Also called: NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps
Uniformed scientist-officer who drives NOAA research ships and flies hurricane hunter planes.
NOAA Corps officers navigate ships mapping the seafloor, run fisheries surveys, and pilot planes through hurricanes. It's one of only eight U.S. uniformed services, with military-style pay. Afterward, officers often work in oceanography, maritime operations, or environmental agencies.
RMC (base pay + housing/food allowances + tax advantage) for officers O-1 (2nd Lieutenant/Ensign) to O-5 (Lieutenant Colonel/Commander), 2026 estimate. A 20-year career also earns a lifetime pension starting right after retirement.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in a science, math, or engineering field, then ~5 months of basic officer training. Free-college benefits: Tuition Assistance (up to $4,500/yr) while serving, the Post-9/11 GI Bill (36 months of tuition + housing stipend) afterward, and SkillBridge internships before separating.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Oceanography, Marine Biology, Meteorology, Engineering.
Growing about average. NOAA Corps is tiny (~330 officers) and hires a few dozen per year.
Low risk for 10 years. Ocean drones gather more data; driving research ships and flying storm planes stays human.
Classes: AP Biology or Physics, Earth science, AP Calculus.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.