Sailors and Marine Oilers build operations monitoring, operation and control and troubleshooting 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 Dredge Operators (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 | Dredge Operators | 86% | $49,640 | −4% | None |
| 2 | Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders | 85% | $58,870 | +14% | None |
| 3 | Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | 83% | $68,840 | +34% | None |
| 4 | Hoist and Winch Operators | 83% | $56,450 | +10% | None |
| 5 | Riggers | 83% | $62,640 | +22% | None |
| 6 | Helpers--Extraction Workers | 82% | $47,730 | −7% | None |
| 7 | Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators | 82% | $59,850 | +16% | None |
| 8 | Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers | 81% | $60,600 | +18% | None |
| 9 | Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas | 79% | $67,890 | +32% | None |
| 10 | Roustabouts, Oil and Gas | 78% | $46,960 | −9% | None |
Compared with Sailors and Marine Oilers, median $51,520. 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 sailors and marine oilers (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 · $49,640 · −4% pay
Management of Material Resources · Management of Financial Resources · Operations Analysis
85% skill match · $58,870 · +14% pay
Management of Financial Resources · Management of Material Resources · Management of Personnel Resources
83% skill match · $68,840 · +34% pay
Systems Evaluation · Management of Material Resources · Coordination
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Dredge Operators (86% skill match, median $49,640), Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders (85% skill match, median $58,870) and Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers (83% skill match, median $68,840), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 19 pay more than sailors and marine oilers at the median. The biggest increases: Locomotive Engineers (+58%, $81,410), Roof Bolters, Mining (+52%, $78,540) and Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining (+45%, $74,500).
24 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.