7115 Career Guide
7115: Deck and Navigation Officer
Career transition guide for Navy Deck and Navigation Officer (7115)
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Real industry tech roles your 7115 background maps to — picked from BLS-anchored occupations using your training, cognitive skills, and systems experience.
DevOps Engineer
DevOps / Platform
Your experience managing complex shipboard systems and coordinating teams translates well to DevOps roles. You're familiar with maintaining system uptime, troubleshooting issues, and implementing improvements. Learn infrastructure-as-code and cloud computing fundamentals to get started.
Typical stack:
Security Engineer
Security
Your background includes damage control and familiarity with naval weapons systems, indicating an understanding of risk management and secure operations. Understanding maritime law and regulations also aligns with compliance aspects of security engineering. Develop skills in network security, cryptography, and security information and event management (SIEM) to move into this field.
Typical stack:
Technical Program Manager
Product
As a Deck and Navigation Officer, you planned and directed activities of deck and navigation personnel, developed training programs, and supervised exercises. Your experience in team management and situational awareness is directly applicable to technical program management. Consider formal training in Agile methodologies and project management tools like Jira or Asana to augment your existing skills.
Typical stack:
Computer Systems Analyst
Customer / Field
Your experience with systems like Voyage Management System (VMS) / Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS), and surface search radar provides a foundation for analyzing and improving computer systems. Your skills in situational awareness and rapid prioritization are valuable in this role.
Typical stack:
Skills You Already Have
Concrete bridges from 7115 experience to tech-industry practice.
- Situational Awareness→ Ability to quickly assess complex situations and make informed decisions in dynamic environments.
- Rapid Prioritization→ Effectively managing multiple projects and remaining calm under pressure.
- Team Synchronization→ Orchestrating team efforts and aligning diverse skill sets for successful outcomes.
- Procedural Compliance→ Diligent approach to following established protocols and maintaining standards.
- Experience with Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS)→ Familiarity with integrated maritime operations software.
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 7115 veterans, with average salary and market demand data.
Ship Captain
Marine Surveyor
Skills to develop:
Port Operations Manager
Skills to develop:
Maritime Instructor
Skills to develop:
Naval Architect
Skills to develop:
Salary estimates from VWC career data
Hidden Strengths
Cognitive skills your 7115 training built — and where they transfer.
Situational Awareness
As a Navigation Officer, you constantly maintained a 360-degree understanding of your vessel's position, potential hazards, and the surrounding environment to ensure safe and efficient navigation.
This translates to the ability to quickly assess complex situations, anticipate potential problems, and make informed decisions based on available information in dynamic environments.
Rapid Prioritization
You routinely made split-second decisions about which tasks and issues to address first, especially during critical evolutions like emergency maneuvers or navigating congested waterways.
In the civilian world, this skill enables you to effectively manage multiple projects, delegate tasks appropriately, and remain calm under pressure when facing competing deadlines and urgent requests.
Team Synchronization
You directly coordinated the actions of deck and navigation personnel, ensuring that everyone worked together seamlessly to achieve common objectives, whether it was docking the ship or conducting search and rescue operations.
This ability to orchestrate team efforts is crucial for project management, where aligning diverse skill sets and personalities is essential for delivering successful outcomes.
Procedural Compliance
Adherence to strict navigational procedures and safety regulations was paramount in your role to minimize risks and ensure the safety of the crew and vessel.
This diligent approach to following established protocols is highly valued in compliance-heavy industries, where attention to detail and consistency are critical for maintaining standards and avoiding costly errors.
Non-Obvious Career Matches
Emergency Management Director
SOC 11-9161.00You've been expertly managing complex operations under pressure, assessing risks, coordinating teams, and making critical decisions in dynamic environments. As an Emergency Management Director (11-9161.00), your deep understanding of situational awareness, rapid prioritization, and procedural compliance would make you a natural leader in preparing for and responding to disasters.
Logistics Manager
SOC 11-3071.00Your experience in planning, supervising, and directing personnel, combined with your understanding of resource optimization and team synchronization, makes you an ideal candidate for a Logistics Manager (11-3071.00). You've been responsible for the smooth operation of a vessel, now apply those skills to managing supply chains and coordinating the movement of goods and materials, ensuring efficient delivery and minimizing disruptions.
Airfield Operations Specialist
SOC 53-2011.00You're skilled at maintaining situational awareness and directing personnel. You are very comfortable with clear communication using specific terminology. Your mastery of procedural compliance makes you an excellent fit as an Airfield Operations Specialist (53-2011.00), where you would ensure the safe and efficient operation of airfields.
Training & Education Equivalencies
Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) and Surface Warfare Officer School (SWOS)
Topics Covered
- •Shiphandling and maneuvering
- •Celestial and electronic navigation
- •Maritime law and regulations
- •Damage control and firefighting
- •Leadership and team management
- •Naval weapons systems
- •Bridge Resource Management
- •Search and Rescue Operations
Certification Pathways
Partial Coverage
Requires study in business logistics, transportation economics, and surface transportation regulations.
Formal project management training, experience documenting project hours and leading projects, and knowledge of PMBOK guide are needed.
Requires study in supply chain management principles, forecasting, and inventory control.
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) with military precision (PPS) | High-precision GPS navigation systems |
| AN/SPS-73 Surface Search Radar | Marine radar systems for collision avoidance and navigation |
| Automatic Identification System (AIS) | Commercial AIS transponders and monitoring systems |
| Gyrocompass | Fiber optic gyrocompass or ring laser gyrocompass |
| Magnetic Compass | Standard magnetic compass for navigation |
| Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS) | Integrated maritime operations software |
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