Well-digger to drill operator
A well-digger already meets 55% of what the drill operator role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
43.9/ 100
1 How much of what a drill operator 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 drill operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A drill operator role treats 8 of its required skills as things a well-digger already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- inspect water wells
- keep task records
- liaise with managers
- mechanics
- operate pumping equipment
- supervise worker safety
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 drill operator 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 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 8 the drill operator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 11 missing skills fall into 8 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 evaluate employees work required
- still to learn plan shifts of employees required
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- still to learn present reports required
- optional, not held train employees optional
- still to learn mine safety legislation required
- still to learn operate drilling equipment required
- still to learn install oil rig required
- optional, not held maintain circulation system optional
2 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 install oil rig practise this
- 02 mine safety legislation study this
- 03 operate drilling 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 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 mechanics knowledge
- already held operate pumping equipment skill
- already held supervise worker safety 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
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held maintain circulation system optional
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
16 held skills the drill operator 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 maintain mechanical equipment 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 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 use rigging equipment skill
- not needed by the target role well testing operations knowledge
2 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
Common questions about this move
Can a well-digger become a drill operator?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A well-digger already covers 55% of what a drill operator is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 8 of which the drill operator role treats as required.
What skills does a well-digger need to become a drill operator?
6 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is install oil rig.
How hard is the move from well-digger to drill operator?
Its learning distance is 43.9 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.