Drilling
Gets through rock and ice: drill design, operation and keeping bits turning.
Frontier work hiring now: Drill for heat, not oil: geothermal wells, automated mining rigs and deep boreholes, where oilfield hands are already the ones getting hired.
On Earth
On Earth drilling engineers and drillers work in mining, geothermal, oil and gas and water wells. Mechanical engineers, machinists and mechanics who design and fix the hardware sit here too.
In space
On Mars drilling reaches subsurface ice and samples. NASA has flown sample drills on Curiosity and Perseverance, and Honeybee Robotics built the TRIDENT drill for ice prospecting on the Moon.
Source: NASA: Curiosity sample drilling
Roles on our board now
Real titles from current openings that lead toward Drilling work. 9 internship · 6 entry · 58 experienced
- Senior Mechanical Engineer (9 open)
- Mechanical Engineer (6 open)
- Mechanical Engineer II (3 open)
- Mechanical Engineering (3 open)
- 2027 Early Career Mechanical Engineer (2 open)
- Product Design Mechanical Engineer (2 open)
- CNC Programmer (2 open)
- Senior Drilling Engineer (2 open)
Core skills
- Mechanical design and failure analysis
- Rock and soil mechanics basics
- Motors, gearboxes and torque control
- Test planning and data review
- Shop practice and tooling
Tools you'll see
- SolidWorks, NX or Onshape
- MATLAB or Python
- Data acquisition rigs
- Lathes, mills and hand tools
Earth backgrounds that transfer
- Drillers and toolpushers
- Geothermal and water-well crews
- Machinists
- Mechanical technicians
- Heavy equipment mechanics
Starting out
Mechanical engineering and manufacturing internships are the usual door. Build something that cuts or spins and document how it failed.
Changing careers
Rig experience is rare in space companies and worth a lot. Pair it with a CAD course and apply to mechanical technician or test roles.
Academy track
The Drilling Track: Rigs, Well Control and Geothermal track is open: 4 modules and a final test, free for crew members.
Drilling ranks
Ranks reflect Mars Mining Academy progress. They are not job titles and do not mean employment. Everyone starts at Roustabout the moment they join and pick Drilling. Ranks are worked out from the quizzes you pass, the certificates you earn and the projects you finish. You can't set them yourself.
Roustabout MM-R1
Join the department. Everyone starts here.
Floorhand MM-R2
Pass 2 module quizzes in this department's track and fill in your resume basics: name, contact and target role, education and training, professional experience and skills.
Rig Tech MM-R3
Pass every module quiz in this department's track and finish early life, the work-style interview, passions and at least one portfolio item. Lateral transfer opens here.
Driller MM-R4
Earn the track certificate and finish a solo real-world project, submitted and reviewed. Coming: projects aren't open yet.
Toolpusher MM-R5
Finish a team project with other crew members. Coming: projects aren't open yet.
Rig Manager MM-R6
Lead a team project and pass the capstone. Coming: projects aren't open yet.
Transfers
You serve in one department at a time and start at Roustabout (R1). Once you reach R3 in your department you can put in for a lateral transfer. You start at R1 in the new department, and every rank you earned before stays on your service record, which shows on your dashboard and your certificate verify page.
Before R3 you stay put. The one exception: if you picked wrong, you can change once in your first 7 days.
You can hold top rank in every department. That takes years, because the higher ranks need real-world projects and team work, not just quizzes.
Is this you?
- You want to know why a part broke, not just replace it
- You are comfortable with noise, grease and torque specs
- You enjoy slow, careful progress on hard problems
If you nodded at two or more, Drilling is worth a look. Not sure? Take the quiz.