Directional driller vs oil driller

The differences between directional drillers and oil drillers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a directional driller and an oil driller. Additionally, a directional driller has an average salary of $54,153, which is higher than the $53,863 average annual salary of an oil driller.

The top three skills for a directional driller include CDL, safety procedures and safety standards. The most important skills for an oil driller are drill bits, , and .

Directional driller vs oil driller overview

	Directional Driller	Oil Driller
Yearly salary	$54,153	$53,863
Hourly rate	$26.04	$25.90
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	911	2,774
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 55%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Directional driller vs oil driller salary

Directional drillers and oil drillers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Directional Driller	Oil Driller
Average salary	$54,153	$53,863
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $83,000	Between $35,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between directional driller and oil driller education

There are a few differences between a directional driller and an oil driller in terms of educational background:

	Directional Driller	Oil Driller
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 55%
Most common major	Business	Mechanical Engineering Technology
Most common college	-	-

Directional driller vs oil driller demographics

Here are the differences between directional drillers' and oil drillers' demographics:

	Directional Driller	Oil Driller
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 97.5% Female, 2.5%	Male, 97.1% Female, 2.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 1.2% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%	Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.4% Asian, 1.2% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.3%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between directional driller and oil driller duties and responsibilities

Directional driller example responsibilities.

Perform data analysis and provide recommendations to achieve improve performance and accelerate commercialization of Pathmaker (RSS).
Adhere to all safety policies.
Train rig hands in safe operating procedures, maintenance, and repairs for rig and associate equipment.
use of torches such as oxygen and acetylene, propane, map gas, and butane torches.
Make and check the daily safety sheets given to all employees and conduct JSA meetings before every task.
Administer company, government, OSHA and IADC guidelines and regulation to ensure a safe and productive work environment.

Oil driller example responsibilities.

Provide leadership and guidance to direct reports, and manage their efforts to maximize their contribution to operational effectiveness and performance.
Record daily drilling activities accurately in IADC reports while keeping accurate component tally.
Install pvc pipes into holes and making sure that the holes remain clean and free from debris.

Directional driller vs oil driller skills

Common directional driller skills

CDL, 40%
Safety Procedures, 13%
Safety Standards, 7%
Directional Drill, 7%
Shovels, 5%
HSE, 3%

Common oil driller skills

Drill Bits, 100%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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