Skilled Trades
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 salary
$65,010
Typical range
$43k – $99k
Job outlook
See national outlook
AI exposure
Plan a path to Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
Education
Typical entry: No degree required
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
Entry / Junior
$42,750
~2 yrs to advance
Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
Established
$65,010
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
Senior
$81,760
Key skills
A typical day
- •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.
- •Connect sections of drill pipe, using hand tools and powered wrenches and tongs.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Skilled Trades
Explore all- Purdue University50% admit · $78,000 grad pay
- Ohio State University53% admit · $68,000 grad pay
- Pennsylvania State University55% admit · $70,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.