I'm a recent geology grad and I've been applying pretty aggressively to anything and everything I could find geology related for the past few months. Last week, I applied for a mudlogging posting and was contacted for an interview a couples days ago. Interview was earlier today and I thought it went well. Now, just 4 hours later, they've sent me an employment offer. They pay about $230 per shift and say that in terms of time on/time off, it varies because they let the loggers decide amongst themselves. I really do not know much about mudlogging in general so I guess I'm wondering if people would consider this an okay starting job/offer for someone with no other related work experience? I also have another interview for an environmental technician role scheduled for this week, which I'm hoping goes well as it sounds a lot more in line with what I'm hoping from career-wise. Just hoping for any insight you all might have about what mudlogging is like and if it's better to wait for something better. For context, I currently have a steady job as a bar manager, not what I want to do long term, but I'm financially stable for the time being.
EDIT: thanks for all the responses! I decided I'm not going to take the job, really doesn't seem like the lifestyle for me. I've got some other interviews lined up that hopefully lead to something else 🤞🏻
Hi everyone I need some advice. I graduated with an earth science degree this past summer. I got an interview for a geo consulting firm but didn’t get the position. Now I got a job offer as a mudlogger but I did not understand I would be working 12 hour days for a long time with no break days every project. I don’t have much related experience outside of just the classes I took (which included field classes). I wanted to pass on the offer because I don’t know if I will be able to handle that kind of job but I want to know if you all believe I’m missing out on the opportunity. Am I likely to get a consulting job with little experience. Would mudlogging experience actually help me get a better job in the future (even if I end up having to quit it sooner than expected).
More info: they claim to cover a place to stay, and say we work in shifts but I didn’t get to ask many specifics because I wasn’t aware of the crappy conditions many I’ve mentioned in other posts.
Thanks
Hello Everyone!
I have recently received an invitation to interview for a Mud Logging Geologist in the Permian Basin with a exploration company. This is my first serious geology interview and I am not sure what questions to expect.
What questions should I prepare myself for to best demonstrate my talent to this employer?
I just got a call from Schlumberger HR for a mud logger position, and she said the hiring manager might call me in 4 weeks for another session and if there is no call, my application is unsuccessful (I hope I get the call and the job).
I tried to look on Glassdoor for interview questions but there's not much in detail there. But I notice that some of them say that they will ask technical questions as well. So, what technical questions will they probably ask?
Thanks in advance for any tips
When drilling an Exploratory Wildcat well (or even a development well), Hydrocarbon Logging While Drilling, also known as mud-logging, is incorporated on site. The drill bit crushes the rock and and fluids (oil, gas, water,) are partially liberated from the rock fabric into the drilling mud. These are continuously circulated back to surface. Rock samples are collected, bagged and then visually evaluated and described by the well-site Geologist.
This data is acquired real time and displayed/analyzed minute by minute. If oil & gas are present, it will "show" and the results are know before the well reaches total depth and prior to Open Hole Logging. 88Energy is incorporating Mud-Logging in the current drilling of their Merlin #1 well.
The image below is of a mud-log unit on location:
https://preview.redd.it/0dsfn559yvo61.png?width=486&format=png&auto=webp&s=9283ccb68b08956575f2cad615d6c56a1c844591
A "trap" is set up on the drilling mud return to capture vapors and continuously sent via a suction line to the mud-logging unit (laboratory.). The "gas" samples are run through a Gas Chromatograph to obtain the "Total Gas" and then extract the light hydrocarbon gas content in ppm. THE LIGHT HYDROCARBONS are methane (C1), ethane (C2), propane (C3), the butanes (C4), and the pentanes (C5). Dry gas would only contain (C1) and (C2) while crude oil would contain all five.
The rock samples are observed under a binocular microscope under white light and then in a black light box. A small rock sample is placed in a dish and a solvent is added. If oil is present, the oil will dissolve out of the sample for a solution that may appear "milky" or "slow streaming cut. The oil will fluoresce a gold color under UV black light - hence the term "Black Gold." If an odor or visible staining is observed, it is described as well. Image below is example of oil in the sample under UV -
Black Light Oil Florescence - strong milky cut of 40-50 API crude oil!
All the gas data, including Total Gas, is then plotted on continuous graph as curves along with depth, penetration rate, and other drilling parameters. An "OIL SHOW" column is created to describe the rock itself, sandstone, shale, limestone, etc. The "SHOW" is estimated and then represented as % of rock. So if you hear that a well has a "show of oil: that i
... keep reading on reddit ➡I know what everyone gripes about but I don't know much about the job itself. I know 12 hours is a long time. I know nights can be slow. I know weather can create chaos for the instruments.
