How much does a captains, mates, and pilots of water vessel make?

The median pay is $44.45 per hour — roughly $92,500 a year, with the real range running from about $22.80/hr (10th percentile) to $82.04/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

What does a captains, mates, and pilots of water vessel actually do all day?

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.

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Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels

Command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats. Required to hold license issued by U.S. Coast Guard.

What it pays
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels earn a median of $44.45/hr — about $92,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $22.80/hr; the top 10% earn $82.04/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)

What you'd actually do

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.
Consult maps, charts, weather reports, or navigation equipment to determine and direct ship movements.
Steer and operate vessels, using radios, depth finders, radars, lights, buoys, or lighthouses.
Operate ship-to-shore radios to exchange information needed for ship operations.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: Post-secondary certificate. Overall preparation: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

The feel of the work

Much of the work happens outdoors; you're around people constantly; it rewards working independently. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 7.1% of captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are hands-on, organized and detail-focused and take-charge.

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Quick questions

How much does a captains, mates, and pilots of water vessel make?: The median pay is $44.45 per hour — roughly $92,500 a year, with the real range running from about $22.80/hr (10th percentile) to $82.04/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Do you need a degree to be a captains, mates, and pilots of water vessel?: The typical entry-level education is: Post-secondary certificate. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).
What does a captains, mates, and pilots of water vessel actually do all day?: 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.

Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.

Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.