Also called: Well Driller, Drill Rig Operator
Drills wells for homes, farms, and cities, and installs pumps to bring groundwater to the surface.
You set up a truck-mounted drill rig and bore hundreds of feet down through soil and rock, reading what comes up to know when you've hit water. Then you install casing and a pump. Rural families depend on you for water.
Earth drillers.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Apprenticeship, about 2 years after high school. On-the-job training or apprenticeship; state driller license required in most states.
Ways in: Apprenticeship, On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Water Well Technology (trade program).
Growing about average (about 2% over 10 years). Estimate.
Low risk for 10 years. Better rig controls help, but drilling and setting pumps in every kind of ground stays hands-on.
Classes: Ag mechanics or welding, Earth science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 47-5023.
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.