Marines · 0842
Your Field Artillery Radar Operator experience maps to civilian jobs like Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians and Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment—and well beyond. Explore the specific roles below, see what each pays and requires, and build from there.
The federal crosswalk lists only a broad “Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other” bucket for 0842—so here are the specific civilian roles Field Artillery Radar Operator experience genuinely maps to. See what each involves, what it pays, and why it fits.
$72,800/yr mediantypical $46k–$105k~97K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: Associate degree, apprenticeship, or vocational training
Apply electrical and electronic theory and related knowledge, usually under the direction of engineering staff, to design, build, repair, adjust, and modify electrical components, circuitry,…
Why it fits: Operating and maintaining radar electronics maps to electrical/electronic engineering technician roles.
$66,680/yr mediantypical $42k–$101k~58K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: Associate degree, apprenticeship, or vocational training
Repair, test, adjust, or install electronic equipment, such as industrial controls, transmitters, and antennas.
Why it fits: Radar-system repair transfers to commercial/industrial electronics repair.
$71,530/yr mediantypical $46k–$122k~159K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: Bachelor’s degree typically expected
Analyze, test, troubleshoot, and evaluate existing network systems, such as local area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), cloud networks, servers, and other data communications networks.
Why it fits: System networking and troubleshooting support network support.
$61,270/yr mediantypical $38k–$92k~160K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: Associate degree, apprenticeship, or vocational training
Install, set up, rearrange, or remove switching, distribution, routing, and dialing equipment used in central offices or headends.
Why it fits: Communications-electronics maintenance transfers to telecom.
$62,790/yr mediantypical $42k–$101k~13K U.S. jobs
★ Bright Outlook — Rapid growth
Typical entry: Associate degree, apprenticeship, or vocational training
Execute or adapt procedures and techniques for calibrating measurement devices, by applying knowledge of measurement science, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and electronics, sometimes under the…
Why it fits: Closely related to your Field Artillery Radar Operator occupations on the engineering & technical design side—a natural next step.
$119,200/yr mediantypical $77k–$180k~96K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: Bachelor’s degree typically expected
Research, design, develop, or test electronic components and systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use employing knowledge of electronic theory and materials properties.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Field Artillery Radar Operator occupations on the engineering & technical design side—a natural next step.
$64,020/yr mediantypical $44k–$97k~39K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: Associate degree, apprenticeship, or vocational training
Apply theory and principles of mechanical engineering to modify, develop, test, or adjust machinery and equipment under direction of engineering staff or physical scientists.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Field Artillery Radar Operator occupations on the engineering & technical design side—a natural next step.
$65,080/yr mediantypical $44k–$105k~15K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: Associate degree, apprenticeship, or vocational training
Build, install, test, or maintain robotic equipment or related automated production systems.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Field Artillery Radar Operator occupations on the engineering & technical design side—a natural next step.
$77,830/yr mediantypical $50k–$114k~11K U.S. jobs
★ Bright Outlook — Rapid growth
Typical entry: Associate degree, apprenticeship, or vocational training
Operate, install, adjust, and maintain integrated computer/communications systems, consoles, simulators, and other data acquisition, test, and measurement instruments and equipment, which are used…
Why it fits: Closely related to your Field Artillery Radar Operator occupations on the engineering & technical design side—a natural next step.
$79,160/yr mediantypical $47k–$100k~8K U.S. jobs
★ Bright Outlook — Rapid growth
Typical entry: Associate degree, apprenticeship, or vocational training
Install, adjust, or maintain mobile electronics communication equipment, including sound, sonar, security, navigation, and surveillance systems on trains, watercraft, or other mobile equipment.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Field Artillery Radar Operator occupations on the maintenance, repair & installation side—a natural next step.
Roles selected from the O*NET occupations that fit Field Artillery Radar Operator experience; the Department of Labor's own crosswalk lists only the broad “Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other” category for this code. Pay is BLS OEWS (May 2023). See the O*NET crosswalk.
Use the level that reflects what you actually did—not rank alone. Two people with the same code and very different experience should not submit the same résumé.
Lead with hands-on tasks, tools, equipment, qualifications, safety discipline, and the conditions in which you performed. Do not inflate supervisory scope.
Add team leadership, training, inspections, work allocation, quality control, readiness, and the people or assets you directly supervised.
Emphasize multi-team operations, schedules, resource forecasting, safety systems, policy enforcement, advising leaders, and organization-level results.
A translated title isn't enough. These four moves turn Field Artillery Radar Operator experience into evidence a civilian hiring manager can act on.
List the systems, vehicles, equipment, and tools you personally operated as Field Artillery Radar Operator—plus qualifications, certifications, and the recurring high-stakes tasks you owned.
Marines led, dollar value of equipment you were accountable for, workload, readiness rates, and safety or quality outcomes. Scope beats adjectives.
For any target role, name the license, degree, or software it requires and start now—your GI Bill and credentialing assistance can cover most of it.
Recruiters rarely search “0842.” Search job boards by the equipment, skills, and outcomes above as much as by “Field Artillery Radar Operator.”
You don't have to make this jump alone. These programs exist specifically to move service members into civilian careers—most are free, and several pay you while you train.
Train or intern with a civilian employer during your last ~180 days on active duty—at full military pay.
Earn a paycheck while you train for a trade or technical role; USMAP can credit the military training you already have.
Corporate fellowships and hiring events that place transitioning service members and military spouses.
Free career training and nationally recognized certifications for service members, veterans, and spouses.
VA-funded high-tech training (IT, cyber, data, software) that does not touch your GI Bill entitlement.
Free local career centers plus certification and state-by-state license finders for any field.
Free placement into registered apprenticeships across the building and construction trades.
How to use this: Treat these as targets, not limits. Your exact duties depend on your assignments, so lead with what you actually did—and remember that regulated careers require their own license, certification, or degree.