Tool pusher to drill operator
A tool pusher already meets 29% of what the drill operator role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
64.9/ 100
1 How much of what a drill operator is expected to do is already part of a tool pusher’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 drill operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A drill operator role treats 5 of its required skills as things a tool pusher already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- install oil rig
- mechanics
- plan shifts of employees
- present reports
- supervise worker safety
What stands in the way is 9 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 drill operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a tool pusher 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 5 the drill operator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 18 missing skills fall into 10 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 liaise with managers required
- still to learn write work-related reports required
- optional, not held train employees optional
- still to learn inspect water wells required
- still to learn keep task records required
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- still to learn work ergonomically required
- optional, not held follow safety procedures when working at heights optional
- still to learn evaluate employees work required
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- still to learn operate pumping equipment required
- optional, not held connect equipment to wellheads optional
- still to learn mine safety legislation required
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a drill operator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 mine safety legislation study this
- 02 operate drilling equipment practise this
- 03 operate pumping equipment 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 present reports skill
- already held supervise worker safety skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn operate drilling equipment required
- optional, not held inspect pipelines optional
- optional, not held maintain circulation system optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held health and safety hazards underground optional
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held connect equipment to wellheads optional
- optional, not held inspect pipelines optional
- optional, not held maintain circulation system optional
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held follow safety procedures when working at heights optional
- optional, not held health and safety hazards underground optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
9 held skills the drill operator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role give instructions to staff skill
- not needed by the target role manage mining plant equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role monitor oil rig costs skill
- not needed by the target role oil rig legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role plan rig moves skill
- not needed by the target role plan rig operations skill
- not needed by the target role select well equipment skill
- not needed by the target role supply rigging equipment skill
3 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 mine safety legislation required
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held health and safety hazards underground optional
Other moves recorded from tool pusher
Common questions about this move
Can a tool pusher become a drill operator?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A tool pusher already covers 29% of what a drill operator is expected to do: 5 skills carry over, 5 of which the drill operator role treats as required.
What skills does a tool pusher need to become a drill operator?
9 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is mine safety legislation.
How hard is the move from tool pusher to drill operator?
Its learning distance is 64.9 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.