Eric
I am happy that you have a goal in mind. I have been welding for three years. I have several freinds that have worked on oil rigs (intersted also). I will tell as much as I remember. Working on oil rigs is very hard work. Most of the shifts are between 10-16 hours min. The hours depend on what you do. If you can get in, everything is payed for (depends on the company). most of the companies are 3 months out and then 3 months in. There are also 6 months out and 6 months in. The company many times will call you at strange hours to send you out to a rig. Many times you will have no idea where you will be sent and they probably will never tell you (safety). The work can be very rewarding (tax exemped because out of states),meet strange people and also very stressfull (long hours, water as fare as the eye can see). the best place to find out about oil rigs and some some of the jobs are at your local tech. school or ask welders.
They do lots of different types of work on an oil platform. It is a small city. They do fabrication and repair. they mainly use SMAW but I think that MIG/flux are becoming popular. Ohio State has a Welding Engineering degree and several of the teachers there have experince in oil rigs. Drop them an e-mail, they could help you out better then I could. I hope this has sparked an interst, look at other welding alternetives also.
Nathan
Well Working in the oil patch I have worked there for over ten years its not 3 months on three months off it is normanly seven days on seven days off, or 14 days on 14 days off or if you work over sea's like did for four years it is 28 on 28 off.. Towers is 12 hours long oh thats shift to you who don't know what that ment. I have never seen mig or tig out there its stick welding pre fab and repair. most of the welders out there have been doing it for 15 to 20 years, and anything that is done on pipe has to pass x-ray. alot of 6G over head work.