Downsides include - not having a schedule at all (I've worked for 28 straight days offshore with less than a week off), the recruiters don't tell you major deal breakers when you interview - such as the fact you are required to be in-charge of hazardous material - such as radiation. They also say you will only be in the field for 2-3 years - and this is simply not true. It depends on the demand for engineers. During the downturn in the Oil & Gas economy, to save money they laid off 25% of the workforce - so there is almost no job security. Also - they cut the day bonus for being on a rig by 50%. During your training, you are threatened with getting fired almost daily. As an engineer with Schlumberger, you are just a number and they see you as replaceable. My direct manager (one of 5 that I've had in the past 2 years) lives 4 hours away - and I have only met them once. Every manager wants to be productive, but they come and go ever 18 months, so there are a lot of initiatives that are started and aren't followed through - making a lot of unnecessary work for those of us who stick around for 18+ months. In hindsight - I wish I took a more traditional job - I have no life other than life on the rig. This job is not very fulfilling.
