Also called: Surface Mining Excavator Operator, Shovel Operator (Surface Mine)
Operates a dragline, one of the largest machines on Earth, scooping away hundreds of tons of earth per bucket at a surface mine.
Your cab sits on a machine as tall as a 20-story building, and its bucket could hold a couple of cars. You swing, drop and drag the bucket across the dirt in a smooth rhythm for 12 hours, uncovering a coal seam below. Small mistakes are expensive, so smooth hands earn top pay.
Estimated from BLS surface-mining excavating and loading machine operators; dragline operators are at the high end.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school plus MSHA training; most move up from smaller equipment over several years.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Shrinking (about -2% over 10 years). Tied to surface coal mining, which is slowly shrinking.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. Draglines are being automated and remote-operated, and coal mine closures shrink demand.
Classes: Physics, Mechanics CTE class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 47-5022.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.