"I Used to Work at Prudhoe Bay".

• Author: JACKINSKY, MCKIBBEN
• Position: Experiences of former Alaska oil-field employees

Alaskans value their reputation for being hearty individuals. The romantic vision of gold-seekers trudging through hip-deep snow has found its way to our license plates. Books detailing the adventures of commercial fishermen braving towering seas and ice-encrusted ships line the walls of bookstores.

And then there are Alaska's oil-field employees. Although some work in urban settings, it's the men and women wearing steel-toed boots and enough clothes to ward off Earth's coldest temperatures who grab our attention. Traveling on chartered planes to remote locations, they leave home for weeks, sometimes months. Their work shifts provide time off the rest of us dream about. Their paychecks buy toys some of us will never own. Their adventures fuel our imaginations.

Representing only 2 percent to 3 percent of Alaska's wage and salary work force, these individuals have proven themselves a formidable presence. However, according to Alaska Labor Economist Neal Fried, oil industry jobs have declined since 1991 when they peaked at 10,500. In August 1999, 7,328 individuals were employed in the oil industry. More downsizing is expected in the near future. Where do they go next? What do their experiences teach us?

Todd Allen

Todd Allen came to Anchorage in 1985 from Midland, Texas, to work as Sohio Alaska Petroleum Co.'s employee relations supervisor. By 1991, Allen had served a stint at Prudhoe Bay, and BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. had acquired Sohio. When BP offered employees voluntary separation packages, Allen and some 300 others accepted. With input from a placement center he helped create, Allen formulated a plan to open Todd Y. Allen and Associates, a human resource consulting business. Today, his clients keep him traveling around the state. His writings are published nationwide and he is a national compensation instructor through the American Compensation Association.

Running his own business is challenging, but Allen said he doesn't have any regrets. To those in similar shoes, he advises developing a plan. "Most people have a skill and a knowledge in some area that can be used elsewhere in the work place. They need to focus where and understand what they want to do. It just takes some pre-planning."

Terry and Margie Smith

Former Arco Alaska Inc. employees Terry and Margie Smith agree on having a plan. Prudhoe Bay offered Terry an opportunity to make a better living when he started as a contractor at Arco's Seawater Treatment Plant in 1983...