Drill operator to tool pusher
A drill operator already meets 36% of what the tool pusher role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
58.6/ 100
1 How much of what a tool pusher is expected to do is already part of a drill operator’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the tool pusher role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A tool pusher role treats 4 of its required skills as things a drill operator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- install oil rig
- mechanics
- plan shifts of employees
- supervise worker safety
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 5 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A tool pusher role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a drill operator background worth leading with.
- already held install oil rig working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held supervise worker safety assisting and caring
- already held plan shifts of employees management skills
- already held present reports communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 5 carried skills, including the 4 the tool pusher role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 9 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn plan rig moves required
- still to learn plan rig operations required
- still to learn manage mining plant equipment required
- optional, not held supply rigging equipment optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- still to learn oil rig legislation required
- still to learn give instructions to staff required
- still to learn select well equipment required
- still to learn monitor oil rig costs required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a tool pusher role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 monitor oil rig costs practise this
- 02 plan rig moves practise this
- 03 plan rig operations practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 5 skills that carry over
- already held install oil rig skill
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held plan shifts of employees skill
- already held supervise worker safety skill
- already held present reports skill
2 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held supply rigging equipment optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
18 held skills the tool pusher role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role connect equipment to wellheads skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate employees work skill
- not needed by the target role follow safety procedures when working at heights skill
- not needed by the target role health and safety hazards underground knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect pipelines skill
- not needed by the target role inspect water wells skill
- not needed by the target role keep task records skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
- not needed by the target role maintain circulation system skill
- not needed by the target role mine safety legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor stock level skill
- not needed by the target role operate drilling equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate pumping equipment skill
- not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
- not needed by the target role work ergonomically skill
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn oil rig legislation required
Common questions about this move
Can a drill operator become a tool pusher?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A drill operator already covers 36% of what a tool pusher is expected to do: 5 skills carry over, 4 of which the tool pusher role treats as required.
What skills does a drill operator need to become a tool pusher?
7 required skills are missing, plus 2 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is monitor oil rig costs.
How hard is the move from drill operator to tool pusher?
Its learning distance is 58.6 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.