Drill instructor vs drilling rig operator

The differences between drill instructors and drilling rig operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a drill instructor and a drilling rig operator. Additionally, a drill instructor has an average salary of $53,231, which is higher than the $44,739 average annual salary of a drilling rig operator.

The top three skills for a drill instructor include safety standards, combat and direct supervision. The most important skills for a drilling rig operator are CDL, OSHA, and minor maintenance.

Drill instructor vs drilling rig operator overview

	Drill Instructor	Drilling Rig Operator
Yearly salary	$53,231	$44,739
Hourly rate	$25.59	$21.51
Growth rate	6%	7%
Number of jobs	24,641	34,198
Job satisfaction	-	3.67
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	High School Diploma, 49%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Drill instructor vs drilling rig operator salary

Drill instructors and drilling rig operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Drill Instructor	Drilling Rig Operator
Average salary	$53,231	$44,739
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $86,000	Between $33,000 And $60,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between drill instructor and drilling rig operator education

There are a few differences between a drill instructor and a drilling rig operator in terms of educational background:

	Drill Instructor	Drilling Rig Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	High School Diploma, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Drill instructor vs drilling rig operator demographics

Here are the differences between drill instructors' and drilling rig operators' demographics:

	Drill Instructor	Drilling Rig Operator
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6%	Male, 96.9% Female, 3.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 1.2% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 1.2% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.3%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between drill instructor and drilling rig operator duties and responsibilities

Drill instructor example responsibilities.

Manage all land and training area use, ammunition use / forecasting, requisitioning, allocations, and inspection.
Provide instruction to recruits, including basic combat skills, fundamentals of service life, and small arms use.
Review, grade, and teach students general chemistry course material.
Work with young adults while they pursue their GED's through the youth challenge program.
Assist the senior drill instructor with all platoon administrative matters and conduct the day to day operations of the platoon.
Operate Excellon CNC drill machines, plater (assist with running scrub machines and various plating lines as needed).

Drilling rig operator example responsibilities.

Maintain fluid weights by careful mixing of chemicals using PPE and careful mathematical calculations in collaboration with engineers.
Manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients using GMP format and aseptic techniques.

Drill instructor vs drilling rig operator skills

Common drill instructor skills

Safety Standards, 26%
Combat, 8%
Direct Supervision, 8%
Platoon, 6%
Core Values, 5%
Training Schedules, 3%

Common drilling rig operator skills

CDL, 23%
OSHA, 10%
Minor Maintenance, 8%
Augers, 7%
Equipment Maintenance, 7%
Geotechnical, 7%

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Drill Instructor vs Drilling Rig Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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