How To Become A Boatswain's Mate: What It Is and Career Path

What is a boatswain's mate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average boatswain's mate salary is $59,384. The most common degree is a high school diploma degree with an business major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a boatswain's mate. Boatswain's mates with a OSHA Safety Certificate certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 500 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreBoatswain's MateUS Average

Salary

4.6

Avg. Salary $59,384

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.1

Growth Rate 1%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.08%

Asian 3.14%

Black or African American 6.89%

Hispanic or Latino 8.93%

Unknown 4.73%

White 75.22%

Gender

female 14.23%

male 85.77%

Age - 40.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40.5

Stress Level

9.1

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.1

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

2.3

Work Life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a boatswain's mate

Explore boatswain's mate education requirements

Most common boatswain's mate degrees

High School Diploma

42.9 %

Bachelor's

25.7 %

Associate

20.6 %

Start to develop specific boatswain's mate skills

Skills	Percentages
General Upkeep	18.42%
Boats	11.25%
Load Cargo	8.67%
Law Enforcement	8.10%
Deck Equipment	5.85%

Complete relevant boatswain's mate training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New boatswain's mates learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a boatswain's mate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real boatswain's mate resumes.

Research boatswain's mate duties and responsibilities

Manage all rigging gear on uscg vessel.
Work closely with surveyors, clients and ROV supervisors to achieve safe and effective subsea operations.
Coordinate and instruct first aid and CPR training.
Mentore new personnel in adjusting to USCG environments.

Prepare your boatswain's mate resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your boatswain's mate resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a boatswain's mate resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Boatswain's Mate Resume templates

Build a professional Boatswain's Mate resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Boatswain's Mate resume.

Apply for boatswain's mate jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a boatswain's mate job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do boatswain's mates rate their job?