How To Become A Second Mate: What It Is and Career Path

What is a second mate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a second mate. For example, did you know that they make an average of $24.67 an hour? That's $51,304 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 500 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreSecond MateUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $51,304

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 3.13%

Black or African American 6.75%

Hispanic or Latino 8.80%

Unknown 4.71%

White 75.53%

Gender

female 10.45%

male 89.55%

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 second mate

Explore second mate education requirements

Most common second mate degrees

Bachelor's

67.3 %

High School Diploma

14.6 %

Associate

9.5 %

Start to develop specific second mate skills

Skills	Percentages
Safety Equipment	22.93%
USCG	11.32%
Cargo Operations	9.35%
Radar	4.99%
Electrical Systems	4.87%

Complete relevant second mate training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New second 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 second mate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real second mate resumes.

Research second mate duties and responsibilities

Work closely with surveyors, clients and ROV supervisors to achieve safe and effective subsea operations.
Plan and execute engineering missions, both combat and construction.
Inspect and maintain the vessel s safety, firefighting, and medical equipment.
Conduct all safety, firefighting, and lifesaving equipment inspections.

Prepare your second mate resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your second 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 second 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 Second Mate Resume templates

Build a professional Second 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 Second Mate resume.

Apply for second mate jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a second 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 second mates rate their job?