Because it was an undesirable place by most every scale, there wasn't a bunch of people lining up to go without huge pay increases.
I was criticized by co-workers with decades of experience holding out for the pay rate they knew would come, if people just waited.
I felt if I waited until the pay climbed, they wouldn't take a young inexperienced kid like me, but rather people that would deserve that higher rate.
I was on the job site before the first foundations were poured. I stayed until we started up. I could have stayed longer, but too much money in my pocket and a girl waiting was just too much to keep waiting.
But it taught me a lot. It helped me start a career without a sense of arrogance as EVERYONE there knew more about what they were doing than I did. The next youngest guy I found on a crew of 3,500 was 15 years older than me.
Best advice I could give someone wanting to start in anything thing in this field is don't be afraid to work hard and don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.
What I have to work on now is remembering to keep working and not let a couple decades give me reason to coast.
The importance of that cannot be overstated. If you know you don't know anything, you can learn. It is the know-it-alls who are virtually impossible to train.
I like the field, the Mrs. and family are used to me being there, and it keeps me on my toes. No two wells are the same.