General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Should I join the Dark Empire? [View all]csziggy
(34,133 posts)One, long ago when I was in college. A co-worker (we both worked part time student jobs at the university library for very little money) was offered a job identical to what you are talking about in Alaska when the oil fields there were being opened in the 1970s. I ran into him a couple of years later. He'd done the job for 12-18 months and had enough money in the bank to finish his BS and his Masters without working any part time job. But he'd been offered a graduate student teaching position and expected to finish his Masters and have enough money still to put a large down payment on a house.
Another friend took a unskilled job on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Same deal - 2-3 weeks on, two weeks off He was stupid with his money and spent a lot of it partying during his weeks off. Then he got caught smuggling drugs into the country - I think there was some deal with them being brought onto the rigs then carried into the country on the helicopters flying the men back and forth. Any money he'd put aside was spent on lawyers but it didn't keep him out of prison. Not the fault of the job - the guy was an idiot.
Both men told me that the work is very hard - and they were young at the time they took them, though maybe not all that fit before they went. It was a challenge for the young men to put aside money - their co-workers tended to party full time on their off weeks and it was hard to say no to them.
I suspect you would be more like the first guy and end up with a nice nest egg. I'd check on the living expenses during your down time and be very conscientious about setting aside as much as possible.
Whatever you decide, good luck!