Transport
Drivers, pilots, and the people who move everything.
20 careers
Air
6Air Traffic ControllerOne federal employer, one hard test, and a hard age cutoff. Then some of the best pay in government.Typical pay$148kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandModerateAirline PilotExpensive to train, slow to start, and then one of the best-paid jobs in the country.Typical pay$232kTo qualify4 to 7 yrsDemandGoodDrone PilotA federal certificate you can earn at 16. The certificate is easy, the paid work is the hard part.Typical pay$123kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandGoodFlight AttendantSafety crew first, service second, paid by the flight hour and living by a seniority list.Typical pay$64kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandVery highFlight DispatcherPlan and legally share control of an airline flight from a desk, without ever leaving the ground.Typical pay$57kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandModerateHelicopter PilotFly air ambulances, tours, news cameras, power line patrols and firefighting buckets. Cheap to get licensed, brutally expensive to become employable.Typical pay$123kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandGood
Road
5Bus DriverGet a commercial license paid for by your employer and drive a route every day.Typical pay$48kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandModerateDelivery DriverDrive a van or light truck, run a route, and get paid without a degree or a license exam.Typical pay$45kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandVery highMail CarrierA federal job you can start at 18, with a pension at the end and no tuition at the start.Typical pay$61kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandLimitedTow Truck OperatorRecover wrecks, clear crashes and rescue stranded drivers, often at 3am in the rain.Typical pay$45kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandGoodTruck DriverMove freight across the country in a tractor-trailer. Good money fast, and a lot of nights away from home.Typical pay$59kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandGood
Rail
3Locomotive EngineerDrive freight and passenger trains. You start as a conductor and get promoted into the seat.Typical pay$81kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandLimitedRail Traffic ControllerYou sit in a control center and decide where every train on your territory goes next.Typical pay$78kTo qualify1 to 5 yrsDemandLimitedRailroad ConductorYou are in charge of the train: the paperwork, the cars, the crew and every move it makes.Typical pay$78kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandLimited
Sea
4DeckhandWork the deck of a tug, ferry or cargo ship. No degree, but you live where you work.Typical pay$52kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandLimitedLongshore WorkerLoad and unload ships on the docks. Getting on the list is harder than doing the work.Typical pay$40kTo qualify1 to 8 yrsDemandModerateMarine Engineering OfficerRun the engine room of a ship. Four years at a maritime academy, a Coast Guard license, then months at sea and months at home.Typical pay$112kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandVery highShip OfficerRun the bridge of a tug, a ferry, a tanker or a container ship. Long trips away, long stretches at home.Typical pay$92kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandModerate
Logistics
2Logistics CoordinatorKeep freight, trucks and warehouses moving, and fix it when they stop.Typical pay$107kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandVery highTransport DispatcherDecide which truck goes where, keep drivers legal, and fix the day when everything goes wrong at once.Typical pay$50kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimited