Well-digger to derrickhand
A well-digger already meets 33% of what the derrickhand role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
60.5/ 100
1 How much of what a derrickhand is expected to do is already part of a well-digger’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 4 of its required skills as things a well-digger already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- follow safety procedures when working at heights
- maintain mechanical equipment
- mechanics
- use rigging equipment
What stands in the way is 8 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 6 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 a well-digger background worth leading with.
- 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 inspect pipelines constructing
- already held maintain mechanical equipment constructing
- already held follow safety procedures when working at heights assisting and caring
- already held mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 6 carried skills, including the 4 the derrickhand role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 12 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 guide drill pipes required
- still to learn maintain circulation system required
- still to learn monitor drilling fluid required
- still to learn work in drilling teams required
- 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 mechanical tools required
- still to learn rigging terminology required
- optional, not held inspect quality of products optional
1 further area in the appendix
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 guide drill pipes practise this
- 03 maintain circulation system 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 6 skills that carry over
- already held follow safety procedures when working at heights skill
- already held maintain mechanical equipment skill
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held use rigging equipment skill
- already held connect equipment to wellheads skill
- already held inspect pipelines skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held chemistry optional
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held add chemicals to drilling fluid optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held inspect quality of products optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
22 held skills the derrickhand role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role clean up spilled oil skill
- not needed by the target role clear drill sites skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate oil well operations skill
- not needed by the target role dig wells skill
- not needed by the target role guide cranes skill
- not needed by the target role health and safety hazards underground knowledge
- 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 manage well interaction skill
- not needed by the target role operate core drilling equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate pumping equipment skill
- not needed by the target role plan oil wells skill
- not needed by the target role repair wells skill
- not needed by the target role report well results skill
- not needed by the target role select well equipment skill
- not needed by the target role suggest well maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role supervise well operations skill
- not needed by the target role supervise worker safety skill
- not needed by the target role well testing operations knowledge
- not needed by the target role work ergonomically skill
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports 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 rigging terminology required
- still to learn mechanical tools required
- optional, not held chemistry optional
Common questions about this move
Can a well-digger become a derrickhand?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A well-digger already covers 33% of what a derrickhand is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 4 of which the derrickhand role treats as required.
What skills does a well-digger need to become a derrickhand?
8 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by constructing. The single most important is control flow of oils.
How hard is the move from well-digger to derrickhand?
Its learning distance is 60.5 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.