"Snowbird" visa, prof. associations, and green card apps

Sorry for the abbreviated title; I have 3 categories of questions and wanted to get them all in a single post instead of triple-posting.

I'm a recently graduated (BSc Geology) wellsite geologist working in the Alberta oilpatch, and I have a convoluted situation that somebody can hopefully give me a hand with.

I work a weird schedule (usually 3 weeks of work, 1 week off, as well as a 2-3 month period in the spring where I don't work) that affords me a decent amount of downtime all at once... I have a (same sex if that would affect any potential visa that I could apply for in a heterosexual relationship) significant other who I would like to live with whenever I'm not out in the field. Previously we did the long-distance thing as well as visits with eachother, but we've decided that we want to do the cohabitation thing or as close as we can get with my work schedule.

If I rent an apartment or buy a home here to maintain a Canadian residence, would I basically be in the same boat as a 'snowbird' and could enter/leave the US on a tourist visa (provided I am down there for less than 6 months of the year...)? Are there any issues that would arise from not paying for rent/mortgage at the property in the US? What if I didn't maintain a fixed Canadian address and instead rented a PO box for mail or something like that?

Let's say that a few years down the line I grow tired of the rigs and I'd like to settle down into a 9-to-5 type of job and try to find something in the US... I won't be a part of my provincial geologists professional association by that time (think of it as being the same as having an engineering degree but not being able to declare yourself a professional engineer until you jump through a few more hoops); if I can find a job that requires a BSc Geology but is a geologist-in-training job (one that will eventually lead to joining a professional geologist/geophysicist association), is that enough for a TN visa?

And while I'm on the topic of professional associations, the 'buzz' in the industry is that the demand for geologists will be higher than the supply within the next 2 years, which could potentially open up more opportunities for me in the US... Do companies typically want to hire international employees on a temporary visa such as TN or H-1, even if the job is intended to be a permanent position?

Shoot, I just realized this should be in the visa/immigration subforum. Could a moderator please move it if necessary? Thanks and sorry!

As long as you spend more time in Canada than US, and you maintain a full-fledged home in canada, you can enter US as often as you wish. Your second home in US is fine.

Your partner would have to satisfy the same criteria as above.

To work in US you will need a work status, like TN or H1. You qualify for either. You would need to find the job and get sponsored.