What I found online:
- Steel toe boots cause mandatory
- Books cause sometimes there's a lot of down time.
- Healthy food or feel wretched
- Good sleep schedule or hate life
- Mental/physical activity or turn into a potato
This is all I've managed to figure out. Can someone please tell me what I'll be doing? I'll be in the Permian basin. New Mexico I believe. What's a day/night like? What's setup like? Tear down? What should I learn that I don't actually have to? What's useful to know about wellsites? Is there a trick to laundering FP clothing? So many questions.......I'm excited but I go to train soon and am still pretty clueless.
I was told sites are about three weeks....what do I even pack?
Mud LoggingToday 16:22 Hi All,
Some may think that I went Awol during the recent episode, that is most definitely not the case. While the bean counters sh*t their pants and ran to the hills and the Anarchists turn up pouring scorn on anything resembling a hole in the ground, I have been educating myself on Mud logs and trying to work out what the MOU1 rns was actually telling us.
I believe the MOU1 drill was successful in its objectives, which are all in the presentations and annual reports for everyone to read. "To test the western extremity of the MOU4 prospect and also the TGB 3 & 4 sands or the MOU2 prospect as per SLR cpr. An added bonus was for MOU1 to become a production well, which it may still do depending on further results".
So where is my proof ?
In the rns you will notice ppm readings, the largest one being 36035ppm @ 1159m depth which is in the TGB 3 & TGB 4 sands or MOU 2 target zone.
FYI Gas detector results are expressed in parts per million (ppm) of equivalent Methane in air on a volume basis, where 10,000 ppm is equal to 1% Methane or 50/100 units (depending on which scale is used).
see link on units of measure : https://geospect.com/defining-a-unit-of-gas-in-mud-logging/
Moving on, although a good read, page 28 displays an excerpt from a basic Mud Log. https://www.slb.com/-/media/files/oilfield-review/or2012spr03-mudlog You will notice the abbreviations TG (trip gas) CG (connection gas) & FG (formation gas) in the columns followed by the letter U which denotes "units"
In the total gas units column towards the bottom the number 427U is displayed next to a "large bulge" which is indicating a show of Formation gas.
In comparison if we used the 100 units/ppm measurement rule, that would equate to (FG 36,035ppm / 10, 000ppm) = @ 360 units of gas.
Is this good or bad ?
These two short videos, will answer that question.
How to read a Mud Log, good explanation all the way through and the answer is towards the end. https://swanenergyinc.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/how-to-read-a-mud-log-swan-energy-learning-center/
and the second video, What to look for in a Mud Log, just in case anyone missed the answer in the first video. https://vimeo.com/33809731?from=outro-embed
This sentence from the rns also proves that the objective of testing the most western extremity of the MOU4 prospect, is successful. Below 1,159 metres in the lower Guebbas and Hoot (using the stratigraphic nomenclature of the Rharb Basin) total background gas
... keep reading on reddit ➡I have been offered two positions- one at a mud logging company and the other at a state agency responsible for environmental health assessment. The pay seemed better for the Mud logging job and it's a more challenging one, but the environmental job seems to provide better work-life balance. I have no issues with a little lower pay and am leaning towards the environmental job, but wanted expert opinion on which one has better growth opportunities and which has better job security?
I know they are very different jobs in nature, but as a recent graduate I am trying to keep my options open to explore what field I truly enjoy.
Dear Reddit GeologyCareers-Community,
this MSc in Applied Geosciences is looking to do mud logging or wellsite geology. After getting my degree in Germany, I did environmental consulting for about half a year before going into sales of laboratory analytical equipment for a medium-sized, international instrument manufacturer. I have been doing this quite successfully for about 1.5 years now. I will be available for work in the US from mid April onward.
I bring a military background, a rugged character and the willingness to learn to get on track with a "real" geologist career. Furthermore, I have a very good understanding of physics and math. I also am ready to live on-site and have no problem with extended fieldings.
If you can get me on track to become a geologist, can provide me with an industry standard, entry-level compensation package and some form of predictable schedule, such as a 14 days on and 7 days off rotation, I am your guy. The reason I want to do Marcellus is location. If you have a job for me or want to point me towards one, please pm me. If you want to give me general advice or feedback, please comment. Any help appreciated!
Kind Regards
UnitCell
My husband is interested in moving into mud logging/mud engineering. He’s currently a production operator and has previous drilling and wireline experience. He also has an associate degree in biology.
