The last two nights the CBS Evening News has featured the great Wyoming job opportunities.

The boom is on with low sulphur coal, coal bed methane, pipelines, trona, etc. The jobs pay well but there are extreme drawbacks. Six figure incomes per annum are commom but these employers expect you to work 7 days a week on 12-16 hour a day shifts. These are not jobs for the average person.

Coal mines provide transportation via bus from Gillette, Douglas, and Casper, or you can drive yourself. Figure your shift starts at 6 AM and you get off at 6PM. Remember, you gotta be back on the bus in Casper at 330AM after you got home at 900PM. The thing with the coal mines is they usually do 7 days on and then you get 7 days off. Or, 11 days on 4 days off. Lots of other variations.

Driving Vans hauling train crews to trains is ugly but pays fairly well, but they expect you to violate DOT rules concerning hours of service. Just what I have been told.

The welders and coal bed methane guys just work until they can't take it no more. Some get one day off a week but most get none. Just go til you drop. Then, the risk of the job...Hit a pocket of the orange icky stuff and you are history with one breath.

The railroads that haul the coal are another bunch of sweethearts. Probably the toughest job out here. A myriad of rules and regulations that even the managers don't agree on. Then you have the FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) chasing you around. You are under constant surveillance for job performance. If you want to kill yourself you can make $175,000.00 a year. FRA rules only allow 12 hours on duty but you may sit on a train for God knows how long until they get a relief crew to you. Then ride in a van to get home and then you are expected to be ready to go again in 10 hours. Total on duty dime can be 20+hours...for that they pay you overtime after 12 hours but fatigue is rampant.

If anyone is considering coming to Wyoming and have questions feel free to ask questions...This is definitely not for everyone...

Of course most that collect chips don't need the money but if I have helped save one life I am happy.

Mark