used to have very peaceful quite communities, but as others mentioned crime rates are on the rise. It was a complete rarity to hear a siren here now we hear them all through out the day, stabbings, shootings, vandalism... this is not what the people here are accustomed to. I find it quite interesting that not one local other than the Mayor of Williston spoke in the piece. Were they afraid to venture forth to ask how the average longtime local citizen is reacting to this unexpected influx? The infrastructure is not there and the resentment is growing.
Are there jobs here? Yes, but be prepared to work hard, and I mean 12 to 18 hour days in the elements and be prepared to withstand -40 to -50 with the wind constantly buffering you. Make sure you have a place to live BEFORE you come. And if you do come DO NOT let us over hear you making fun of us and our customs and our towns or hear you complaining about how much better it was where ever... cuz you are likely to be kindly but firmly told to get the hell out.
The overwhelming tone of the comments are saying the same thing. The story that was presented tonight was extremely selective in what was presented and represented. Are there jobs here in ND. The simple answer is yes. However, one cannot expect just to drive/hitchhike/fly into the area and expect to find things easy pickings. The limited housing was only eluded to and actually quite misrepresented; yes the mentioned people are living in their cars, but the piece had a cavalier attitude towards it. The harsh reality is there a hundreds of people living in cars, tents, pop up trailers and sure this was fine for mild weather but that is now gone. We will have snow this week. Water and public showers are being shut down and winterized.
I am disgusted to have to first do a walk through in the Walmart bathroom to make sure there isn't a half naked person 'bathing' in the sink before I can take my child into use the restroom. The cost of housing has risen beyond belief with many of the long time local tenants being forced out of their rented homes due to greedy landlords. (There is a special place in hell for these people for throwing people out on the streets just to line their pocketbooks with more money.) Rent for a studio apartment is going for $1200 a month, one bedroom is $1800, two bedroom is $2200 and a three bedroom is $2600 and nothing is more than 800 sq ft on average. So yes you can make $80K a year but remember that is gross not net... after taxes is more like $60K and your rent for a year is $30K... food prices have gone exactly the same as rent prices. A 10oz can of Campbells Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup that used to cost .99 is now $1.89. You go to the store and half the time there is nothing on the shelves because the stores cannot keep up.
We used to have very peaceful quite communities, but as others mentioned crime rates are on the rise. It was a complete rarity to hear a siren here now we hear them all through out the day, stabbings, shootings, vandalism... this is not what the people here are accustomed to. I find it quite interesting that not one local other than the Mayor of Williston spoke in the piece. Were they afraid to venture forth to ask how the average longtime local citizen is reacting to this unexpected influx? The infrastructure is not there and the resentment is growing.
Are there jobs here? Yes, but be prepared to work hard, and I mean 12 to 18 hour days in the elements and be prepared to withstand -40 to -50 with the wind constantly buffering you. Make sure you have a place to live BEFORE you come. And if you do come DO NOT let us over hear you making fun of us and our customs and our towns or hear you complaining about how much better it was where ever... cuz you are likely to be kindly but firmly told to get the hell out.
Agreed. Go to Watford City and see the streets. There's no place to park and no one has time to stay home to eat dinner. Everyone goes out to eat at all three restraunts! This little town is overwhelmed with people and what was once a friendly little town is now inundated with rude people. If you want to come to ND keep your attitude away from here. We are nice people who care about others, do not ruin it because you are personally discruntled. Love the new show Rock Center but if you are descent reporters get both sides of the story not just the glorified thought process of how wonderful the oil fields are. As a good reporter go work in the field, get dirty, live in a trailer at 40 below before winds. If you get anything from these notes LISTEN AND READ GET BOTH SIDES OF THE STORY! TALK TO THE LOCALS AND SEE THE INSANITY IN ND!!!! GO WORK ON AN OILRIG IN 40 BELOW TEMPS. PLEASE ANNOUNCE THAT ATTITUDES AREN"T ACCEPTABLE KEEP YOUR TROUBLES AT HOME.
