1385 Career Guide
1385: Naval Aviator
Career transition guide for Navy Naval Aviator (1385)
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Real industry tech roles your 1385 background maps to — picked from BLS-anchored occupations using your training, cognitive skills, and systems experience.
Site Reliability Engineer
DevOps / Platform
Naval Aviators are trained in degraded-mode operations and maintaining situational awareness under pressure. This translates to SRE roles where troubleshooting, system monitoring, and quick response to incidents are crucial.
Typical stack:
DevOps Engineer
DevOps / Platform
Your experience with Naval Aviation Logistics Command Management Information System (NALCOMIS) gives you familiarity with ERP systems and change management. Learning DevOps tools will allow you to build deployment pipelines.
Typical stack:
Technical Program Manager
Product
As a Naval Aviator, you have experience directing operations and ensuring compliance with regulations. Your experience with aviation unit operations translates to project management skills needed to coordinate technical projects.
Typical stack:
Computer Systems Analyst
Customer / Field
Your familiarity with systems such as AN/APG-79 AESA Radar and Link 16 Tactical Data Link translates to analyzing complex systems and understanding how they work together. You can learn to apply this skill to business systems.
Typical stack:
Skills You Already Have
Concrete bridges from 1385 experience to tech-industry practice.
- Situational Awareness→ System Monitoring & Incident Response
- Rapid Prioritization→ Task Management & Decision-Making
- Procedural Compliance→ Adherence to Development Standards & Regulations
- Team Synchronization→ Agile Team Collaboration
- NALCOMIS experience→ ERP Systems Knowledge
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 1385 veterans, with average salary and market demand data.
Airline Pilot, Co-Pilot, or Flight Engineer
Commercial Pilot
Airfield Operations Specialist
Skills to develop:
Aerospace Engineer
Skills to develop:
Air Traffic Controller
Skills to develop:
Salary estimates from VWC career data
Hidden Strengths
Cognitive skills your 1385 training built — and where they transfer.
Situational Awareness
Naval Pilots must constantly monitor their surroundings, including weather conditions, aircraft performance, and the positions of other aircraft or ships, to make safe and effective decisions in dynamic environments.
The ability to maintain a comprehensive understanding of the environment and anticipate potential changes or threats is transferable to roles requiring constant monitoring and quick responses.
Rapid Prioritization
Pilots must quickly assess and prioritize tasks and threats, especially during emergencies or combat situations, to maintain control of the aircraft and complete the mission effectively.
Quickly assessing situations and prioritizing tasks under pressure translates to effective decision-making in high-stress environments, such as project management or emergency response.
Procedural Compliance
Naval aviation relies heavily on strict adherence to procedures and checklists to ensure safety and operational effectiveness. Pilots are trained to follow these protocols meticulously.
The discipline to follow established procedures and protocols is highly valued in roles requiring precision, consistency, and risk management, such as compliance or quality assurance.
Team Synchronization
Pilots often work as part of a larger team, coordinating with air traffic control, maintenance personnel, and other crew members to achieve mission objectives. Effective communication and coordination are critical.
The ability to effectively communicate and coordinate within a team environment is essential for successful collaboration in various industries, including project management, logistics, and operations.
Degraded-Mode Operations
Pilots are trained to handle malfunctions and equipment failures, adapting to degraded operational modes to safely recover the aircraft and complete the mission when possible.
The capacity to adapt and problem-solve under pressure when systems fail is valuable in roles requiring troubleshooting and crisis management, such as technical support or disaster recovery.
Non-Obvious Career Matches
Air Traffic Controller
SOC 53-2011.00You've been responsible for the safe operation of aircraft in complex and demanding environments. Your skills in situational awareness, rapid prioritization, and procedural compliance make you an ideal candidate for managing air traffic and ensuring the safety of civilian aircraft.
Emergency Management Director
SOC 11-9161.00You've demonstrated expertise in coordinating resources and responding to emergencies, often under intense pressure. Your experience in degraded-mode operations and team synchronization will enable you to effectively plan and execute disaster response strategies.
Project Manager (Aviation/Defense)
SOC 11-9021.00You've developed a deep understanding of aviation operations, resource management, and team coordination. Your ability to adhere to strict procedures and maintain situational awareness will be invaluable in managing complex aviation or defense projects, ensuring they are completed safely and efficiently.
Training & Education Equivalencies
Aviation Preflight Indoctrination (API), Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL; Primary Flight Training, various Naval Air Stations; Advanced Flight Training, various Naval Air Stations
Topics Covered
- •Aerodynamics
- •Aircraft Systems
- •Meteorology
- •Navigation
- •Flight Physiology
- •Basic and Advanced Flight Maneuvers
- •Formation Flying
- •Instrument Flying
Certification Pathways
Partial Coverage
Differences in FAA regulations, specific aircraft type ratings, and potentially some cross-country flight planning requirements.
FAA regulations, specific aircraft type ratings, and logged flight hours as PIC (Pilot in Command) required by the FAA. Additional study of civilian aviation safety standards is recommended.
Recommended Next Certifications
Technical Systems Translation
Military systems you've used and their civilian equivalents for your resume.
| Military System | Civilian Equivalent |
|---|---|
| AN/APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar | Advanced weather and navigation radar systems used in commercial aviation |
| Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) | Augmented reality display systems for industrial or aviation applications (e.g., for equipment maintenance or flight guidance) |
| Link 16 Tactical Data Link | Secure, real-time data communication networks (e.g., financial trading networks, emergency response systems) |
| AN/ALQ-214 Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures (IDECM) System | Advanced threat detection and countermeasures systems used in VIP aircraft or high-value asset protection |
| Naval Aviation Logistics Command Management Information System (NALCOMIS) | Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems for aviation maintenance and supply chain management (e.g., SAP, Oracle) |
| Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) | Secure data communication and networking systems used in emergency services or disaster response. |
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