Well Drilling/Driller

Types of Degrees Well Drilling/Driller Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many well drilling/driller graduations there were in 2021-2022 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	5

What Well Drilling/Driller Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, well drilling/driller majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Well Drilling/Driller Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in well drilling/driller should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• 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.
• 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.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Skills for Well Drilling/Driller Majors

well drilling/driller majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

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

Abilities for Well Drilling/Driller Majors

Well Drilling/Driller majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
• 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.
• 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).
• 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.

What Can You Do With a Well Drilling/Driller Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with well drilling/driller:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas	25.2%	$46,120
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas	19.9%	$44,430
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	12.6%	$65,230
Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas	24.6%	$53,800

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Well Drilling/Driller?

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of well drilling/driller majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	0
Black or African American	3
Hispanic or Latino	0
White	2
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	0

How Much Do Well Drilling/Driller Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Well Drilling/Driller majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $47,570 to $56,740 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Well Drilling/Driller

Some careers associated with well drilling/driller require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for well drilling/driller careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	26.5%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	39.2%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	13.6%
Some College Courses	18.1%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.1%
Bachelor’s Degree	2.0%

Online Well Drilling/Driller Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	1	0
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	0	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Well Drilling/Driller Worth It?

The median salary for a well drilling/driller grad is $47,630 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 19% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $154,600 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Well Drilling/Driller

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to well drilling/driller.

Major	Number of Grads
Plumbing Technology/Plumber	2,209
Pipefitting/Pipefitter & Sprinkler Fitter	663
Other Plumbing & Related Water Supply Services	11
Blasting/Blaster	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Tomwsulcer under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.