Firefighters build coordination, judgment and decision making and service orientation 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 Forest and Conservation Workers (74%).
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 | Forest and Conservation Workers | 74% | $43,680 | −26% | None |
| 2 | First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | 73% | $93,530 | +58% | Certificate or associate |
| 3 | Subway and Streetcar Operators | 73% | $86,380 | +46% | None |
| 4 | Bridge and Lock Tenders | 72% | $57,700 | −3% | None |
| 5 | Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | 72% | $68,840 | +16% | None |
| 6 | Hazardous Materials Removal Workers | 71% | $49,450 | −17% | None |
| 7 | Sailors and Marine Oilers | 70% | $51,520 | −13% | None |
| 8 | Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers | 70% | $60,600 | +2% | None |
| 9 | Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity | 69% | $59,050 | 0% | None |
| 10 | Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | 69% | $95,320 | +61% | None |
Compared with Firefighters, median $59,280. 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 firefighters (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.
74% skill match · $43,680 · −26% pay
73% skill match · $93,530 · +58% pay
Management of Personnel Resources · Instructing · Time Management
73% skill match · $86,380 · +46% pay
Operation and Control · Operations Monitoring · Operations Analysis
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Forest and Conservation Workers (74% skill match, median $43,680), First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers (73% skill match, median $93,530) and Subway and Streetcar Operators (73% skill match, median $86,380), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 12 pay more than firefighters at the median. The biggest increases: Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers (+61%, $95,320), First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers (+58%, $93,530) and Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels (+56%, $92,460).
21 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.