Derrick operators are one of the least happy careers in the United States.

At CareerExplorer, we conduct an ongoing survey with millions of people and ask them how satisfied they are with their careers. As it turns out, derrick operators rate their career happiness 2.6 out of 5 stars which puts them in the bottom 6% of careers.

To put this into perspective, we compared how happy derrick operators are to similar careers in the industry. Take a look at the results below:

Salaries and satisfaction ratings in similar careers

Career Satisfaction Avg Salary
Delivery service driver
2.6
$38k
Hazardous materials removal worker
2.6
$46k
Traffic technician
2.6
$49k
Recreational vehicle service technician
2.6
$44k
Derrick operator
2.6
$47k
Drywall installer
2.6
$48k
Roofer
2.6
$47k
Butcher
2.6
$36k
Glazier
2.6
$47k
Exterminator
2.5
$38k

So what does it mean to be happy in your career? Let’s break it down into different dimensions:

  • Salary: Are derrick operators happy with their salary?
  • Meaning: Do derrick operators find their jobs meaningful?
  • Personality fit: How well suited are people’s personalities to their everyday tasks as derrick operators?
  • Work environment: How enjoyable are derrick operator’s work environments?
  • Skills utilization: Are derrick operators making the best use of their abilities?

Are derrick operators happy with their salary?

Derrick operators rated their satisfaction with their salaries 4.3/5. The majority of derrick operators are quite happy with their salaries, with very few having complaints about their income level.

We asked derrick operators how fairly compensated they are for their work.
Their response was:

4.3 out of 5 stars

30 derrick operators

5 Star
57%

57% of derrick operators rated their compensation 5 stars

4 Star
23%

23% of derrick operators rated their compensation 4 stars

3 Star
17%

17% of derrick operators rated their compensation 3 stars

2 Star
3%

3% of derrick operators rated their compensation 2 stars

Do derrick operators find their jobs meaningful?

On average, derrick operators rate the meaningfulness of their work a 2.3/5. The majority of derrick operators struggle to find any sort of meaning in their work, likely resulting in less satisfaction with the career overall.

We asked derrick operators how meaningful they found their work.
Their response was:

2.3 out of 5 stars

30 derrick operators

5 Star
7%

7% of derrick operators rated how meaningful they found their career 5 stars

4 Star
10%

10% of derrick operators rated how meaningful they found their career 4 stars

3 Star
30%

30% of derrick operators rated how meaningful they found their career 3 stars

2 Star
17%

17% of derrick operators rated how meaningful they found their career 2 stars

1 Star
37%

37% of derrick operators rated how meaningful they found their career 1 stars

How well are people’s personalities suited to everyday tasks as derrick operators?

Derrick operators rated their personality fit with their work an average of 3.6/5. The majority of derrick operators find their personalities quite well suited to their work, with relatively few having complaints about their fit.

We asked derrick operators how well their personalities fit into their careers.
Their response was:

3.6 out of 5 stars

34 derrick operators

5 Star
26%

26% of derrick operators rated their career fit 5 stars

4 Star
38%

38% of derrick operators rated their career fit 4 stars

3 Star
12%

12% of derrick operators rated their career fit 3 stars

2 Star
21%

21% of derrick operators rated their career fit 2 stars

1 Star
3%

3% of derrick operators rated their career fit 1 stars

How enjoyable is a derrick operator’s work environment?

As a whole, derrick operators rated their enjoyment of their work environment 3.1/5. Most of them tend to enjoy, or at least not be actively bothered by, their work environment.

We asked derrick operators how much they enjoyed their work environment.
Their response was:

3.1 out of 5 stars

34 derrick operators

5 Star
15%

15% of derrick operators rated their work environment 5 stars

4 Star
24%

24% of derrick operators rated their work environment 4 stars

3 Star
32%

32% of derrick operators rated their work environment 3 stars

2 Star
12%

12% of derrick operators rated their work environment 2 stars

1 Star
18%

18% of derrick operators rated their work environment 1 stars

Are derrick operators making the best use of their abilities?

Former derrick operators on CareerExplorer have rated their skills utilization 2.9/5. Derrick operators tend to feel that they don’t manage to use their abilities to their fullest, when compared to other careers.

We asked derrick operators how well their abilities were used in their careers.
Their response was:

2.9 out of 5 stars

33 derrick operators

5 Star
15%

15% of derrick operators rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 5 stars

4 Star
15%

15% of derrick operators rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 4 stars

3 Star
30%

30% of derrick operators rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 3 stars

2 Star
21%

21% of derrick operators rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 2 stars

1 Star
18%

18% of derrick operators rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 1 stars