Commercial Divers build operations monitoring, quality control analysis and equipment maintenance 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 Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (88%).
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 | Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 88% | $63,800 | −13% | None |
| 2 | Ship Engineers | 86% | $109,530 | +50% | None |
| 3 | Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines | 81% | $65,510 | −10% | None |
| 4 | Boilermakers | 80% | $76,410 | +5% | None |
| 5 | Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas | 79% | $67,890 | −7% | None |
| 6 | Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators | 79% | $78,620 | +8% | None |
| 7 | Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas | 78% | $60,190 | −18% | None |
| 8 | Hydroelectric Plant Technicians | 78% | $102,040Pay for the broader BLS group “Power Plant Operators” | Not compared | None |
| 9 | Rail Car Repairers | 76% | $67,530 | −7% | None |
| 10 | Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers | 75% | $109,910 | +51% | None |
Compared with Commercial Divers, median $72,990. 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 commercial divers (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.
88% skill match · $63,800 · −13% pay
Programming · Technology Design
86% skill match · $109,530 · +50% pay
Operation and Control · Repairing · Troubleshooting
81% skill match · $65,510 · −10% pay
Troubleshooting · Repairing · Equipment Maintenance
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (88% skill match, median $63,800), Ship Engineers (86% skill match, median $109,530) and Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines (81% skill match, median $65,510), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 10 pay more than commercial divers at the median. The biggest increases: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers (+51%, $109,910), Nuclear Technicians (+51%, $110,240) and Ship Engineers (+50%, $109,530).
25 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.