7185 Career Guide
7185: Surface Warfare Electronics Officer
Career transition guide for Navy Surface Warfare Electronics Officer (7185)
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Top civilian roles for 7185 veterans, with average salary and market demand data.
Electronics Engineer
Skills to develop:
Field Service Engineer
Skills to develop:
Technical Trainer
Skills to develop:
Network Engineer
Skills to develop:
Technical Sales Engineer
Skills to develop:
Salary estimates from VWC career data
Hidden Strengths
Cognitive skills your 7185 training built — and where they transfer.
System Modeling
As a 7185, you analyze complex electronics systems to understand their interconnectedness and predict their behavior under different conditions, crucial for maintenance and troubleshooting.
This ability to create mental models of complex systems translates to understanding and optimizing processes in various industries, allowing you to anticipate problems and devise effective solutions.
Degraded-Mode Operations
You maintain electronics systems even when parts fail or when the system doesn't work as intended, demonstrating your ability to work creatively to fix issues.
Your experience in maintaining functionality under duress translates directly to resilience and problem-solving skills valued in fast-paced, high-pressure civilian environments. You are adept at finding solutions when resources are limited.
Situational Awareness
You're adept at understanding how all the electronics on a ship or base work together and what is going on around you in order to plan projects effectively.
This skill translates directly to project management or consulting roles, where understanding the big picture and anticipating potential challenges is key to success.
After-Action Analysis
You evaluate the performance of electronics systems and maintenance procedures to identify areas for improvement and prevent future failures.
This translates into strong analytical abilities, critical for quality assurance, process improvement, or risk management roles in any sector. You're skilled at learning from past experiences to drive better outcomes.
Non-Obvious Career Matches
Management Consultant
SOC 11-9199.00You've been trained to understand the big picture of how electronics systems work together. Your ability to model systems, see how they interconnect, and understand the 'why' of failures translates directly into helping businesses optimize their operations. Your experience with naval electronics gives you a unique perspective that many consultants lack.
Technical Trainer (for non-electronics companies)
SOC 25-9044.00You've been preparing and distributing operator and maintenance training courses for complex electronic systems. You already know how to break down complex information into easy to understand steps for others. Now, consider applying that expertise to different industries, like manufacturing or healthcare. You can use your skills to create training programs on complex medical machinery or for robots on a manufacturing line.
Business Process Analyst
SOC 13-1111.00You've honed your skills in ensuring that electronics systems on naval vessels operate optimally. Your experience translates perfectly to analyzing and optimizing business processes. Your deep understanding of system modeling, performance evaluation, and troubleshooting will allow you to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies, recommend improvements, and streamline operations.
Training & Education Equivalencies
Surface Warfare Officer School (SWOS), Newport, RI; Various Electronics Specialty Schools
Topics Covered
- •Electronic Systems Maintenance
- •Radar Systems Operation and Maintenance
- •Navigation Systems
- •Communications Systems
- •Troubleshooting Techniques
- •Operational Risk Management
- •Leadership and Team Management
Certification Pathways
Partial Coverage
Focus on specific troubleshooting techniques for consumer electronics and some advanced microelectronics repair procedures.
Review specific networking protocols (especially those used in modern data centers), cloud networking concepts, and the latest network security best practices.
Study the five process groups and ten knowledge areas as defined by PMI, focusing on documentation and standardized project management methodologies.
Recommended Next Certifications
Technical Systems Translation
Military systems you've used and their civilian equivalents for your resume.
| Military System | Civilian Equivalent |
|---|---|
| AN/SPS-48 Radar | Long-range air surveillance radar systems |
| AN/SPY-1 Radar (Aegis) | Advanced phased array radar systems for tracking and detection |
| AN/SQQ-89 Sonar System | Integrated sonar systems for underwater surveillance and detection |
| Global Command and Control System – Maritime (GCCS-M) | Maritime domain awareness and command & control software platforms |
| Navy Tactical Command Support System (NTCSS) | Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems for naval operations |
| Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) | Networked sensor fusion systems for integrated air defense |
| Shipboard Gridlock System (SGS) | Real-time data processing and distribution systems |
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