Airfield Operations Specialists build coordination, complex problem solving and instructing skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors (86%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | 86% | $58,170 | +2% | None |
| 2 | Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters | 84% | $78,000 | +37% | None |
| 3 | Traffic Technicians | 78% | $59,090 | +4% | None |
| 4 | Police Identification and Records Officers | 76% | $93,790Pay for the broader BLS group “Detectives and Criminal Investigators” | Not compared | None |
| 5 | Fire Inspectors and Investigators | 75% | $75,920 | +34% | None |
| 6 | Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | 75% | $107,230 | +89% | Bachelor's degree |
| 7 | Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists | 75% | $56,870 | 0% | None |
| 8 | Transit and Railroad Police | 75% | $90,230 | +59% | None |
| 9 | First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | 75% | $93,530 | +65% | None |
| 10 | Transportation Inspectors | 74% | $92,100 | +62% | Bachelor's degree |
Compared with Airfield Operations Specialists, median $56,850. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as airfield operations specialists (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
86% skill match · $58,170 · +2% pay
Equipment Maintenance · Repairing · Management of Personnel Resources
84% skill match · $78,000 · +37% pay
Quality Control Analysis · Troubleshooting · Operation and Control
78% skill match · $59,090 · +4% pay
Equipment Maintenance · Repairing · Equipment Selection
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors (86% skill match, median $58,170), Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters (84% skill match, median $78,000) and Traffic Technicians (78% skill match, median $59,090), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 15 pay more than airfield operations specialists at the median. The biggest increases: Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (+89%, $107,230), Facilities Managers (+88%, $106,660) and Power Distributors and Dispatchers (+88%, $106,730).
23 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.