Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators 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 Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door (90%).
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 | Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door | 90% | $74,340 | −5% | None |
| 2 | Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators | 88% | $77,320 | −2% | None |
| 3 | Ship Engineers | 83% | $109,530 | +39% | None |
| 4 | Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay | 83% | $103,020 | +31% | None |
| 5 | Nuclear Technicians | 81% | $110,240 | +40% | None |
| 6 | Industrial Machinery Mechanics | 80% | $64,520 | −18% | None |
| 7 | Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 79% | $79,870 | +2% | None |
| 8 | Commercial Divers | 79% | $72,990 | −7% | None |
| 9 | Wellhead Pumpers | 78% | $69,960 | −11% | None |
| 10 | Automotive Engineering Technicians | 78% | $74,510Pay for the broader BLS group “Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians” | Not compared | None |
Compared with Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators, median $78,620. 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 stationary engineers and boiler operators (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.
90% skill match · $74,340 · −5% pay
Equipment Selection · Management of Financial Resources · Technology Design
88% skill match · $77,320 · −2% pay
Operation and Control · Technology Design
83% skill match · $109,530 · +39% pay
Systems Analysis · Service Orientation · Management of Personnel Resources
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door (90% skill match, median $74,340), Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators (88% skill match, median $77,320) and Ship Engineers (83% skill match, median $109,530), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 8 pay more than stationary engineers and boiler operators at the median. The biggest increases: Nuclear Technicians (+40%, $110,240), Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers (+40%, $109,910) and Ship Engineers (+39%, $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.