Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Careers

captain-500Working as a captain, first mate or boat pilot is an exciting career that allows you to spend your days travelling along America’s many inland waterways or heading across oceans to visit domestic and foreign ports. With this career, you could travel all around the globe or spend your time traversing the area around your hometown.

This type of career allows you to live virtually anywhere, as job opportunities abound anywhere there’s a major river, ocean or other navigable waterway. These careers are great for anyone who enjoys spending their time outdoors, as most of your hours will be spent out on the water aboard your vessel.

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Career Snapshot

The work environment for this type of career depends on what type of vessel you work on. Some boat and ferry pilots work typical eight-hour days, whereas long-haul captains and mates usually have much longer shifts and can work for up to several weeks in a row without a day off. There are also many captains that own their own vessels, giving them the freedom to dictate their own schedule.

Further details on a career as a captain, mate, or pilot of water vessels are listed below (statistics from the May 2015 Bureau of Labor Statistics and Onet Online):

$76,780

is the average yearly salary for captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels.

10%

increase in employment between 2014 and 2024.

52%

have a Post-secondary certificate while 22% have a High school diploma or equivalent.

Education

Generally speaking, there are no education requirements for this type of career, as even those without a high-school diploma can qualify for entry-level positions. However, the higher-level positions like officers and engineers usually require a U.S. Coast Guard certificate, and more than 50 percent of employees have some form of post-secondary certificate. In addition, many positions also require a TSA Transportation Worker Identification Credential and/or a Merchant Marine Credential.

Job Duties

As a water transportation worker, your main duties will involve the operation and maintenance of vessels used for taking people and goods over water. This could include piloting the vessel, navigation and a wide range of other tasks.

Salaries

The average salary for this career is generally quite high, at nearly $77,000 per year according to BLS.gov May 2015 statistics. However, this is partly due to the long hours and sometimes hazardous conditions workers face. At the high end of the range, some workers can make well over $110,000 annually, while even the lowest entry-level positions generally pay around $26,000 per year.

Job Outlook

The number of available jobs in this industry is expected to increase by nearly 10 percent between 2014 and 2024, which is great news for anyone considering this career choice. This growth rate is quite a bit faster than the average for other occupations and is driven in part by the increased need to ship bulk goods like food, metals and oil.

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Skills & Traits

Skill Set:Required Abilities:Tools Used:Typical Work Activities:
• Decision Making
• Active Listening
• Complex Problem Solving
• Coordination
• Critical Thinking
• Oral Comprehension
• Spatial Orientation
• Control Precision
• Far Vision
• Oral Expression
• Fire Extinguishers
• Fire Suppression System
• Marine Craft Communications Systems
• Marine Signaling Systems
• Operating Vehicles or Equipment
• Inspecting Equipment,
Structures, Material
• Controlling Machines &
Processes
• Identifying Objects,
Actions, Events

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