Oil rig motorhand to derrickhand
An oil rig motorhand already meets 52% of what the derrickhand role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
44.4/ 100
1 How much of what a derrickhand is expected to do is already part of an oil rig motorhand’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 derrickhand role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A derrickhand role treats 7 of its required skills as things an oil rig motorhand already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- guide drill pipes
- maintain mechanical equipment
- mechanical tools
- mechanics
- rigging terminology
- use rigging equipment
What stands in the way is 5 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 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A derrickhand role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an oil rig motorhand background worth leading with.
- already held work in drilling teams communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held guide drill pipes constructing
- already held rigging terminology services
- already held use rigging equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held connect equipment to wellheads working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held maintain mechanical equipment constructing
All 8 carried skills, including the 7 the derrickhand role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 10 missing skills fall into 6 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 maintain circulation system required
- still to learn monitor drilling fluid required
- optional, not held inspect pipelines optional
- still to learn react to events in time-critical environments required
- optional, not held train employees optional
- still to learn control flow of oils required
- optional, not held add chemicals to drilling fluid optional
- still to learn follow safety procedures when working at heights required
- optional, not held inspect quality of products optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a derrickhand role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 control flow of oils practise this
- 02 maintain circulation system practise this
- 03 monitor drilling fluid 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 8 skills that carry over
- already held guide drill pipes skill
- already held maintain mechanical equipment skill
- already held mechanical tools knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held rigging terminology knowledge
- already held use rigging equipment skill
- already held work in drilling teams skill
- already held connect equipment to wellheads skill
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held add chemicals to drilling fluid optional
- optional, not held inspect pipelines optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held inspect quality of products optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
10 held skills the derrickhand role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role direct rigging equipment operators skill
- not needed by the target role electricity knowledge
- not needed by the target role guide cranes skill
- not needed by the target role lead drilling crews skill
- not needed by the target role lift heavy weights skill
- not needed by the target role move rigging equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate rig motors skill
- not needed by the target role set up drilling rigs skill
- not needed by the target role train crew members skill
- not needed by the target role transport drilling rigs 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.
- optional, not held chemistry optional
Other moves recorded from oil rig motorhand
Common questions about this move
Can an oil rig motorhand become a derrickhand?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An oil rig motorhand already covers 52% of what a derrickhand is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 7 of which the derrickhand role treats as required.
What skills does an oil rig motorhand need to become a derrickhand?
5 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by constructing. The single most important is control flow of oils.
How hard is the move from oil rig motorhand to derrickhand?
Its learning distance is 44.4 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.