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

What is a well drill 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 well drill operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.39 an hour? That's $38,256 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 56,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreWell Drill OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $38,256

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.6

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.34%

Asian 0.84%

Black or African American 5.40%

Hispanic or Latino 15.18%

Unknown 3.88%

White 74.37%

Gender

female 7.47%

male 92.53%

Age - 37

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 - 37

Stress level

5.6

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a well drill operator

Explore well drill operator education requirements

Most common well drill operator degrees

High School Diploma

38.3 %

Bachelor's

35.0 %

Associate

20.0 %

Start to develop specific well drill operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Rig	32.67%
Environmental Agencies	23.89%
Plungers	10.96%
CDL	9.93%
RAN	7.14%

Complete relevant well drill operator training and internships

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

Research well drill operator duties and responsibilities

Maintain fluid weights by careful mixing of chemicals using PPE and careful mathematical calculations in collaboration with engineers.
Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.

Prepare your well drill operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your well drill 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 well drill 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 well drill operator resume templates

Build a professional well drill 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 well drill operator resume.