Ship/Boat Captain
By Josh Armstrong
Job Description
A ship/boat captain is the leader on the ship or boat that they are on. They have to be comfortable hiring and supervising the other ship crew members, operating and maintaining engines and navigational systems. They also take part in setting the course the ship will take and monitoring the cargo on the ship along with recording the ships movements.
Average Pay and Education Needs
The Average pay for a ship captain is $72,340 a year as of 2014.
The usual education requirements for becoming a ship captain is a Bachelor's degree in one of the following fields; Marine transportation, marine engineering, maritime operations and technology, logistics and intermodal transportation, marine engineering systems, or shipyard management. You would also need between 3-4 years of experience as a deck crew member.
Key Skills
Some key skills would be Hand-eye coordination, strong communication skills, mechanical ability, visual and hearing ability, marine communication system operation, ability to operate a ship's mechanical equipment, ability to use navigational software and facilitate management software, and physical strength.