How can he best make this jump? We’ve looked at independent mud schools, but he is unsure if that’s the way to go. The one local mud guy we talked to was so discouraging it was unreal.
We both understand the reality of oilfield work (my dad was lifelong oilfield and hubby has 18 years in). Still, I want to see him follow his dream.
All help is appreciated. Thank you in advance.
What exactly would a geologist do while mud logging? Its it taking mud that is pulled up and logging it's composition and such? ...And it that what is being done at the all of the rigs that are being posted? Is the term rigs interchangeable with oil and minerals? I always hear people use these terms, but no one ever can tell me what we do there. I'm getting ready to graduate and I still don't know what I want to do, rigs seem pretty cool!
Will be finishing my bachelors in geology soon, looking at mud logging. Not sure where to look to be honest, I would be keen to get a job mud logging in norway, but Ive heard you basically wont get a job without experience.
I plan to do my masters eventually, just want to work a bit in between.
Any advice or suggestions would be much appreciated.
I'm a mud logger out of Midland, TX looking at job prospects after my gig here is over. I enjoy the job but to be honest I definitely don't want to be doing this any more than a year if possible. I've been here for about 6 months and I'm starting to try and find what's next. I've also learned that I don't think O&G is the right career field for me long term.
Where could this experience take me afterwards other than geosteering or another O&G job?
Is entry level environmental a possibility?
Former mud loggers: where are you now?
So I recently just graduated from OU with a degree in petroleum geology and took a job as a mud logger and am wondering if anyone has any tips on how to move to geosteering as quick as possible as that is what I really want to do. My company has a geosteering division but from what I’ve heard it’s rare they ever promote anyone from mud logging to geosteering.
Hi All,
I currently work for a large geotechnical site investigation company in the offshore department. I have a BSc in Petroleum Geology, and an MSc in Engineering Geology. I've been at the company for 4 months, but now have an offer to work as a Logging Geologist (Mud Logger) at Halliburton.
Does anyone have experience of either of these fields that could give me some advice?
Is now a good time to be going in to Oil and Gas? Should I wait a year? Is it easy to get an onshore job after working in mud logging?
Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Hi guys, my first post here, let me know if I do anything incorrect.
I'm currently job hunting (4 months in now) and was offered a position, with no interview, for a spot in a training program to be a mud logger in Midland Texas. They have a pretty complicated pay system that was explained to me but not given in writing. They say I'll make 55-60,000 a year, but that is contingent on progressing through the training program, number of hours worked, how much time off is granted and such. The whole program reeked of BS but I'm getting pretty desperate with the job hunt and wanted to see if anyone else had done something similar.
The company has decent reviews and the people I spoke with seemed honest and genuine but my instinct is to never trust an employer.
Any advice or experience with such programs would be greatly appreciated.
So I'm looking for a mud that has logging capabilities. I've tried tintin++, TMO, Blowtorch etc. Does anyone have any recommendations? Thanks.
Hi folks, I am graduating with my MS in May and have applied to a little over 100 petroleum related positions/internships over the past 12 months. Pre 2014 graduates from my school were getting picked up by majors so long as they took the initiative to apply for internships and go to conferences and network (AAPG, SEG, career-fairs, etc.) so I don't think my school is not respected, just not top tier.
Unfortunately my school is not an "oil" school and recruiters have stopped visiting after the drop in the price of oil. So far I have only had 4 responses. 2 of those were for mud-logging and both extended offers. I know the usual path is internship>graduate with MS>exploration/operation geologist position. Without an internship, how likely is it that I can keep myself relevant for a position with an operator when prices start going back up? I don't mind putting in my time at a less than desirable position if it might give me a chance at still having a career in O&G. The only problem is pay rates for mud-loggers are really low right now and it won't be feasible for me to pay off my student loans that way. I figure I won't be able to do it for more than 1 year before I have to find a higher paying job and start tackling these loans.
Sorry for the wall of text, just seeing if anyone has successfully done this before or if I should cut my losses and start looking to develop a career in a different industry. Thanks for any input.
For background, I'm about ⅔ finished with my BS Geology. I have finished my core electives and geology classes, with only a couple of electives and 20 hours in physics for my minor to be finished; I'll be attending field camp this summer. I've had to go part time for several years, due to money issues, so after several years off chipping away at this degree, I'm a little bit burned out. I've been told many times to go ahead and look for mud logging to get some experience, so I'm mulling it over in my head. Family issues have also come up where it might be beneficial to look for a better paying position, but nothing is absolute yet. After field camp, should I go-ahead and start applying to companies? (I live in North Texas). If so, any companies in particular? How do I sell myself on my resume if I have no industry experience and haven't even finished my degree? I'm also slightly concerned that if I do leave, I might never finish my degree. I'd welcome all thoughts.
