Career
Derrick operators, oil and gas
Run the derricks on oil and gas rigs.
$58,620
Median pay
+1.6%
Job growth, 2025–35
900
Openings a year
No formal educational credential
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Start pumps that circulate mud through drill pipes and boreholes to cool drill bits and flush out drill cuttings.
- Control the viscosity and weight of the drilling fluid.
- Listen to mud pumps and check regularly for vibration and other problems to ensure that rig pumps and drilling mud systems are working properly.
- Inspect derricks, or order their inspection, prior to being raised or lowered.
- Prepare mud reports, and instruct crews about the handling of any chemical additives.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Start pumps that circulate mud through drill pipes and boreholes to cool drill bits and flush out drill cuttings.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Monitoring.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though short-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $58,620 a year and 900 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Well Drilling/DrillerCIP 46.0504
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas$67,890 · +0.8%
- Roustabouts, Oil and Gas$46,960 · +3.6%
- Helpers--Extraction Workers$47,730 · +1.7%
- Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas$60,190 · +3.6%
- Wellhead Pumpers$69,960 · -2.0%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.