re: Where do you see o&g headed in the future?

In my opinion, you need to look at the company (history, reputation, etc), training program, boss/mentor and long term goals. Onshore/Offshoe/Location shouldn't matter unless you have ties to one of the cities. Houston may have more opportunity, but there is more than enough in OKC.

Training- This is the most important consideration you need to look at. Will you have a mentor? Is there a structured development plan? Is it rotational between disciplines? At the end of the day you're only worth what you can do, not how much you can BS.

Boss- Don't take a job working for an a-hole. It will decrease job satisfaction significantly. Try to make sure you report to someone that has some technical capabilities and isn't a douche...

Company- Consider the office culture when you took the site visits. Do you want to spend most your waking hours with those people? How do they treat their employees? What are the benefits, scheudle (9/80), 401K, etc. That will tell you plenty. Where is the company involved and how active is it? Look at the last quarterly report.

Security- I wouldn't worry about being with a major. If you're with an independent with a good balance sheet and worth your salt, your job will be safe.

I started offshore and moved on land. I learned more on land than I did while I was offshore. That was mainly due to the responsibility level and the level of activity. You will be working with a team offshore for small projects. You will be working with a team on large projects on land... You learn it better when you do it yourself versus watching people.

You need to consider what you want out of your career. You may not know. Are you a corporate person or do you want to work for a small shop or do your own thing. I can tell you, it takes more money to do offshore than it does on land... Most start ups are on land. I think offshore is overrated. I don't agree that it is more stable. Compare land rig activity versus offshore activity.

Houston doesn't have state income tax...