Life after high school; Everyone plans exactly how they want their life to be after they graduate from the cement walls of high school that have become so familiar. Peterson’s original plans for after high school, before he graduated, were not even close to what he is doing today. He wanted to go to college and get a degree but that did not happen for him. Life never seems to turn out the way that is expected. Former Lewis-Palmer High School student, Blake Peterson, 22, now works for Nabors Oil Industry.

“It was well worth it to take a break from school. After a few semesters of attending college, I realized that it was not for me and that I just wanted to enjoy my job, and be well supported, financially,” Peterson said.

Peterson graduated in the senior class of 2010, then went on to college. He left college early, eager to discover what he wanted to do in life. Not long after, he decided to do a trial run and see just what it was like to work for the oil industry. First starting off as a rookie on the rigs, then moving close to the top as an Operational Safety Trainer, which is someone who drives from oil rig to oil rig and makes sure everything is safe to operate.

During the time that he resides in North Dakota, Peterson lives in a single-wide trailer in Wattsburg, North Dakota, for two weeks out of each month. He works a minimum of thirteen hours a day, no matter what the weather is. Work on the oil rigs not only tests your mental health, but your physical health as well.

“The conditions can get pretty rough, but I work through it. During the summer, it can spike up to 110 degrees, 100% humidity in the summer and -70 in the winter,” Peterson said.

After working for two years in the oil industry, he was bound to pick up a few life lessons; Respect your co-workers, work hard for what you want, and never give up.

“Some qualities I picked up while working in oil are to work hard and never quit. No matter how hard things can get in life, or in your job, or just in general, never give up,” Peterson said.

“Some advice I would like to give to the soon-to-be graduates of Lewis-Palmer is to work hard and make sure to have goals. Do not give anything up, make sure to always achieve what you really want. If you have goals for after you graduate, do anything you can to make sure that they happen,” Peterson said.

Life after high school is different for everyone, it may not always turn out as planned, but life?  will always work out in one way or another.