Earth Driller (Except Oil and Gas)
Earth Driller (Except Oil and Gas)
Career Overview
Earth drillers operate specialized drilling equipment to bore into the ground for purposes such as accessing water, collecting soil or rock samples, exploring mineral deposits, and preparing sites for construction. They set up and operate drilling equipment, monitor the drilling process, maintain machinery, and carefully follow technical and safety procedures
Education
A high school education is a common starting point. Many earth drillers develop their skills through on-the-job training, apprenticeship programs, or specialized technical training. Experience with heavy equipment or mechanical systems can also be valuable. Training and certification requirements vary by location.
Future Outlook
Earth drilling is used in construction, water access, mineral exploration, environmental investigations, and other projects that require information or access beneath the ground. As communities develop infrastructure and industries continue to explore and manage natural resources, skilled drilling operators will continue to have opportunities. Workers who develop strong equipment, mechanical, technical, and safety skills can adapt to different types of drilling work. Current projections indicate average employment growth for this occupation.
Work Environment
Earth drillers typically work outdoors at construction sites, mines, quarries, water-well sites, and other locations where drilling is required. The work involves operating heavy machinery and may involve vibration, noise, dust, changing weather conditions, and uneven terrain. Careful equipment operation, attention to detail, teamwork, and a strong commitment to safety are important.
Recommended High School Courses
- Communication
- Earth Structures
- Construction safety
- Physical fitness
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- 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.
- Equipment Selection - Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- 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.
- Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
- Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
- 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.
- Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
- 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.
- Auditory Attention - The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
- Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Depth Perception - The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
- Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
- Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Hearing Sensitivity - The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- 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.
- 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.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Perceptual Speed - The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Rate Control - The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
- Reaction Time - The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
- Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Visual Color Discrimination - The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
- Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Fabricate parts or components.
- Operate drilling equipment.
- Operate pumps or compressors.
- Pour materials into or on designated areas.
- Drive trucks or truck-mounted equipment.
- Select construction equipment.
- Install drilling equipment.
- Develop equipment or component configurations.
- Monitor extraction operations.
- Remove debris or vegetation from work sites.
- Position construction or extraction equipment.
- Maintain drilling equipment.
- Measure work site dimensions.
- Record operational or environmental data.
- Assemble products or production equipment.
- Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.
- Determine appropriate locations for operations or installations.
- Review blueprints or specifications to determine work requirements.
- Drill holes in earth or rock.
- Inspect equipment or tools to be used in construction or excavation.
- Clean equipment or facilities.
- Decontaminate equipment or sites to remove hazardous or toxic substances.
- Prepare excavation or extraction sites for commissioning or decommissioning.
- Signal equipment operators to indicate proper equipment positioning.
- Collect geological samples.
Schools
Colorado School Of Mines
Missouri University Of Sc...
Southern Illinois Univers...
University Of Arizona- Co...
University Of Kentucky
University Of Nevada- Ren...
University Of Utah
Virginia Tech
West Virginia University-...
Cambrian College
Fleming College- Frost...
Northern College- Hail...
Northern College- Kirk...
Northern College- Timm...
Potential Scholarships
5 Strong Scholarship
Agnes M. Lindsay Scholars...
Curt Pozan Trades Scholar...
Approx Salary Expectation
Low End:
$40,000.00 /yr
Avg/Med:
$60,000.00 /yr
High End:
$124,000.00 /yr
References
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.