For starters the money is still in the oilfield without question. You can make 75k swinging a mop first year as a roustabout. The boom bust cycle you're referring to was concentrated in the shale oil plays ( think ND/CO) Checkout rigzone.com for a global list of oilfield jobs. To echo an earlier poster of you want it bad enough you'll find a way, three years ago I was climbing drilling rigs.