How To Become An Oil Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is an oil 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 an oil operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.24 an hour? That's $40,023 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 56,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreOil OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $40,023

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.2

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.25%

Asian 1.22%

Black or African American 9.65%

Hispanic or Latino 19.27%

Unknown 4.20%

White 63.42%

Gender

female 10.86%

male 89.14%

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

9.2

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

0.4

Work life balance is

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an oil operator

Explore oil operator education requirements

Most common oil operator degrees

High School Diploma

40.9 %

Bachelor's

24.8 %

Associate

15.3 %

Start to develop specific oil operator skills

Skills	Percentages
CDL	37.48%
DOT	12.75%
Safety Measures	8.06%
Frac	6.04%
Rail Cars	4.74%

Complete relevant oil operator training and internships

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

Research oil operator duties and responsibilities

Manage and maintain GPS and other equipment.
Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.
Install PVC casing and well motors.
Connect mechanical joints to attach fusible PVC to steel.

Prepare your oil operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your oil 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 an oil 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 oil operator resume templates

Build a professional oil 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 oil operator resume.