Career profile for Earth Drill Operator

What does an Earth Drill Operator do?

Earth Drill Operators operate a variety of drills such as rotary, churn, and pneumatic to tap subsurface water and salt deposits, to remove core samples during mineral exploration or soil testing, and to facilitate the use of explosives in mining or construction.

In addition, Earth Drill Operators includes horizontal and earth boring machine operators.

What kind of tasks does an Earth Drill Operator perform regularly?

Earth Drill Operators are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

Operate controls to stabilize machines and to position and align drills.
Regulate air pressure, rotary speed, and downward pressure, according to the type of rock or concrete being drilled.
Start, stop, and control drilling speed of machines and insertion of casings into holes.
Drive or guide truck-mounted equipment into position, level and stabilize rigs, and extend telescoping derricks.
Select and attach drill bits and drill rods, adding more rods as hole depths increase, and changing drill bits as needed.
Operate machines to flush earth cuttings or to blow dust from holes.
Perform routine maintenance and upgrade work on machines and equipment, such as replacing parts, building up drill bits, and lubricating machinery.
Verify depths and alignments of boring positions.
Document geological formations encountered during work.
Select the appropriate drill for the job, using knowledge of rock or soil conditions.
Record drilling progress and geological data.
Assemble and position machines, augers, casing pipes, and other equipment, using hand and power tools.
Drive trucks, tractors, or truck-mounted drills to and from work sites.
Retrieve lost equipment from bore holes, using retrieval tools and equipment.

The above responsibilities are specific to Earth Drill Operators. More generally, Earth Drill Operators are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials		Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
Controlling Machines and Processes		Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment		Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment		Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.
Getting Information		Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials

Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Controlling Machines and Processes

Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).

Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment

Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.

Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment

Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.

Getting Information

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

What is an Earth Drill Operator salary?

The median salary for an Earth Drill Operator is $48,510, and the average salary is $51,040. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Earth Drill Operator salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Earth Drill Operators earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Earth Drill Operators earn less than $33,440 per year, 25% earn less than $39,690, 75% earn less than $60,190, and 90% earn less than $73,650.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Earth Drill Operators is expected to change by 8.2%, and there should be roughly 3,000 open positions for Earth Drill Operators every year.

Median annual salary: $48,510
Typical salary range: $33,440 - $73,650
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): 8.2%

What personality traits are common among Earth Drill Operators?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as an Earth Drill Operator are usually higher in their Realistic, Investigative, and Conventional interests.

Earth Drill Operators typically have very strong Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Also, Earth Drill Operators typically have strong Investigative interests. Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Lastly, Earth Drill Operators typically have moderate Conventional interests. Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as an Earth Drill Operator tend to value Support, Independence, and Working Conditions.

Most importantly, Earth Drill Operators strongly value Support. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Second, Earth Drill Operators moderately value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Lastly, Earth Drill Operators moderately value Working Conditions. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Earth Drill Operators must consistently demonstrate qualities such as dependability, attention to detail, and adaptability/flexibility.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Earth Drill Operators, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Dependability		Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Attention to Detail		Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Adaptability/Flexibility		Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Stress Tolerance		Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
Initiative		Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

Dependability

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Attention to Detail

Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Adaptability/Flexibility

Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.

Stress Tolerance

Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.

Initiative

Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

What education and training do Earth Drill Operators need?

Working as an Earth Drill Operator usually requires a high school diploma.

Earth Drill Operators need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Earth Drill Operators

17.0% did not complete high school or secondary school
49.8% completed high school or secondary school
20.6% completed some college coursework
5.6% earned a Associate's degree
5.9% earned a Bachelor's degree
0.9% earned a Master's degree
0.2% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Earth Drill Operators

Earth Drill Operators may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as mechanical, administration and management, or transportation knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Earth Drill Operators might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
Mechanical		Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Administration and Management		Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Transportation		Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Public Safety and Security		Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Design		Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Mechanical

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Administration and Management

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Transportation

Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

Public Safety and Security

Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Design

Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Important Abilities needed by Earth Drill Operators

Earth Drill Operators must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Earth Drill Operators need abilities such as control precision, arm-hand steadiness, and multilimb coordination in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Earth Drill Operators, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
Control Precision		The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Arm-Hand Steadiness		The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Multilimb Coordination		The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Reaction Time		The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
Manual Dexterity		The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

Control Precision

The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

Arm-Hand Steadiness

The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

Multilimb Coordination

The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.

Reaction Time

The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.

Manual Dexterity

The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

Critical Skills needed by Earth Drill Operators

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Earth Drill Operators frequently use skills like operations monitoring, operation and control, and critical thinking to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Earth Drill Operators, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
Operations Monitoring		Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control		Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Critical Thinking		Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Equipment Maintenance		Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Monitoring		Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Operations Monitoring

Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Operation and Control

Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Equipment Maintenance

Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

Career profile Earth Drill Operator

Earth Drill Operator

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