Navy · SH
Your Ship's Serviceman experience maps to civilian jobs like Retail Salespersons and Stockers and Order Fillers—and well beyond. Explore the specific roles below, see what each pays and requires, and build from there.
These are the civilian jobs the U.S. Department of Labor maps to SH, plus the roles most closely related to them—ordered from the closest match. Think of them as a floor, not a ceiling: see what each role involves and pays, start where your Ship's Serviceman experience already fits, and build toward the rest.
$33,680/yr mediantypical $24k–$48k~3.7M U.S. jobs
★ Bright Outlook — many openings
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel to consumers.
Why it fits: A direct Department of Labor match—your Ship's Serviceman work maps straight onto the sales & client operations side of this role.
$36,390/yr mediantypical $29k–$49k~2.9M U.S. jobs
★ Bright Outlook — Rapid growth; many openings
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Receive, store, and issue merchandise, materials, equipment, and other items from stockroom, warehouse, or storage yard to fill shelves, racks, tables, or customers' orders.
Why it fits: A direct Department of Labor match—your Ship's Serviceman work maps straight onto the transportation & logistics side of this role.
$37,400/yr mediantypical $27k–$60k~390K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Receive orders, generally in person, for repairs, rentals, and services.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Ship's Serviceman occupations on the sales & client operations side—a natural next step.
$34,910/yr mediantypical $22k–$62k~6K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: Little prep — a few days to a few months of training
Sell goods or services door-to-door or on the street.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Ship's Serviceman occupations on the sales & client operations side—a natural next step.
$36,970/yr mediantypical $29k–$58k~51K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Demonstrate merchandise and answer questions for the purpose of creating public interest in buying the product.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Ship's Serviceman occupations on the sales & client operations side—a natural next step.
$46,730/yr mediantypical $30k–$76k~1.1M U.S. jobs
★ Bright Outlook — many openings
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of retail sales workers in an establishment or department.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Ship's Serviceman occupations on the sales & client operations side—a natural next step.
$36,860/yr mediantypical $27k–$60k~261K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Sell spare and replacement parts and equipment in repair shop or parts store.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Ship's Serviceman occupations on the sales & client operations side—a natural next step.
$39,780/yr mediantypical $31k–$58k~844K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Verify and maintain records on incoming and outgoing shipments involving inventory.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Ship's Serviceman occupations on the administration & operations support side—a natural next step.
Source: O*NET / DMDC Military Crosswalk and O*NET related-occupations data, August 2024. Pay is BLS OEWS (May 2023).
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 Ship's Serviceman experience into evidence a civilian hiring manager can act on.
List the systems, vehicles, equipment, and tools you personally operated as Ship's Serviceman—plus qualifications, certifications, and the recurring high-stakes tasks you owned.
Sailors 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 “SH.” Search job boards by the equipment, skills, and outcomes above as much as by “Ship's Serviceman.”
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.
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.