Also called: Directional Drilling Specialist
Steers a drill bit miles underground to hit a target the size of a room.
You live on the rig for two weeks at a time. From a screen in the doghouse you read sensors near the bit and make tiny steering adjustments so the well curves sideways right into the oil layer.
High pay comes with long hitches away from home.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 2 years after high school. High school plus years of rig experience; company training programs; some have degrees.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Petroleum Technology.
Growing slowly. Tied to oil and gas drilling activity.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. Remote operations centers and AI steering now drill many wells automatically, so fewer drillers on rigs; tricky wells still need people.
Classes: Physics, Geometry, Earth science, Computer science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 47-5099.
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.