How To Become A Skipper: What It Is and Career Path

What is a skipper 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 skipper. For example, did you know that they make an average of $28.91 an hour? That's $60,133 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 500 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreSkipperUS Average

Salary

4.7

Avg. Salary $60,133

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 3.12%

Black or African American 6.69%

Hispanic or Latino 8.74%

Unknown 4.70%

White 75.68%

Gender

female 10.00%

male 90.00%

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 skipper

Explore skipper education requirements

Most common skipper degrees

Bachelor's

42.9 %

High School Diploma

26.2 %

Associate

16.7 %

Start to develop specific skipper skills

Skills	Percentages
DOT	78.99%
Open Routes	20.73%
Boats	0.29%

Complete relevant skipper training and internships

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

Research skipper duties and responsibilities

Manage equipment for NCAA intercollegiate rowing teams.
Provide directions to terminal and general information about AMHS.
Work closely with management regarding supplies and current progress.
Help passengers make/cancel reservations on the ferry system, whether they call in or walk into the terminal.

Prepare your skipper resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your skipper 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 skipper resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Skipper Resume templates

Build a professional Skipper 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 Skipper resume.

Apply for skipper jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a skipper 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 skippers rate their job?