Careers after Firefighter: 7 jobs where your skills transfer.
Every related role O*NET lists for firefighters, scored by how closely the skill profile matches, what it pays and how much extra preparation it needs. Original analysis, sources below.
- Coordination
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Sailors and Marine Oilers
- Ship Engineer
- Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators
The jobs closest to a Firefighter's skills are Sailors and Marine Oilers, Ship Engineer and Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators (69%, 61% and 58% skill match). 1 related roles pay more without needing more preparation, led by Lineman (+$36,040 median).
Where your skills transfer
Data Skill match and pay change are our calculations from O*NET and BLS data (method below).
The three closest moves
Data Skills where the destination's O*NET level is at least half a point higher are listed as gaps.
Already strong: Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Coordination, Monitoring.
To build: Repairing, Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control.
Already strong: Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Monitoring.
To build: Installation, Repairing, Troubleshooting.
Already strong: Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Coordination, Complex Problem Solving.
To build: Installation, Repairing, Operations Monitoring.
How to make the move
Advice
- Weeks 1 to 2Pick one destination
Sailors and Marine Oilers is the closest match at 69%. Lineman pays more without more preparation.
- Weeks 2 to 6Close the top gap
For Sailors and Marine Oilers, the biggest gap is repairing. Build one piece of proof for it.
- Weeks 4 to 8Reframe your resume
Lead with operations monitoring, operation and control, written in the destination's language.
- From week 6Talk to people in the role
Ask three sailors and marine oilerss what they wish they had known before switching.
How this page is built
Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared. Pay change compares the BLS national median annual wages (May 2025) of the two occupations. Preparation change compares O*NET Job Zones (1 = little preparation, 5 = extensive preparation). Destinations without BLS wage data or O*NET skill ratings are left out.
- Licensing or degree rules for a specific destination.
- Whether employers in your area hire career changers.
- Your own skills: the scores compare occupations, not people.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
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