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Oil Rig Rotary Drill Operator

Engineering

Set up or operate a variety of drills to remove underground oil and gas, or remove core samples for testing during oil and gas exploration.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

Mechanical Engineering

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Train crews, and introduce procedures to make drill work more safe and effective.
  2. 2Observe pressure gauge and move throttles and levers to control the speed of rotary tables, and to regulate pressure of tools at bottoms of boreholes.
  3. 3Count sections of drill rod to determine depths of boreholes.
  4. 4Push levers and brake pedals to control gasoline, diesel, electric, or steam draw works that lower and raise drill pipes and casings in and out of wells.
  5. 5Connect sections of drill pipe, using hand tools and powered wrenches and tongs.
  6. 6Maintain records of footage drilled, location and nature of strata penetrated, materials and tools used, services rendered, and time required.
  7. 7Maintain and adjust machinery to ensure proper performance.
  8. 8Start and examine operation of slush pumps to ensure circulation and consistency of drilling fluid or mud in well.
  9. 9Locate and recover lost or broken bits, casings, and drill pipes from wells, using special tools.
  10. 10Weigh clay, and mix with water and chemicals to make drilling mud.
  11. 11Direct rig crews in drilling and other activities, such as setting up rigs and completing or servicing wells.
  12. 12Monitor progress of drilling operations, and select and change drill bits according to the nature of strata, using hand tools.
  13. 13Repair or replace defective parts of machinery, such as rotary drill rigs, water trucks, air compressors, and pumps, using hand tools.
  14. 14Cap wells with packers, or turn valves, to regulate outflow of oil from wells.
  15. 15Clean and oil pulleys, blocks, and cables.
  16. 16Line drilled holes with pipes, and install all necessary hardware, to prepare new wells.
  17. 17Bolt together pump and engine parts, and connect tanks and flow lines.
  18. 18Position and prepare truck-mounted derricks at drilling areas specified on field maps.
  19. 19Remove core samples during drilling to determine the nature of the strata being drilled.
  20. 20Plug observation wells, and restore sites.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Driller
  • Locator
  • Floorhand
  • Motor Man
  • Drill Hand
  • Derrickhand
  • Oil Driller
  • Tool Pusher
  • Core Driller
  • Spud Driller

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. Typical entry

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationLess than high school

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

Mechanical Engineering StudiesDraws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
PhysicsDraws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Design & Technology (RBT)Draws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Mechanical77%

    Mechanical Engineering StudiesPhysicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Mathematics75%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

  • Administration and Management67%

    BusinessEconomics

  • Education and Training64%
  • Personnel and Human Resources62%

    Business

  • Public Safety and Security57%

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Leading or coordinating othersVery high
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedAlmost never
  • Outdoors, in all weatherEvery day
  • Noisy environmentEvery day
  • Time spent sittingAlmost none

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

0%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Electrician (Chargeman)

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Matriculation

One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.

12–24 months

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org