Also called: Airline Pilots
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers build operation and control, operations monitoring and judgment and decision making 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 Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels (55%).
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 | Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels | 55% | $92,460 | −60% | None |
| 2 | Transportation Inspectors | 51% | $92,100 | −60% | None |
| 3 | Aircraft Service Attendants | 50% | $40,450 | −83% | None |
| 4 | Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters | 50% | $78,000 | −66% | None |
| 5 | Locomotive Engineers | 50% | $81,410 | −65% | None |
| 6 | Nuclear Power Reactor Operators | 48% | $122,890 | −47% | None |
| 7 | Power Distributors and Dispatchers | 47% | $106,730 | −54% | None |
| 8 | Aviation Inspectors | 47% | $92,100Pay for the broader BLS group “Transportation Inspectors” | Not compared | None |
| 9 | Nurse Anesthetists | 44% | $236,590 | +2% | Graduate degree |
| 10 | Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | 44% | $68,840 | −70% | None |
Compared with Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers, median $232,140. 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 airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers (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.
55% skill match · $92,460 · −60% pay
Repairing · Equipment Selection · Equipment Maintenance
51% skill match · $92,100 · −60% pay
Management of Financial Resources
50% skill match · $40,450 · −83% pay
Equipment Selection · Repairing · Equipment Maintenance
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels (55% skill match, median $92,460), Transportation Inspectors (51% skill match, median $92,100) and Aircraft Service Attendants (50% skill match, median $40,450), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 1 pay more than airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers at the median. The biggest increases: Nurse Anesthetists (+2%, $236,590).
24 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones. One usually needs a graduate degree: Nurse Anesthetists.
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.