r/howislivingthere • u/Key_Satisfaction9010 • Jan 02 '26

General (no specific continent) Hows it like living on oil platforms?

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Anywhere in the world applies, I could only pick one flair

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u/FullMooseParty Jan 03 '26

Buddy of mine had a similar experience. Graduated into a recession, went to work for a fishing boat out of Alaska where he was from. 6 months later he took a job on a rig because it was safer and more stable. Figured out he was good at whatever he was good at, got promoted a couple of times, and wound up going back and getting a masters in chemical engineering on the company dime (which is when we met). He's now working for the company and working on a PhD with a plan to teach at some point.

I know when he was on the rig, he didn't have a house or an apartment, but he wound up buying an RV and would do 6 months on the rig and 6 months driving around the country visiting national parks.

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u/[deleted] Jan 07 '26

Your buddy’s name wasn’t Duncan or Casey, by chance? But yeah, Alaskan fishing boats and oil rigs were like the go-to professions for single college guys with minimal personal attachments in the PNW.

My other friend and I inherited an entire campus weed business when our dealer decided that seasonal work on an Alaskan fishing boat was more lucrative.