I loved this piece. I watched the show because I love Harry Smith and missed seeing him on tv. I like Brian Williams as well, but Harry was the draw. I hope this show is a hit. Very good news stories - I'm sure some you won't see in other places.
thanks guys for the insight and the other side of the story. some folks just don't give all the details and influence people to move without knowing or considering all of the consequences.
I'm from Texas, where (after the Alamo) cattle and oil put this state on the map, but after watching the North Dakota Boomtown(?) segment that aired Monday night, I could hardly contain my anger and frustration at what was definitely a 'puff-piece' for the oil-fracking industry! It's a simple equation, really: take advantage of a decimated economy to get people desperate for jobs...ANY job, then they'll be unconcerned that they'll be helping to wreck the environment and poison any and all water supplies (aquifers) in that and the surrounding area. Fracking has a bad name for a reason: the 'juice' they pump down into the ground under extremely high pressure are made of some of the most toxic and carcinogenic chemicals in the petrochemical refinery industry. These oil companies hide behind the 'proprietary information' clause to prevent the local population from knowing what they're pumping 'down-hole';. and if you don't already have a bench-mark water composition analysis done prior to the fracturing process, you won't be able to prove in a court of law that the oil companies have introduced dangerous elements (benzene, tolulene, etc.) into the ground-water table. What was Williams thinking when he aired this show?!
For more on fracking, see:
go to vimeo(dot)com/28808700
and/or
vimeo(dot)com/28182686
Hi Mike, cant get to your video's... can you put direct links to allow us the more information on the process?
My husband is from Williston and my in-laws still live there. I was VERY disappointed in this piece. Read the comments and I will concur 100% and add something. My step-daughter went up this summer to try to earn college money working at Walmart. Luckily, she was able to stay with her Grandparents which we thought would be a win/win situation. Getting a good paying job at Walmart...very easy. Peace of mind, none! There is a sense of lawlessnes in this town. My husband refers to it as the Wild West. Our daughter was not safe. Even during the day the cashiers and Walmart employees are accousted by the men. And, Walmart has little to no security for these people. A young, 21 year old girl working an overnight shift being stalked through the Walmart...not acceptable. Bottom line, it wasn't worth it. She came home.
NBC...if you are going to tell the story, tell the whole story! I was extremely disappointed in this piece, especially given my respect for these reporters!
Good paying job at Walmart? you have got to be kidding.
Thanks a lot Rock Center - for this irresponsible piece of "journalism" which might as well have been an infomercial on why to pick up and move to western ND. Nothing was mentioned about what is going to happen to those living out of their cars once the winter weather hits (consecutive days of -40 degree temps) or what this situation is doing to the residents who lived here before the boom hit. Our wages aren't increasing but everything else is! How can someone on a $20,000 - $30,000/year salary afford $1500/month rent???
You should really think about doing an update to this story or offering an apology for such one-sided "reporting." I can honestly say I won't be watching this program again!
I would like to welcome you back too this wonderful place!!! I would like to show you the schools, how there is no room for the students. To show you the family's and senior citizen's that have no place to live because the rent went from $900.00 to $3,500. Let's talk too the family's that have lost love ones because everyone is in such a hurry. Or maybe too the family's that have been here there whole lives. How about just the plain truth of what it really is like in western North Dakota with out sugar coating everything!!!! You only reported what our government is telling the people. Why not talked to the people that live up here in stead of our politicians? Harald Ham's company is not the only one up here drilling oil but it's funny how he is the only one everyone interviews!!! Can you tell why that is? Once again let's report the whole story not just one side. I invite you back anytime to get your facts straight from the people not the government.
I have been here 3 years and this place has gone to heck. Quality of life down cost of living sky high...NBC you are really not getting the whole story here as should be clear from the majority of the postings. It is possible your story will have desperate people coming here and freezing to death in their cars...you really ought to do a better job of reporting the reality of what life is in this "boom town"...it ain't so great and you need to tell that part of the story.
I have been here 3 years and this place has gone to heck. Quality of life down cost of living sky high...NBC you are really not getting the whole story here as should be clear from the majority of the postings. It is possible your story will have desperate people coming here and freezing to death in their cars...you really ought to do a better job of reporting the reality of what life is in this "boom town"...it ain't so great and you need to tell that part of the story.