Navy · SW
Your Steelworker experience maps to civilian jobs like Structural Iron and Steel Workers—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 SW, 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 Steelworker experience already fits, and build toward the rest.
$62,760/yr mediantypical $41k–$105k~64K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Raise, place, and unite iron or steel girders, columns, and other structural members to form completed structures or structural frameworks.
Why it fits: A direct Department of Labor match—your Steelworker work maps straight onto the construction & skilled trades side of this role.
$54,850/yr mediantypical $38k–$96k~17K U.S. jobs
★ Bright Outlook — Rapid growth
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Position and secure steel bars or mesh in concrete forms in order to reinforce concrete.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Steelworker occupations on the construction & skilled trades side—a natural next step.
$48,480/yr mediantypical $36k–$67k~58K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Fabricate, position, align, and fit parts of structural metal products.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Steelworker occupations on the manufacturing & production side—a natural next step.
$58,780/yr mediantypical $37k–$101k~116K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Fabricate, assemble, install, and repair sheet metal products and equipment, such as ducts, control boxes, drainpipes, and furnace casings.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Steelworker occupations on the construction & skilled trades side—a natural next step.
$62,980/yr mediantypical $43k–$83k~38K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to layout plans, blueprints, or other drawings.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Steelworker occupations on the maintenance, repair & installation side—a natural next step.
$56,350/yr mediantypical $37k–$95k~700K U.S. jobs
★ Bright Outlook — Rapid growth
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Construct, erect, install, or repair structures and fixtures made of wood and comparable materials, such as concrete forms; building frameworks, including partitions, joists, studding, and…
Why it fits: Closely related to your Steelworker occupations on the construction & skilled trades side—a natural next step.
$71,140/yr mediantypical $50k–$102k~11K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: Associate degree, apprenticeship, or vocational training
Construct, assemble, maintain, and repair stationary steam boilers and boiler house auxiliaries.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Steelworker occupations on the construction & skilled trades 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 Steelworker experience into evidence a civilian hiring manager can act on.
List the systems, vehicles, equipment, and tools you personally operated as Steelworker—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 “SW.” Search job boards by the equipment, skills, and outcomes above as much as by “Steelworker.”
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.