Construction & Extraction

Derrick & Rotary Drill Operators

SOC 47-5011

Operate the rigs that drill for oil and gas, often far from home.

Median pay

$59k

$50k to $72k typical range

Outlook

Stable

1k openings / yr

Education

No formal credential

AI exposure

16%

modeled estimate · 13th pct in Microsoft's data

Future-proof

48/100

Key skills

Critical Thinking
Speaking
Monitoring
Active Listening
Reading Comprehension
Writing

Where this ranks

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Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2024-2034). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How we model AI exposure.