7113 Career Guide
7113: Deck and Navigation Officer
Career transition guide for Navy Deck and Navigation Officer (7113)
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Real industry tech roles your 7113 background maps to — picked from BLS-anchored occupations using your training, cognitive skills, and systems experience.
Cloud Engineer
DevOps / Platform
Your experience with navigation systems and bridge resource management provides a solid foundation for understanding complex networked systems. You can leverage your skills in situational awareness, rapid prioritization, and resource optimization to manage and maintain cloud infrastructure. Your experience with Electronic Navigation Systems (RADAR, GPS, ECDIS) translates well to cloud-based monitoring and management tools.
Typical stack:
Security Engineer
Security
Your background in naval warfare tactics and procedures, combined with your experience in managing electronic navigation systems, provides a strong base for understanding security protocols and risk management. Situational awareness, rapid prioritization, and team synchronization are critical skills in security. Knowledge of Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS) and similar systems translates to experience securing data systems.
Typical stack:
Data Analyst
Data
Your experience with navigation principles and practices, as well as your familiarity with electronic navigation systems (RADAR, GPS, ECDIS), demonstrates an ability to work with and interpret data. The ability to plan and administer training programs shows attention to detail. You can leverage your skills in resource optimization to analyze data and identify trends. Your experience with AIS data would be directly applicable.
Typical stack:
Technical Program Manager
Product
Your experience planning, supervising, and directing activities of deck and navigation personnel, along with your leadership and team management skills, provides a strong foundation for managing technical projects. Rapid prioritization, team synchronization, and resource optimization are directly transferable skills. Your experience managing training programs is also relevant.
Typical stack:
Skills You Already Have
Concrete bridges from 7113 experience to tech-industry practice.
- Situational Awareness→ Understanding complex systems and anticipating potential issues.
- Rapid Prioritization→ Managing competing demands and making sound judgments under pressure.
- Team Synchronization→ Fostering collaboration and aligning individual efforts towards a common goal.
- Resource Optimization→ Streamlining processes and improving overall efficiency.
- Experience with Electronic Navigation Systems (RADAR, GPS, ECDIS)→ Familiarity with data collection, processing, and interpretation.
- Maritime Law and Regulations→ Understanding compliance requirements
Skills to Learn
The concrete gap to bridge — specific to the roles above, not generic.
How VWC fits
Vets Who Code accelerates the parts we teach — software engineering fundamentals, web development, AI tooling. For everything else above, the path is doable independently with the resources we link to.
See VWC ProgramsCivilian Career Pathways
Top civilian roles for 7113 veterans, with average salary and market demand data.
Ship Captain
Maritime Pilot
Skills to develop:
Marine Surveyor
Skills to develop:
Port Operations Manager
Skills to develop:
Naval Architect
Skills to develop:
Salary estimates from VWC career data
Hidden Strengths
Cognitive skills your 7113 training built — and where they transfer.
Situational Awareness
As a Navigation Officer, you constantly maintain awareness of your ship's position, heading, speed, surrounding vessels, weather conditions, and potential hazards to ensure safe and efficient navigation.
This translates to a heightened ability to perceive and understand complex environments, anticipate potential problems, and make informed decisions based on real-time information in dynamic situations.
Rapid Prioritization
On the bridge, you're bombarded with information and must quickly assess its importance to address the most critical issues, whether it's a course correction to avoid a collision or responding to a sudden change in weather.
This skill enables you to quickly evaluate competing demands, allocate your attention and resources effectively, and make sound judgments under pressure, ensuring the most important tasks are addressed first.
Team Synchronization
You are responsible for the seamless coordination of deck and navigation personnel, ensuring that everyone is working together effectively to execute maneuvers and maintain the ship's operational readiness.
Your experience ensures you excel at fostering collaboration, communicating clearly, and aligning individual efforts towards a common goal, resulting in smooth operations and high team performance.
Resource Optimization
You plan and manage resources such as personnel, equipment, and fuel to ensure the ship's operational needs are met efficiently and effectively, minimizing waste and maximizing performance.
This translates directly to the ability to identify and implement strategies that streamline processes, reduce costs, and improve overall efficiency, ensuring resources are used wisely to achieve organizational objectives.
Non-Obvious Career Matches
Logistics Manager
SOC 11-3071.00You've been managing complex operations and resource allocation on a ship; you already have the core skills to manage supply chains and logistics for a large organization.
Emergency Management Director
SOC 11-9161.00You've been trained to handle crises and maintain calm under pressure in dynamic environments; you're adept at planning, coordinating, and executing emergency response plans.
Project Manager
SOC 11-9021.00You've been overseeing complex projects with many moving parts; this will allow you to effectively manage projects, timelines, and budgets.
Marine Surveyor
SOC 19-4099.03You possess extensive knowledge of ship systems and operations; you can leverage this knowledge to assess the condition and value of vessels for insurance, financing, or sale.
Training & Education Equivalencies
Surface Warfare Officer School (SWOS), Newport, RI; Navigation, Seamanship, and Shiphandling Trainer (NSST), Various Locations; On-the-Job Training, Assigned Ship
Topics Covered
- •Navigation Principles and Practices
- •Shiphandling and Maneuvering
- •Seamanship and Deck Operations
- •Bridge Resource Management (BRM)
- •Maritime Law and Regulations
- •Electronic Navigation Systems (RADAR, GPS, ECDIS)
- •Naval Warfare Tactics and Procedures
- •Leadership and Team Management
Certification Pathways
Partial Coverage
While experienced in managing personnel and operations, this role would need to study general management principles, human resources, and business communication for the CM exam.
This role likely has experience with safety procedures, but would need to study specific OSHA regulations and record-keeping requirements in detail.
Recommended Next Certifications
Technical Systems Translation
Military systems you've used and their civilian equivalents for your resume.
| Military System | Civilian Equivalent |
|---|---|
| Voyage Management System (VMS) | Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) |
| Global Positioning System (GPS) Military variant | Commercial GPS navigation systems (e.g., Garmin, Raymarine) |
| AN/SPS-73 Surface Search Radar | Marine radar systems (e.g., Furuno, Simrad) |
| Automatic Identification System (AIS) | Commercial AIS transponders and tracking software |
| Integrated Bridge System (IBS) | Integrated marine navigation systems |
| Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS) | Advanced maritime traffic management systems |
| Gyrocompass | Marine gyrocompass systems |
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