Transportation and Logistics · Career brief

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels

Is it a good career to pursue?

The 30-second read

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels at a glance

Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.

1Pay

$92,460

High national median pay

2025 national median. Top quarter for pay among careers on ChooseField.

2Demand

Steady projected growth

Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Above the middle of ChooseField careers for growth.

3Openings

3,800

Moderate opening volume

Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Near the middle of ChooseField careers for openings.

4Route in

Certificate / award

A four-year degree is not the typical entry route

Postsecondary nondegree award + related experience. Related work experience is typically required.

5The work

Hands-on

Practical work with tools, systems, or physical environments

Direct courses and speeds of ships, based on specialized knowledge of local winds, weather, water depths, tides, currents, and hazards.

6The catch

Know this first

What could make this a poor fit

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

ChooseField take

The standout national signal is pay; it ranks in the top quarter of ChooseField careers. It makes the most sense if hands-on work appeals to you and you are comfortable with a certificate or nondegree award. Main tradeoff: BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

Before choosing, compare:Motorboat Operators Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Commercial Pilots

National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.

Compare Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels with another field Explore rankings in Transportation and Logistics Open shareable infographic

Want the evidence behind the snapshot?

Market and path

Pay, outlook, and the route in

National median pay (2025)

$92,460

A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.

2025–2035 outlook

4%employment growth3,800openings per year

Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.

Typical entry route

Postsecondary nondegree award; Prior related experience: less than 5 years

BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.

2025 employment

41,300

Estimated workers in this occupation across the United States.

Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels (53-5021).

Actual responsibilities

What you would be trusted to own

Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.

Direct courses and speeds of ships, based on specialized knowledge of local winds, weather, water depths, tides, currents, and hazards.
Prevent ships under navigational control from engaging in unsafe operations.
Serve as a vessel's docking master upon arrival at a port or at a berth.
Operate ship-to-shore radios to exchange information needed for ship operations.

Decision-changing realities

What could make this a poor fit

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

Work profile

What the work emphasizes

O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment4.6
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials4.4
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.2
Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.2
Controlling Machines and Processes4.1

Interest profile

Career interests

O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.

Realistic5.6
Conventional4.6
Enterprising4.2
Investigative2.6
Social1.9
Artistic1.0

Preparation

What the training must make you competent at

Subject matter

Transportation Public Safety and Security Mechanical Law and Government

Before choosing the major or training

Run a cheaper test first

Plan a realistic route or delivery problem with time, cost, safety, and disruption constraints, then revise it when one assumption changes.
Ask someone doing this job which feeder role built the required experience, what that earlier job paid, and how long the transition actually took.

The fuller career guide

How the evidence fits together

Pay and demand: reading the benchmark

The pay and outlook figures describe Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels nationally. They do not establish the salary or number of vacancies available in your area.

Median pay is the middle wage across workers, not a starting offer. Projected openings include replacements as well as growth; neither measure predicts an individual worker's job security.

Before choosing a program

O*NET lists Monitoring, Speaking, Active Listening among this occupation's skills. Ask a program to show the assignments, supervised practice, and assessment that develop these skills. Compare those examples with local job descriptions.

Common questions

Questions people ask about this career

Can I enter this occupation without related work experience?

Prior related experience: less than 5 years. Look for the preceding roles and promotion route before treating this as a first job.

What should I check before paying for training?

Get the full prerequisite and completion timeline, total cost, placement arrangements, and any licensing eligibility in writing. Ask local employers whether they hire graduates from the route you are considering and whether paid training is available.

Adjacent options

Compare before committing

The useful question is not whether one field wins overall, but what changes when you choose a nearby path. Explore the full career guides for Motorboat Operators, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, Commercial Pilots, Locomotive Engineers.