Also called: Fishing Tool Operator, Fishing Specialist
Gets broken drill pipe and lost tools out of the bottom of wells two miles deep, using hooks, magnets and "jars."
A drill bit snapped off 12,000 feet down. You study the broken edge from the pipe that came up, pick a tool that can grab it, and guide the crew as they lower it. You feel for the "fish" through the pipe's weight, latch on, and hammer it loose with a hydraulic jar.
Paid by the job; very busy when drilling is busy.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 5 years after high school. High school plus years of rig or tool experience; some have engineering technology degrees.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Drilling Technology, Petroleum Engineering Technology.
Growing about average. Follows oil and gas drilling activity.
Low risk for 10 years. Downhole sensors and software help, but feel, judgment and rig-floor work stay human.
Classes: Physics, Shop class, Algebra, Welding.
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.