How To Become A Drilling Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a drilling assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Manual jobs in the industrial sector are inherently physically-demanding and hazardous, which is why manual laborers like drilling assistants deserve all the praise for braving the demands of the job. These are the workers that assist in the set-up, movement, and operation of drilling rigs and other equipment needed to dig holes. Drilling assistant jobs are present in any industry that involved drilling holes, such as in oil, construction, mining, and natural gas & water industries.

The job of a drilling assistant is physically-demanding, making strength and endurance two of the most important requirements for the job. On the other hand, formal qualifications or training is not always required as training is always provided on the job. Candidates may also take a traineeship to increase their chances of getting hired as a driller's assistant.

Drilling assistants tend to work longer hours, with full-time workers working as much as 71 hours per week. On average, they make around $24,505 a year or about $11.78 an hour.

ScoreDrilling AssistantUS Average

Salary

4.1

Avg. Salary $52,256

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

7.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.25%

Asian 1.21%

Black or African American 9.17%

Hispanic or Latino 19.41%

Unknown 4.21%

White 63.75%

Gender

female 6.44%

male 93.56%

Age - 39

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 - 39

Stress level

6.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a drilling assistant

Explore drilling assistant education requirements

Most common drilling assistant degrees

High School Diploma

42.7 %

Bachelor's

27.4 %

Associate

13.9 %

Start to develop specific drilling assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
CDL	31.97%
Drill Holes	21.56%
Geotechnical	14.93%
Minor Maintenance	3.66%
Safety Procedures	3.07%

Complete relevant drilling assistant training and internships

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

Research drilling assistant duties and responsibilities

Manage and approve field tickets receive from vendors and ensures proper AFE and costs codes are used.
Provide leadership and guidance to direct reports, and manage their efforts to maximize their contribution to operational effectiveness and performance.
Drill and run 4``liner to TD at S/L 19154 #3 aboard the Hercules 49.
BOP testing are done with third party.

Prepare your drilling assistant resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable drilling assistant resume templates

Build a professional drilling assistant 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 drilling assistant resume.