So I just got hired by a large O&G company to be part of a mud logging crew in the Denver Basin for my first job out of college. Luckily I have family in the Denver area, so that allowed me to relocate here easily and short notice.
I was originally told that I would begin on Wednesday Oct. 4th, so I moved up here from Albuquerque, NM the day before. On the drive up I received a call telling me that my start day would be pushed to the 5th. No biggie, gives me a day to get settled.
The 4th rolls around and I receive no info on where I'm supposed to be that next day or when. So I decide to call and they tell me that something has come up and I won't be able to be trained until Monday the 9th.
It's really beginning to frustrate me that I can't start working now that I am up here. I was wondering if this is a regular occurrence in the oil field. Should I be worried about my job security or anything, or am I just being over dramatic?
Hello, anyone want to share their experiences with Weatherford? I have an interview coming up and was just wondering what this subs opinion is. I have a masters in geo.
Hello everyone!
Like everyone here, I am aware of how the O&G industry has been over the last few years. I graduated in the summer of 2015 from a Texas university with a BSc in geology and the intent of gaining some oil field experience before going back to school. Unfortunately, I had no luck whatsoever finding any type of employment in the industry, and instead opted to go home, work with my father, and eventually land a five month internship with the USGS doing earthquake stuff. My internship has been over since September, and I have been applying for enviro consulting type jobs and various government jobs with little success in between working long hours at the family business.
I have come to the point where I'd love to get back on track to seeking out work in the O&G industry, although I am unsure if whether or not the economic climate has improved to the point where an educated but inexperienced geologist could break into the field. That being said, do any of y'all know if mud loggers or wellsite geos are getting hired on without any previous oilfield experience? Many of the postings I have seen ask for some past experience mud logging, and with the state of the industry being as it is, I wonder if someone like myself would always be passed up in place of someone who got laid off when the downturn hit. At this point, I'm willing to pack up and travel to just about anywhere in or just offshore of North America. I've been told several times already to go back to school for my masters, although I'd much rather see if "the shoe fits" before I buy it.. Thanks a lot everyone!
edit: added resume
I'm an undergraduate currently in geology and I need a job to pay for my schooling. I'm talking 20k+ per year because I also need to provide for my family. I've looked into mud logging because some TA's here at the college suggested they might hire an undergrad but everything I see posted in job boards says bachelors required. Is it possible to get this job as an undergrad? If not, what are my options?
I am relatively new into the geoscience community and don't really understand what exactly mud logging is and its applications. Could someone explain to me in simple terms what mud logging is, why its done, and the work conditions for people who do it?
Basically I've heard that mud logging is one of the ''burn out'' careers in the industry and I just want to know if it is really that bad.
I just finished studying geology. 3.8 GPA. Non traditional student with previous full time work experience (non geology related). Willing to start asap and relocate anywhere.
Does anybody know any companies hiring now or have any general advice.
Zia Geological, a small southeast New Mexico based mud logging firm, is looking to hire an entry level mud logger. A B.S. or better is required, but no experience is necessary. The position is open for immediate hiring. If you recently graduated, this is an excellent fit for you. We are a laid back company, the work is easy, and the pay is great! Feel free to ask me any questions in the thread, through pm, or send your resume to zia.hiring@gmail.com. Thanks guys!
I graduated college this past December and I've been trying and failing to find jobs in my field for a while now, living in my parent's house while I search. I picked a field that's difficult to break into (game design), and everyone I knew told me it was going to be a while to break in, but staying with my mom and dad like this is slowly killing me.
A friend of mine is a mud logger and he says I should consider looking to a place called "Selman and Associates." Pay there is a bit cheaper than normal apparently, but they're "willing to take anyone," which includes me and my lack of a geology degree.
I hear its a job that pays really well for all the downtime it gives you, right? I'm thinking I can spend that downtime working on freelancing for various clients while I try to find work in my field, instead of just "watching movies" like I hear most guys do. I can get a lot of it done on my laptop, so I'm not worried about lugging around a computer everywhere. and if the average career length of a mud logger is really as short as two years then I doubt anyone will really care if I suddenly pick up a new job and leave.
What do you guys think? Is this a job someone can take if they want to save money and move out of their house while they look for a different job? How much down time will I have in a given day? Can I get a job like this without a geology degree, as long as I go to "Mud Logging School" or something?
