Also called: Geoprobe Operator, Direct-Push Driller
Runs drilling rigs that take soil cores and install monitoring wells at contaminated sites.
You drive a compact rig onto a site, push steel rods into the ground to pull up soil cores, and install wells so scientists can sample groundwater. You travel a lot, working with geologists at different sites each week.
Earth drillers.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. On-the-job training; CDL and HAZWOPER required.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Growing about average (about 2% over 10 years). Estimate.
Low risk for 10 years. Rigs get better controls, but drilling at messy contaminated sites stays hands-on.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply to environmental drilling firms as a driller’s helper; most pay for the HAZWOPER course First: HAZWOPER 40-hour course (about 1 week); a CDL comes later to run the rig
Classes: Ag mechanics or welding, Earth science.
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.