How To Become A Marine Engine Machinist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a marine engine machinist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a marine engine machinist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $21.72 an hour? That's $45,184 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 3,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreMarine Engine MachinistUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $45,184

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.8

Growth rate 1%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.55%

Asian 7.20%

Black or African American 5.10%

Hispanic or Latino 11.31%

Unknown 3.76%

White 72.08%

Gender

female 3.88%

male 96.12%

Age - 49

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49

Stress level

5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.3

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.7

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a marine engine machinist

Explore marine engine machinist education requirements

Most common marine engine machinist degrees

Associate

37.4 %

Bachelor's

27.3 %

High School Diploma

23.2 %

Start to develop specific marine engine machinist skills

Skills	Percentages
Machine Shop	20.89%
CNC	19.87%
Calipers	16.19%
Relevant Parties	11.32%
Mastercam	7.15%

Complete relevant marine engine machinist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New marine engine machinists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a marine engine machinist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real marine engine machinist resumes.

Research marine engine machinist duties and responsibilities

Manage output according to company quality standards and corresponding ISO certification.
Design and weld jigs and fixtures to increase production.
Operate and maintain conventional lathes, mill, and grinders.
Set up and operate lathes, mills, grinders etc.

Prepare your marine engine machinist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your marine engine machinist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a marine engine machinist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable marine engine machinist resume templates

Build a professional marine engine machinist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your marine engine machinist resume.