Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
SOC Code: 53-5021
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vesselss direct courses and speeds of ships, based on specialized knowledge of local winds, weather, water depths, tides, currents, and hazards. This career typically requires medium preparation (1-2 years). With an AI-proof score of 85.5/100, this role has high resilience to automation. Key skills include Operation and Control, Coordination, Operations Monitoring.
AI-Proof Score: 85.5 — Very High
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Median Salary
$85,540
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Job Growth
0.5%
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Training Time
Medium preparation (1-2 years)
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Job Zone
Zone 3 / 5
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Training Cost
~$15,000
Key Skills
- •Operation and Control
- •Coordination
- •Operations Monitoring
- •Time Management
- •Management of Personnel Resources
- •Judgment and Decision Making
- •Monitoring
- •Speaking
Common Tasks
- ✓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.
Training & Resources
Why AI-Proof?
- ✅Requires hands-on physical presence and dexterity
- ✅Demands human empathy, judgment, and trust
- ✅Operates in unpredictable, variable environments
- ✅Social and regulatory barriers to full automation