# Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas

> Set up or operate a variety of drills to remove underground oil and gas, or remove core samples for testing during oil and gas exploration.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/rotary-drill-operators-oil-and-gas
- SOC code: 47-5012.00
- Career family: Construction and extraction
- Median annual pay: $67,890 (10th percentile $47,010, 90th percentile $101,860)
- Projected growth: Little or no change, +0.8%
- Openings a year: 1,100
- Typical entry education: No formal credential
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 100 |
| Investigative (I) | 34 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 3 |
| Enterprising (E) | 20 |
| Conventional (C) | 46 |

## What you'd do

- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 89/100)
- Controlling Machines and Processes (importance 86/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 84/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 81/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 80/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 79/100)
- Getting Information (importance 79/100)
- Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment (importance 78/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 77/100)
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 76/100)

## Skills

Critical Thinking, Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Active Listening, Instructing, Coordination, Speaking, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making

## Knowledge

Mechanical, Mathematics, Administration and Management, Education and Training, Personnel and Human Resources, Public Safety and Security, Chemistry, Production and Processing, Transportation, Engineering and Technology

## Also called

Blast Driller, Cable Driller, Cable Tool Driller, Clean Out Driller, Core Drill Operator, Core Driller, Daylight Driller, Directional Drill Operator, Directional Driller, Drill Hand

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4605) (CIP 4605, 165 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Ivy Tech Community College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/ivy-tech-community-college-1314) | Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services | $94,410 | $93,701 | not reported |
| [New England Institute of Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/college/new-england-institute-of-technology-1845) | Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services | $49,923 | $54,989 | $12,000 |

## Related careers

- [Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/earth-drillers-except-oil-and-gas): $60,190 median pay
- [Helpers--Extraction Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/helpers-extraction-workers): $47,730 median pay
- [Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/service-unit-operators-oil-and-gas): $58,160 median pay
- [Roustabouts, Oil and Gas](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/roustabouts-oil-and-gas): $46,960 median pay
- [Wellhead Pumpers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/wellhead-pumpers): $69,960 median pay
- [Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/derrick-operators-oil-and-gas): $58,620 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.