oilfield Archives - The Baytown Project

In retirement, he’s having fun as ‘worker bee’

David Berkowitz — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 21:23:57 +0000

Harvey Oyler: “My plan in retirement was to give back to the community.”

“After high school graduation, I was looking for a job. I went to an employment agency in downtown Houston. They looked at my academic record and saw that I was good in math and science. They said, ‘Oh, we’ve got a nice laboratory assistant position open, but it’s at a company way out of town.’ And way out of town was at the corner of Kirby Drive and what became the Southwest Freeway.

“So I started there with an oilfield service company, and I worked my way up from lab technician to vice president of operations. I retired with them after 40 years and went to work for a smaller company. I became president of that company and retired in 2016. So my whole career was spent in the oilfield service industry. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I got to see the world through my work.

“My plan in retirement was to give back to the community. All of my career, I worked in Houston. I didn’t have the time to get involved in local projects. So I joined the Kiwanis Club and the Lions Club, and I’m on the board of directors for Baytown Symphony Orchestra. Those three organizations keep me busy a little bit.

“I was in management type positions for so many years, but I really enjoy being a worker bee now. It’s very fulfilling.”

— Harvey Oyler, 75

Day trading has become ‘kind of an obsession’

David Berkowitz — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 23:14:28 +0000

Becoming a day trader is the hardest thing he’s ever had to learn.

“I grew up in the oilfield and was pretty successful, made a lot of money, so I was able to get out when I was 60. Now I’m a day trader. I trade futures.

“I needed something to occupy my time, and it’s been a real experience. I call it my 5-50 program — five years, $50,000 invested. It’s been a full-time job for five years that hasn’t paid me a dime. I’ve just now got it figured out and am starting to make some money.

“You know, I’ve done a lot of things in my lifetime but this is definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever had to learn. Now it’s kind of an obsession. I’ll probably keep doing this for the rest of my life.”

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Oilfield ups and downs stressing him out

David Berkowitz — Fri, 15 May 2015 01:24:30 +0000

His quality assurance/quality control work was physically demanding, and it required strong math skills.

“I’ve been working in the oilfields since ’85, but I just recently got laid off. I was a QA/QC manager for drill pipe, and I was very good at it.

“There are thousands of people in the Houston area, throughout Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico who are out of jobs because oil prices plummeted. Layoffs and the fear of layoffs affect more than just the worker, though. It impacts the whole family.

“It’s been a major stress for me. Mentally and physically, this just isn’t worth it anymore. I’m tired of all the ups and downs. I think it’s time to get out of the oilfield and try something else.”

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