Construction and Extraction
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas
Operate a variety of drills such as rotary, churn, and pneumatic to tap subsurface water and salt deposits, to remove core samples during mineral exploration or soil testing, and to facilitate the use of explosives in mining or construction. Includes horizontal and earth boring machine operators.
Also called: Blast Hole Driller, Diamond Driller, Drill Operator, Driller, Hard Rock Drill Operator, Highwall Drill Operator
- Median pay in Greater Boston
- $73,090
- $35.14/hr
- Jobs in Greater Boston
- 90
- Massachusetts 2024–2034
- +13.1%
- 20 openings a year
- Typical U.S. entry requirement
- High school diploma or equivalent
- plus Long-term on-the-job training; Less than 5 years of related work experience
Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.
Pay range in Greater Boston
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $54,510 | $54,510 | $73,090 | $74,770 | $87,900 |
10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.
What you’d do
- Operate controls to stabilize machines and to position and align drills.
- Start, stop, and control drilling speed of machines and insertion of casings into holes.
- Regulate air pressure, rotary speed, and downward pressure, according to the type of rock or concrete being drilled.
- Select and attach drill bits and drill rods, adding more rods as hole depths increase, and changing drill bits as needed.
- Drive or guide truck-mounted equipment into position, level and stabilize rigs, and extend telescoping derricks.
- Operate machines to flush earth cuttings or to blow dust from holes.
AI and this job
AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.
Lower exposure23 of 100
The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:
- AIOE 27
- Language-model AIOE 18
- GPTs-are-GPTs 25
Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)
AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. The work is physical and depends on judgment about rock and soil: positioning rigs, adjusting drilling pressure, and changing bits. AI tools may help a little with planning and logging, but they do not run the rig.
Likely to change
- Planning and logging drilling work
- Tracking equipment settings and schedules
Still relies on people
- Positioning and leveling the drilling rig
- Adjusting drilling to rock and soil
Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.
Next steps from here
Related jobs that build on what you already do.
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
Controlling heavy machines and moving truck-mounted rigs carry over to construction equipment operation, with similar pay and short training.
- Pay difference
- +$3,850 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +6.3%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Crane and Tower Operators
Skill with controls, rig setup, and site safety carries over to crane operation, which offers higher pay and fast job growth.
- Pay difference
- +$25,050 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +16.1%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
Knowing how drills and heavy rigs work helps you repair heavy equipment, a trade with long-term training and steady pay.
- Pay difference
- +$3,680 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +4.9%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Training near Boston
College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).
No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.
Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.
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- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
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- Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing
- Pile Driver Operators
- Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Maintenance Workers, Machinery
- Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
Talk to a career coach
A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.
Talk to a career coach