Oil and Gas Rotary Drill Operators: Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Job description

Oil and Gas Rotary Drill Operators 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.

• 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.
• Count sections of drill rod to determine depths of boreholes.
• 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.

Salary

Oil and Gas Drill Operators with little to no experience tend to make between $32110 and $41090 while the more experienced ones can earn over $68250 per year.

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as an Oil and Gas Rotary Drill Operator is to move to a higher paying state like AK. Right now, the highest paying states for Oil and Gas Drill Operators are AK, IN, CA, ND and WY.

However, a higher pay at AK doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at AK might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as an Oil and Gas Rotary Drill Operator is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.

Requirements

We asked other Oil and Gas Drill Operators what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had less than a High School Diploma followed by a High School Diploma.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being an Oil and Gas Rotary Drill Operator.

What is the job like

93% of Oil and Gas Drill Operators said they were satisfied with their job and 80% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.

Is this right for me

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Explore other careers