How To Become A Swamper: What It Is and Career Path

What is a swamper and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A swamper is someone who helps out a more skilled laborer with the tasks that they need to do. They can work in almost any manual labor field, from the oil and gas industry to firefighting. Their duties vary depending on what the worksite and their boss needs from them. They can help set up a worksite such as an oilfield and make sure that all equipment is following safety regulations. They can drive equipment such as tankers and cranes. They perform general labor such as clearing debris, cleaning equipment, and moving supplies. Basically, a swamper does whatever needs to be done so that other workers don't get swamped with work.

A swamper is an entry-level position without many requirements. The vast majority of swampers don't have college degrees. They only need a high school diploma to work and sometimes a commercial driver's license (CDL).

Swampers also don't need much work experience, although some manual labor experience is helpful. Most use this position to learn from more skilled colleagues and pick up a trade. They can earn an average salary of $33,123 a year.

ScoreSwamperUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $34,411

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.4

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.15%

Asian 4.63%

Black or African American 11.94%

Hispanic or Latino 29.88%

Unknown 5.32%

White 47.08%

Gender

female 6.57%

male 93.43%

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

6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.7

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a swamper

Explore swamper education requirements

Most common swamper degrees

High School Diploma

65.1 %

Diploma

14.1 %

Associate

10.4 %

Start to develop specific swamper skills

Skills	Percentages
Safety Equipment	15.44%
CDL	12.48%
Frac Tanks	10.47%
Manual Labor	9.94%
Load Trucks	9.03%

Complete relevant swamper training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New swampers 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 swamper based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real swamper resumes.

Research swamper duties and responsibilities

Manage mulching, fertilizing, watering and mowing activities.
Put correct PPE on and mark the soil to start dig.
Used hand tools such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, hedge and brush trimmers and axes.
Weld new cutting edges on front end loaders, new shanks and teeth on buckets.

Prepare your swamper resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable swamper resume templates

Build a professional swamper 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 swamper resume.