Living in B.C., we are familiar with oil and mineral boomtowns. Most of us have heard stories or even know individuals sacrifising comfortable lives near Vancouver to battle the elements of Northern B.C..

Question: Are generous salaries worth the isolation and hardship of boomtown life?

North Dakota has become the hotspot for those willing to suffer for cash. Oil companies are paying workers an average salary of $100,000, many of whom have no experience or college degree.

Halliburton (Fortune 500), Continental Resources, Hess (Fortune 500), and Whiting Petroleum are the driving forces behind the incredible boom of North Dakota oil companies. Different jobs include haulling crude and equipment in trucks, maintenance, administrative work, and working on a rig. This boom has resonated around the area, with 2,500 job openings at any given moment.

The trade-off for fat paychecks is steep. Workers are sleeping 3/4 hours a day, working overtime at every opportunity (100 hours a week is not uncommon). In addition to lack of sleep, workers are faced with the challenge of simply FINDING A PLACE TO SLEEP. The boom has tripled housing prices, forcing many workers to sleep in their cars. Couple in the fact that North Dakota winters reach -40 easily and workers may re-evaluate leaving home.