Career Details :: Pilots, Ship
Description
Command ships to steer them into and out of harbors, estuaries, straits, and sounds, and on rivers, lakes, and bays. Must be licensed by U.S. Coast Guard with limitations indicating class and tonnage of vessels for which license is valid and route and waters that may be piloted.
Experience
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Education
A bachelor's degree is the minimum formal education required for these occupations. However, many also require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Training
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Tasks
- Directs course and speed of ship on basis of specialized knowledge of local winds, weather, tides, and current.
- Orders worker at helm to steer ship.
- Signals tugboat captain to berth and unberth ship.
- Navigates ship to avoid reefs, outlying shoals, and other hazards, utilizing aids to navigation, such as lighthouses and buoys.
Related Careers
- Locomotive Engineers
- Mates, Ship, Boat, and Barge
- Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters
- Ship and Boat Captains
Important Abilities
General Work Activities
- Operating Vehicles or Equipment
- Monitor Processes, Material, Surroundings
- Getting Information Needed to Do the Job
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Communicating With Other Workers
Important Skills
- Operation and Control
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Monitoring
- Systems Perception
- Operation Monitoring
Frequent Work Context
- Responsible for Others' Health & Safety
- Consequence of Error
- Frustrating Circumstances
- Job-Required Social Interaction
- Degree of Automation
Related Majors
| Major | Add to XapPack |
|---|---|
| Business Administration/Marine Transportation |  [ add ] |
| Marine Engineering Technology | [ add ] |
| Marine Environmental Science | [ add ] |
| Marine Operations | [ add ] |
| Marine Science | [ add ] |
| Marine Sciences | [ add ] |
| Marine Studies | [ add ] |
| Marine Technology | [ add ] |
| Marine Transportation | [ add ] |
| Marine/Environmental Science | [ add ] |
Institutions Offering Related Majors
No institutions found.