Also called: Shipbroker, Tanker Broker
Matches cargo owners with ships for hire, earning a commission on deals worth millions.
Shipbrokers spend the day on the phone and chat with shipowners and oil or grain companies, negotiating rates to hire a ship for a voyage. Markets move fast, and a good broker knows where every ship in the world is.
Commission-based; top brokers earn $300k+ in strong markets.
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 business or maritime studies; Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers qualifications. Houston, Stamford, and New York are US hubs.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Maritime Business, Business, Economics, Marine Transportation.
Growing about average. No separate BLS projection; estimate based on related occupations.
Medium risk for 10 years. Data platforms match ships and cargoes faster; multimillion-dollar fixtures still ride on trust and fast negotiation.
Classes: AP Economics, Geography, Speech and debate.
Official data: O*NET occupation 41-3091.
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.