Drill press 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, drill press operators rate their career happiness 2.3 out of 5 stars which puts them in the bottom 3% of careers.

To put this into perspective, we compared how happy drill press 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
Metal worker
2.5
$15k
Machine assembler
2.4
$26k
Garbage collector
2.4
$15k
Vehicle cleaner
2.4
$9k
Petroleum pump system operator
2.3
$64k
Drill press operator
2.3
$42k
Molding and casting worker
2.3
$17k
Dyeing machine operator
2.2
$13k
Stock clerk
2.2
$23k

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

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

Are drill press operators happy with their salary?

Drill press operators rated their satisfaction with their salaries 2.5/5. The majority of drill press operators are quite happy with their salaries, with very few having complaints about their income level.

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

2.5 out of 5 stars

34 drill press operators

5 Star
18%

18% of drill press operators rated their compensation 5 stars

4 Star
44%

44% of drill press operators rated their compensation 4 stars

3 Star
9%

9% of drill press operators rated their compensation 3 stars

2 Star
29%

29% of drill press operators rated their compensation 2 stars

Do drill press operators find their jobs meaningful?

On average, drill press operators rate the meaningfulness of their work a 2.0/5. The majority of drill press operators struggle to find any sort of meaning in their work, likely resulting in less satisfaction with the career overall.

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

2.0 out of 5 stars

42 drill press operators

5 Star
2%

2% of drill press operators rated how meaningful they found their career 5 stars

4 Star
5%

5% of drill press operators rated how meaningful they found their career 4 stars

3 Star
29%

29% of drill press operators rated how meaningful they found their career 3 stars

2 Star
17%

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

1 Star
48%

48% of drill press operators rated how meaningful they found their career 1 stars

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

Drill press operators rated their personality fit with their work an average of 3.0/5. The majority of drill press operators don’t see personality fit as a hinderence in their career.

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

3.0 out of 5 stars

45 drill press operators

5 Star
7%

7% of drill press operators rated their career fit 5 stars

4 Star
33%

33% of drill press operators rated their career fit 4 stars

3 Star
31%

31% of drill press operators rated their career fit 3 stars

2 Star
16%

16% of drill press operators rated their career fit 2 stars

1 Star
13%

13% of drill press operators rated their career fit 1 stars

How enjoyable is a drill press operator’s work environment?

As a whole, drill press operators rated their enjoyment of their work environment 2.7/5. A solid majority of drill press operators enjoy their work environment, probably contributing to overall higher satisfaction with working as a drill press operator.

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

2.7 out of 5 stars

45 drill press operators

5 Star
27%

27% of drill press operators rated their work environment 5 stars

4 Star
38%

38% of drill press operators rated their work environment 4 stars

3 Star
13%

13% of drill press operators rated their work environment 3 stars

2 Star
22%

22% of drill press operators rated their work environment 2 stars

Are drill press operators making the best use of their abilities?

Former drill press operators on CareerExplorer have rated their skills utilization 2.4/5. Most feel that their skills are being underutilized in the career, probably leading to more general dissatisfaction with being a drill press operator.

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

2.4 out of 5 stars

45 drill press operators

5 Star
4%

4% of drill press operators rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 5 stars

4 Star
20%

20% of drill press operators rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 4 stars

3 Star
20%

20% of drill press operators rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 3 stars

2 Star
22%

22% of drill press operators rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 2 stars

1 Star
33%

33% of drill press operators rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 1 stars