Ship and Boat Captains vs Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas AI Risk

Job 1

Job 2

Job 1

Job 2

medium risk

Ship and Boat Captains

74 shared · 32 different

core competencies

medium risk

Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas

Side-by-Side Comparison

Ship and Boat Captains leads 4–1

Metric	Ship and Boat Captains	Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
Risk Score	27.6%	28.4%
Risk Tier	Medium Risk	Medium Risk
Risk Percentile	28th	31th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)	8 / 15	4 / 15
Median Salary	$85,540	$65,010
Employment	35K	13K

Skill Comparison

Sorted by largest difference

Transportation

Spatial Orientation

Far Vision

Geography

Public Safety and Security

Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment

Glare Sensitivity

Customer and Personal Service

Law and Government

Performing General Physical Activities

Judgment and Decision MakingAI-Augmented

English Language

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Ship and Boat Captains

35%

total discount

Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas

31%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Ship and Boat Captains

8 of 15 at risk

88%Measure depths of water, using depth-measuring equipment.

86%Read gauges to verify sufficient levels of hydraulic fluid, air pressure, or oxygen.

86%Maintain records of daily activities, personnel reports, ship positions and movements, ports of call, weather and sea conditions, pollution control efforts, or cargo or passenger status.

78%Signal passing vessels, using whistles, flashing lights, flags, or radios.

78%Monitor the loading or discharging of cargo or passengers.

Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas

4 of 15 at risk

88%Maintain records of footage drilled, location and nature of strata penetrated, materials and tools used, services rendered, and time required.

86%Count sections of drill rod to determine depths of boreholes.

55%Observe pressure gauge and move throttles and levers to control the speed of rotary tables, and to regulate pressure of tools at bottoms of boreholes.

51%Push levers and brake pedals to control gasoline, diesel, electric, or steam draw works that lower and raise drill pipes and casings in and out of wells.

49%Connect sections of drill pipe, using hand tools and powered wrenches and tongs.

Wage Comparison

Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas earns -$20,530(-24%) vs Ship and Boat Captains

Ship and Boat CaptainsRotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas

10th

$46,260$42,750

25th

$60,800$52,600

Median

$85,540$65,010

75th

$124,530$81,550

90th

$164,230$98,510

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Ship and Boat Captains2028–2035

Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas2028–2035

20242030203520402045

Ship and Boat Captains has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

Salary weighted by displacement risk: salary × (1 − risk%)

Ship and Boat Captains

$61,888

from $85,540

Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas

$46,567

from $65,010

After adjusting for AI risk, Ship and Boat Captains offers $15,322 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

Unique to Ship

Unique to Rotary

Combined Protection Strategy

Regardless of which path you choose, focus on these protective factors

Regulatory Barriers

Creativity

Fine Manipulation

Social Intelligence

Ship and Boat CaptainsRotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas

Find transitions from Ship and Boat Captains Find transitions from Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas