Also called: Mate (Inland Towing), Steersman, Pilot-in-Training
Helps steer and manage a river towboat pushing dozens of barges, training to become a pilot.
A steersman takes the sticks in the wheelhouse under the captain's eye, steering a tow of 30 barges around river bends and through locks.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 3 years after high school. Coast Guard mate or apprentice steersman license after deckhand experience.
Ways in: Certification, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Marine Transportation, Maritime Studies.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years). BLS 2025-35 projection band for SOC 53-5021: Average (3% to 4%).
Low risk for 10 years. Electronic charts help, but steering 30-barge tows through bends, bridges and locks is a human skill learned by doing.
Classes: Physics, Earth science, Driver's ed.
Official data: O*NET occupation 53-5021.
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