How To Become A Rig Mechanic: What It Is and Career Path

What is a rig mechanic and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a rig mechanic. For example, did you know that they make an average of $21.2 an hour? That's $44,088 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 14% and produce 69,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreRig MechanicUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $44,088

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.3

Growth rate 14%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.88%

Asian 3.41%

Black or African American 8.34%

Hispanic or Latino 16.81%

Unknown 4.21%

White 66.36%

Gender

female 3.74%

male 96.26%

Age - 50

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 - 50

Stress level

7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a rig mechanic

Explore rig mechanic education requirements

Most common rig mechanic degrees

High School Diploma

27.8 %

Bachelor's

25.8 %

Associate

22.7 %

Start to develop specific rig mechanic skills

Skills	Percentages
Hand Tools	13.26%
Troubleshoot	12.46%
Mechanical Equipment	10.22%
Cranes	8.54%
Preventive Maintenance	7.17%

Complete relevant rig mechanic training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New rig mechanics 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 rig mechanic based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real rig mechanic resumes.

Research rig mechanic duties and responsibilities

Document repairs, modifications and inspections in accordance with FAA requirements on both paper and in an automate maintenance information database.
Document repairs, modifications and inspections in accordance with FAA requirements on both paper and in an automate maintenance information database.

Prepare your rig mechanic resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable rig mechanic resume templates

Build a professional rig mechanic 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 rig mechanic resume.