First officer vs officer candidate

The differences between first officers and officers candidate can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a first officer has an average salary of $82,510, which is higher than the $44,036 average annual salary of an officer candidate.

The top three skills for a first officer include FAA, CFR and ATP. The most important skills for an officer candidate are platoon, combat, and leadership.

First officer vs officer candidate overview

	First Officer	Officer Candidate
Yearly salary	$82,510	$44,036
Hourly rate	$39.67	$21.17
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	89,899	55,985
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

First officer vs officer candidate salary

First officers and officers candidate have different pay scales, as shown below.

	First Officer	Officer Candidate
Average salary	$82,510	$44,036
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $119,000	Between $25,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	Buffalo, NY	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	Lynden	-
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between first officer and officer candidate education

There are a few differences between a first officer and an officer candidate in terms of educational background:

	First Officer	Officer Candidate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common major	Aviation	Business
Most common college	SUNY Farmingdale	California State University - Bakersfield

First officer vs officer candidate demographics

Here are the differences between first officers' and officers candidate' demographics:

	First Officer	Officer Candidate
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1%	Male, 79.8% Female, 20.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 3.5% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 3.2% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between first officer and officer candidate duties and responsibilities

First officer example responsibilities.

Execute and monitor strategic merchandising plans to achieve revenue objectives and reduce expenditures while ensuring payroll remains within budget.
Experience with EFIS, FMS and RNAV.
Base on the Embraer [] fleet
Operate a Lear 35 and 60
Contact drone companies in the UK for possible collaboration.
Discover new construction trends in the UK via showrooms.

Officer candidate example responsibilities.

Lead a platoon of officer candidates through physical training warm-ups and cool downs, focusing on proper technique and execution.
Manage procurement operations and export-import logistics operations of recreational vehicles from U.S. to Venezuela.
Garrison leadership positions include serving as platoon leader and squad leader
Apply leadership, management and supervision techniques when receiving operational orders, disseminating information and assigning mission essential tasks.
Complete physical testing standards as well as many academic exams that analyze leadership potential as well as mental cognitive capabilities.
Join extracurricular ROTC activities, such as color guard.

First officer vs officer candidate skills

Common first officer skills

FAA, 32%
CFR, 27%
ATP, 24%
PIC, 5%
Pilot-In-Command, 4%
Flight Operations, 1%

Common officer candidate skills

Platoon, 15%
Combat, 11%
Leadership, 9%
Physical Fitness Test, 9%
Logistics, 6%
Physical Fitness Training, 6%

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Protective Service Industry
First Officer
First Officer vs Officer Candidate

Updated January 8, 2025

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