Photo: Houanjeen'aih (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Job description
A shift often starts with driving a truck-mounted service unit out to a well site, then running safety checks on the equipment before raising the derrick or leveling the rig. Much of the actual work involves threading cable through pulleys, installing pressure-control devices on the wellhead, and operating pumps that push water or oil through the well to clear sand and debris blocking the flow. It's outdoor, physical work done in a tight-knit crew, often in extreme weather and around heavy machinery, so following safety procedure precisely really does prevent serious injuries.
Pros
- Pay can reach over $97k without requiring any postsecondary education
- Low barrier to entry: just a high school diploma and on-the-job training
- Hands-on, team-based fieldwork operating heavy equipment on active well sites
Cons
- Above-average hours, often 40-50 per week including travel between well sites
- Slower than average projected job growth over the next decade
- Physically demanding outdoor work with hazardous equipment where mistakes carry serious consequences
A typical day
The workover rig crew spots the unit over a well that's stopped earning its keep: the operator's morning is rigging up — guy lines, blocks, and BOP tested — before tripping rods and tubing out of the hole, thousands of feet of steel handled joint by joint with the crew's practiced count. The culprit today is a worn downhole pump, swapped for a rebuilt one, but the operator watches the well's behavior the whole time because a well being serviced is a well that can surprise. The afternoon runs everything back in the hole, pressure tests, and returns the well to production before rig-down. Tomorrow is a different lease, maybe a stuck-tool fishing job — the oilfield's version of surgery.
Tasks at the job
- Maintain and perform safety inspections on equipment and tools.
- Operate controls that raise derricks or level rigs.
- Install pressure-control devices onto wellheads.
- Operate pumps that circulate water, oil, or other fluids through wells to remove sand or other materials obstructing the free flow of oil.
- Drive truck-mounted units to well sites.
- Thread cables through derrick pulleys, using hand tools.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens primarily outdoors, exposed to whatever the weather is doing, and most of the day is spent on your feet, and you work in close physical proximity to coworkers or the public for much of the shift. Noise levels can be distracting or uncomfortable. The role involves regular exposure to hazardous equipment or conditions and contaminants and working at heights, and specialized protective equipment is standard.
The pace is often fast, with real time pressure to meet deadlines, and you're expected to exercise significant independent judgment day to day. Mistakes can have serious consequences, so accuracy matters a lot. Almost all of the work is done as part of a team.
Education necessary or common
High school diploma; some on-the-job training or apprenticeship
Licenses & certifications
- SafeLand USA
- H2S certification
- OSHA 10
- Well control certification (advancing roles)
Career path
Related fields
Courses to take
- Physics — pressure and mechanical advantage rule the rig
- Shop/Mechanical — the equipment is the classroom
- Algebra II — tubing tallies and pressures
- Chemistry — well fluids and treatments
- Driver's Education — oilfield roads and equipment moves
Clubs, activities & competitions
- FFA — machinery-country skills
- SkillsUSA
- Football or wrestling — the crew culture values toughness
- A hard physical summer job
First steps you can take now
- Learn what a workover rig does from industry videos — it's the oilfield's least-known good job
- Get OSHA 10 online; SafeLand and H2S training come with hiring
- Look up well-service companies' floorhand openings in producing regions at 18
- Build the fitness and reliability the crew life demands
