While he was working a summer job to
secure
funds to continue with his education for his Petroleum Engineering
Technology
diploma James found himself working in the steam and utilities
department
of a mining operation in the NWT. During his summer job he learned many
things about Stationary Engineering and thought that Stationary
Engineering
was a very versatile ticket with many things one could choose to do.
James figured one would have a slim
chance
of ever being out of work for too long during an economic down tern
because
having a versatile Stationary Engineering ticket is like having a
ticket
as a jack-of-all-trades. He was already half ways through his 2 year
diploma
program so there was no point in turning back on it at the time and so
continued along and finished off his petroleum ticket.
After receiving his petroleum diploma
in 1984
he got a job in the upstream part of the oil and gas business. Here he
once again came into contact with Stationary Engineer. A few of the
field
operators he worked with had their Stationary Engineer tickets and all
the plant operators had their Stationary Engineer tickets. All the
while
he saw what they did on the job and how well they were paid compared to
his job. He also noticed, being so specialized as he was, how it
limited
his job scope and he didn’t like the pay he was getting compared to the
Stationary Engineers either.
In addition to the job scope, the
pay, the
benefits, the variety of things the Stationary Engineers did, James was
enticed by the Stationary Engineers in the variety of plant projects,
participating
in facility improvements and system upgrades, how their education
explained
all the mysteries of modern day technology to them, (Like
self-sufficient
power generation, process optimization and remote field monitoring.)
the
shift work the 2 weeks at work and 2 weeks off and modern camp
facilities
as a big advantage over what he was doing as a Petroleum Engineering
Technologist.
This prompted him to make his way into becoming a Stationary Engineer
in
1987.
He got a job in the plant at the site
where
he was working. He took his Stationary Engineer training from
correspondence
courses to get his certification.
James’ lifestyle:
James likes to travel. He has been to
many
places in North America from the Arctic Circle to Mexico and has been
to
Australia too. He has done lots of hiking, camping and canoeing as well
as outdoor photography. He has canoed the Mac Kenzie River (In Canada’s
North West Territories), which is a 300 Km blast as well as hiked the
Canol
Trail three times through the Mac Kenzie Mountains. The Canol Trail is
a portion of a oil pipeline that was to have been built from Norman
Wells
NWT through to White Horse in the Yukon during the second World War.
James is into investing and has taken
up the
art of technical investing. He has done well financially purchasing a
house
and paying it off in just 5 years. James is one of these guys that will
probably have enough money to retire on before he is even eligible to
receive
retirement benefits from his employer’s pension plan, unless of course
he gets married.
James also has enough time off
because of the
shift work to visit his family members around the country. If it wasn’t
for the income and the shift work James realizes much of what he has
enjoyed
up till now may not been have possible.
James’ advice and cautions:
For anyone who is unsure of what
direction
to take for a career, Stationary Engineer is a great launching pad. The
level of commitment up front for education, time and money is a
fraction
of what it is in order to get involved in a profession. Stationary
Engineering
is a good introductory career step to access and have exposure to many
trades, technologies and professions. It’s a window on the world of
career
directions both inside and outside of Stationary Engineering.
The Oil & Gas business that James
is employed
in is cyclical in nature, as it is in many resource based industries.
As
such there are times when people get laid off. There are many jobs that
require you to work out in the boonies, away from the conveniences and
amenities of the big cities and large urban areas. Other jobs may even
be fly in / fly out for weeks or months at a time. Some folks like
that,
most others don’t.
Another part of the reality can be
transfers
to other locations when a resource or business dries up in one part of
the country. It isn’t the norm but it does happen.
The work site can sometimes be a
construction
site due to new projects being developed.

The times when one learns the most
are during
points of high activity like plant shut downs, construction, the
introduction
of new equipment or process changes or, during plant upsets.
James’ negatives:
Shift work can conflict with family
life and
your social life depending what you have going on. It’s all a matter of
how you live and organize your life. The holiday seasons like
Thanksgiving
and Christmas can be a problem. Most crews alternate between working
some
holidays one year and not the next. You will probably be working every
other weekend. There are always tradeoffs. Always strive to make them
work
to your best advantage. Shift work is more advantageous than the 9 to 5
scenario if you play your cards right. If you’ve got your act together,
you’ll come out on top feeling and looking better than some one who
works
just weekdays.
James and I both agree that most
folks are
a little envious of how good we have it.
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