Directional driller vs oil rig driller

The differences between directional drillers and oil rig 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 rig driller. Additionally, a directional driller has an average salary of $54,153, which is higher than the $51,460 average annual salary of an oil rig driller.

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

Directional driller vs oil rig driller overview

	Directional Driller	Oil Rig Driller
Yearly salary	$54,153	$51,460
Hourly rate	$26.04	$24.74
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	911	2,931
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Directional driller vs oil rig driller salary

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

	Directional Driller	Oil Rig Driller
Average salary	$54,153	$51,460
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $83,000	Between $32,000 And $82,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between directional driller and oil rig driller education

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

	Directional Driller	Oil Rig Driller
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Business	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	-	-

Directional driller vs oil rig driller demographics

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

	Directional Driller	Oil Rig Driller
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 97.5% Female, 2.5%	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%
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 rig 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 rig 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.
Record daily drilling activities accurately in IADC reports while keeping accurate component tally.

Directional driller vs oil rig driller skills

Common directional driller skills

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

Common oil rig driller skills

Rig, 100%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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