How To Become A Drill Press Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a drill press operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a drill press operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $16.94 an hour? That's $35,232 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -45,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreDrill Press OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $35,232

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.5

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.78%

Asian 1.68%

Black or African American 7.93%

Hispanic or Latino 13.41%

Unknown 4.36%

White 71.84%

Gender

female 18.28%

male 81.72%

Age - 48

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 - 48

Stress level

6.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.5

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a drill press operator

Explore drill press operator education requirements

Most common drill press operator degrees

High School Diploma

53.7 %

Associate

17.4 %

Diploma

12.0 %

Start to develop specific drill press operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Blueprint Specifications	19.14%
Jigs	16.12%
Tape Measure	10.93%
CNC Machines	8.01%
Safety Practices	5.05%

Complete relevant drill press operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New drill press operators 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 drill press operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real drill press operator resumes.

Research drill press operator duties and responsibilities

Certify machine operator for Amada press break of stainless steel
General mig welding for any project that is needed.
Drill and tap aerospace parts such as steel and aluminum structures.
Use of work orders to follow ISO procedures, and complete product quantity for each job perform.

Prepare your drill press operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your drill press operator 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 drill press operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable drill press operator resume templates

Build a professional drill press operator 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 drill press operator resume.