TLDR; I'm thinking of picking up mud logging to move out of my parent's house, and I need to know if it's a bad idea.
I keep hearing that is an easy job to get but we are having no luck. My husband has a BS in geology and a hydrology minor, and was hoping to get a mud logging job after graduating. We suspect it may be because he had no internships(his mother was dying of cancer so he spent the summers working at a gas station in his hometown so he could spend time with her and she ended up living 3 years when the doctors said it would be months). So I am at a loss at what to do, he is such a good hardworking person it kills me that we have no way to prove he would be a good at this, are we just screwed?
Hi,
I've been really, really lucky and got offered an interview with Schlumberger to be a 'Mud Logging Specialist' and was wondering if anyone here has any first hand experiences either working for Schlumberger or what their interviews are like (it looks like a group interview with a presentation from them, then one from me about myself, a lunch then 'interviews').
Also could I become a Wellsite/Operations Geologist from this and how long would it take (I'm guessing I'd have to become a Data Engineer first).
Also it supposedly being a particularly good year for the North Sea this year is it likely that they'll be hiring a lot of people this year?
Also I've got the option of continuing education and doing a Masters degree next year, personally I would priorities this job (reading around on the internet it sounds like the kind of job I would love) but what would you people recommend?
Thanks for reading this.
When drilling an Exploratory Wildcat well (or even a development well), Hydrocarbon Logging While Drilling, also known as mud-logging, is incorporated on site. The drill bit crushes the rock and and fluids (oil, gas, water,) are partially liberated from the rock fabric into the drilling mud. These are continuously circulated back to surface. Rock samples are collected, bagged and then visually evaluated and described by the well-site Geologist.
This data is acquired real time and displayed/analyzed minute by minute. If oil & gas are present, it will "show" and the results are know before the well reaches total depth and prior to Open Hole Logging. 88Energy is incorporating Mud-Logging in the current drilling of their Merlin #1 well.
The image below is of a mud-log unit on location:
- On site Hydrocarbon Logging Unit -
A "trap" is set up on the drilling mud return to capture vapors and continuously sent via a suction line to the mud-logging unit (laboratory.). The "gas" samples are run through a Gas Chromatograph to obtain the "Total Gas" and then extract the light hydrocarbon gas content in ppm. THE LIGHT HYDROCARBONS are methane (C1), ethane (C2), propane (C3), the butanes (C4), and the pentanes (C5). Dry gas would only contain (C1) and (C2) while crude oil would contain all five.
The rock samples are observed under a binocular microscope under white light and then in a black light box. A small rock sample is placed in a dish and a solvent is added. If oil is present, the oil will dissolve out of the sample for a solution that may appear "milky" or "slow streaming cut. The oil will fluoresce a gold color under UV black light - hence the term "Black Gold." If an odor or visible staining is observed, it is described as well. Image below is example of oil in the sample under UV -
- Black Light Oil Florescence - strong milky cut of 40-50 API crude oil -
Black Light Oil Florescence - strong milky cut of 40-50 API crude oil!
All the gas data, including Total Gas, is then plotted on continuous graph as curves along with depth, penetration rate, and other drilling parameters. An "OIL SHOW" column is created to describe the rock itself, sandstone, shale, limestone,
... keep reading on reddit ➡Hello everyone! This is my first time posting in this sub, so bear with me if this is a question you've heard to many times..
Like everyone here, I am aware of how the O&G industry has been over the last few years. I graduated in the summer of 2015 from a Texas university with a BSc in geology and the intent of gaining some oil field experience before going back to school. Unfortunately, I had no luck whatsoever finding any type of employment in the industry, and instead opted to go home, work with my father, and eventually land a five month internship with the USGS doing earthquake stuff. My internship has been over since September, and I have been applying for enviro consulting type jobs and various government jobs with little success in between working long hours at the family business.
I have come to the point where I'd love to get back on track to seeking out work in the O&G industry, although I am unsure if whether or not the economic climate has improved to the point where an educated but inexperienced geologist could break into the field. That being said, do any of y'all know if mud loggers or wellsite geos are getting hired on without any previous oilfield experience? At this point, I'm willing to pack up and travel to just about anywhere in or just offshore of North America. I've been told several times already to go back to school for my masters, although I'd much rather see if "the shoe fits" before I buy it.. Thanks a lot everyone
So I recently just graduated from OU with a degree in petroleum geology and took a job as a mud logger and am wondering if anyone has any tips on how to move to geosteering as quick as possible as that is what I really want to do. My company has a geosteering division but from what I’ve heard it’s rare they ever promote anyone from mud logging to geosteering.
