How To Become A Digger: What It Is and Career Path

What is a digger and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a digger. For example, did you know that they make an average of $22.56 an hour? That's $46,922 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 69,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreDiggerUS Average

Salary

3.7

Avg. Salary $46,922

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.4

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.34%

Asian 2.33%

Black or African American 11.04%

Hispanic or Latino 26.82%

Unknown 3.90%

White 54.58%

Gender

female 7.69%

male 92.31%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.1

Complexity level is basic

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a digger

Explore digger education requirements

Most common digger degrees

High School Diploma

61.1 %

Diploma

22.2 %

Associate

7.4 %

Start to develop specific digger skills

Skills	Percentages
DUG	45.12%
Shovels	27.97%
Utility Poles	18.25%
Ditch	8.66%

Complete relevant digger training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New diggers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a digger based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real digger resumes.

Research digger duties and responsibilities

Assemble irrigation systems according to the customer requirements dig trenches for systems, fit pipes and lay they to be install
Locate gas lines and dig them up
Mow grass, using power mower.
Fill grave back in with shovels by hand.

Prepare your digger resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your digger resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a digger resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable digger resume templates

Build a professional digger resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your digger resume.