Drill operator to well-digger
A drill operator already meets 44% of what the well-digger role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
56.7/ 100
1 How much of what a well-digger 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 well-digger role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A well-digger role treats 5 of its required skills as things a drill operator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- inspect water wells
- keep task records
- liaise with managers
- work ergonomically
- write work-related reports
What stands in the way is 6 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 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A well-digger 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 inspect water wells information skills
- already held connect equipment to wellheads working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held supervise worker safety assisting and caring
- already held operate pumping equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held health and safety hazards underground services
- already held inspect pipelines constructing
All 12 carried skills, including the 5 the well-digger role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 7 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 dig wells required
- still to learn repair wells required
- optional, not held guide cranes optional
- optional, not held operate core drilling equipment optional
- optional, not held use rigging equipment optional
- still to learn select well equipment required
- optional, not held clean up spilled oil optional
- optional, not held clear drill sites optional
- still to learn suggest well maintenance required
- optional, not held maintain mechanical equipment optional
- still to learn well testing operations required
- still to learn report well results required
- optional, not held coordinate oil well operations optional
- optional, not held manage well interaction optional
- optional, not held supervise well operations optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a well-digger role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 12 skills that carry over
- already held inspect water wells skill
- already held keep task records skill
- already held liaise with managers skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
- already held write work-related reports skill
- already held connect equipment to wellheads skill
- already held follow safety procedures when working at heights skill
- already held health and safety hazards underground knowledge
- already held inspect pipelines skill
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held operate pumping equipment skill
- already held supervise worker safety skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held plan oil wells optional
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held clean up spilled oil optional
- optional, not held clear drill sites optional
- optional, not held coordinate oil well operations optional
- optional, not held guide cranes optional
- optional, not held maintain mechanical equipment optional
- optional, not held manage well interaction optional
- optional, not held operate core drilling equipment optional
- optional, not held plan oil wells optional
- optional, not held supervise well operations optional
- optional, not held use rigging equipment optional
11 held skills the well-digger role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role evaluate employees work skill
- not needed by the target role install oil rig 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 plan shifts of employees skill
- not needed by the target role present reports skill
- not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
- not needed by the target role train employees 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 well testing operations required
Common questions about this move
Can a drill operator become a well-digger?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A drill operator already covers 44% of what a well-digger is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 5 of which the well-digger role treats as required.
What skills does a drill operator need to become a well-digger?
6 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is dig wells.
How hard is the move from drill operator to well-digger?
Its learning distance is 56.7 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.