Construction and extraction
Rotary drill operators, oil and gas
Set up or operate a variety of drills to remove underground oil and gas, or remove core samples for testing during oil and gas exploration.
Median pay
$67,890
Growth to 2035
+1%
little or no change
Openings a year
1,100
Time to qualify*
2.5 years
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Rotary drill operators, oil and gas
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- Less than 5 years
Calculate your switch to rotary drill operators, oil and gas
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Rotary drill operators, oil and gas: 97% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Train crews, and introduce procedures to make drill work more safe and effective.
- Observe pressure gauge and move throttles and levers to control the speed of rotary tables, and to regulate pressure of tools at bottoms of boreholes.
- Maintain records of footage drilled, location and nature of strata penetrated, materials and tools used, services rendered, and time required.
- Push levers and brake pedals to control gasoline, diesel, electric, or steam draw works that lower and raise drill pipes and casings in and out of wells.
- Connect sections of drill pipe, using hand tools and powered wrenches and tongs.
- Count sections of drill rod to determine depths of boreholes.
- Maintain and adjust machinery to ensure proper performance.
- Direct rig crews in drilling and other activities, such as setting up rigs and completing or servicing wells.
Also called: Daylight Driller · Drill Operator · Driller · Motor Man · Oil Rig Driller · Oil Well Driller · Relief Driller · Rig Operator
Outlook and AI
Rotary drill operators, oil and gas held 12,700 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 12,900 by 2035 (+1%, little or no change; all jobs: +3.5%).
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